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Here are the fantasy implications of Oakland Raiders RB Latavius Murray (toe) reportedly likely to miss Week 5's game with the San Diego Chargers:
Though his season began strongly with a touchdown in each of his first three games, Murray ultimately hasn't had more than 14 rush attempts in any outing this season, and was part of a three-way committee with rookies DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard. Here's how their rush attempts have broken down through four games:
| Player | Attempts | Yards | YPC | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray | 40 | 172 | 4.3 | 3 |
| Washington | 23 | 147 | 6.4 | 0 |
| Richard | 17 | 144 | 8.5 | 1 |
Despite plenty of preseason coachspeak about the Raiders' desire for Murray to see a heavy workload, he's seemingly been losing ground to the pair of rookies, each of whom has been more impressive than the veteran in running the ball. Perhaps Murray's ailing toe is to blame for his most recent poor performance, in which he recorded 24 yards on 10 touches in Week 4 against Baltimore.
Murray is certainly worth holding onto for now in all fantasy leagues, as it's possible he'll be handed a bigger role once he's healthy again. For at least this week against the Chargers, Washington, a fifth-round pick from Texas Tech, should see the bulk of the workload in the Oakland backfield, and makes for a viable fantasy add, even if his starting role may not last long.
He was an adept receiving threat in college, hauling in 41 catches in 13 games in his senior season, and he's caught six passes for 37 yards through four games as a Raider. If nothing else, Washington makes for an intriguing daily fantasy option against the Chargers, given the ease with which Oakland has been moving the ball.
The undrafted Richard's numbers are somewhat inflated due to 75-yard TD run in his NFL debut; he'll likely see a handful of carries per game in spelling Washington. The Oakland running game has been efficient if nothing else: despite being tied for 23rd in attempts, the Raiders have averaged the fifth-most rushing yards per contest, 126.8.
