Murray, other Saints RBs out for Week 17

Saints RBs Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington and Mike Burton have been placed on the COVID list as close contacts of RB Alvin Kamara, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports. Those 3 guys are out for Sunday's game against the Panthers but will at least be eligible for the 1st round of the playoffs if they continue to test negative. New Orleans will use Ty Montgomery at RB and also promote Tony Jones from the practice squad, according to Glazer. The Saints will likely be forced to go pass-heavy in this one, but Montgomery has some RB3 and DFS appeal.

The Bills announced Monday morning that they have signed RB Latavius Murray to a one-year deal. It's noteworthy that he comes off the market ahead of bigger-named free agents Ezekiel Elliot, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt. But that might just indicate what Buffalo is looking for vs. what those players would seek. Murray likely won't challenge the role of Damien Harris, who signed back in March. And he shouldn't challenge James Cook's role either. Murray looks like veteran depth. We'll see whether the contract terms even make him a lock for the regular-season roster. Don't bother with Murray in your best ball drafts at this point. See where the other Bills RBs sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.

Broncos RB Latavius Murray (NIR/rest) received the day off from practice on Wednesday. It's not unusual for veterans to sit out Wednesday practices, so no need for alarm. We'll check back on Murray's status for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs tomorrow.

Broncos RB Latavius Murray (foot) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. He got in 2 limited practices this week and was listed as questionable, but we haven’t heard anything about him being limited in this one.

Broncos RB Latavius Murray (foot) was a limited practice on Friday and carries a questionable injury designation for Week 16's game vs. the Rams. On Thursday, Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said that multiple players, including Murray, were held out of practice due to the turf surface. The game will be played on a turf field at SoFi Stadium, and Hackett believes the limited exposure was best. Definitely an odd quote but it does provide some context. Murray is the RB16 overall in PPR scoring since Week 11 largely on the back of heavy usage. That said, the Rams are the 7th-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs in 2022. Murray is best viewed as a flex option in Week 16.

Broncos RB Latavius Murray (foot) did not practice on Thursday after logging limited participation the day before. We consider Murray an RB3/flex option in Week 16 vs. the Rams. As such, if you have safer options who play in Saturday games, you may want to pivot there. The schedule handed fantasy managers so many Saturday games this week that the waiting game may prove to be difficult on this front.