The Baltimore Ravens have a bit of a busy backfield headlined by a bunch of veteran castoffs looking to make a second run at relevance. Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray are still standing, while Le’Veon Bell was recently released. Murray has been sidelined by injury since Week 6. Should fantasy football managers expect Murray back for Week 11?
Latavius Murray’s injury timeline
Murray has been sidelined with an ankle injury since Week 6, missing three games and Baltimore’s bye week. He returned to practice on Wednesday, giving him a chance to be ready for a Week 11 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
Following Bell’s release, the Ravens currently have three running backs on their roster — Murray, Freeman, and Ty’Son Williams. If Murray is healthy enough to play, he will assuredly see the field.
Murray’s production has been a bit underwhelming this year
In his six appearances with the Ravens, Murray has averaged only 9.8 carries and 35.3 rushing yards per game, while seeing essentially no work in the passing game. The only thing that’s kept him fantasy-relevant is the fact that he found the end zone in four out of the six games.
He also averaged only 3.6 yards per carry, which is less than stellar.
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With Murray on the mend, it’s been Freeman that has filled in as the lead back for the Ravens. Quite frankly, he’s looked good. He’s seen double-digit carries in each of the last two games, averaged 5.2 yards per carry on the season, and averaged 3 targets per game over his last four outings. He’s also scored 3 TDs in the last four games.
Freeman is running with a lot of burst and juice right now. It doesn’t look like he’s going to simply go away.
Fantasy expectations for the Baltimore RB
Honestly, this backfield looks like one to avoid in general. On the surface, the Ravens look like one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL, but Lamar Jackson is a huge part of those numbers. Murray and Freeman will likely both see work and form a running back by committee alongside Jackson, who will lead the team in every rushing category except for potentially touchdowns.
Freeman has been better in the passing game and more efficient on the ground. Murray will factor in. However, who will get a rushing touchdown on any given drive is a complete roll of the dice. Both running backs will likely be TD-dependent RB2s going forward.
