Prior to the start of the season in September I had Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray as a top five fantasy running back. He was coming off an injury-plagued, but electric rookie season for Jason Garrett and company. It seemed that the former third-round pick was fully prepared to provide RB1 production.
Another rash of injuries cost Murray a total of six games. This made him somewhat of an afterthought for those who spent a relatively high pick on the running back. In his first game back from the injury, Murray tallied over 100 total yards and 16 fantasy points against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. In total, the Oklahoma product is averaging over 11 fantasy points in his six games this season.
It is also important to take into account the fact that Felix Jones, who struggled in replacement of Murray, has been hobbled and only recently returned to full practice. Don't expect him to take many carries away from the true starting running back in Dallas.
While the Cincinnati Bengals, Murray's Week 14 opponent, have been good against the run recently, they haven't exactly gone up against good running offenses during that span. The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers really aren't going to scare anyone. On that note, Cincinnati has yielded over 142 per game on the ground against offenses that rank in the top half of the NFL running the ball.
Head coach Jason Garrett is going to want to get more balance on offense in order to avoid Tony Romo taking a continual beating and putting the ball up over 50 times against Cincinnati.
You can expect Dallas to give Murray a total of 20-25 touches on Sunday. If that happens, I have no doubt in my mind that he will tally over 120 total yards and 18 fantasy points.