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It appeared all week long that Cowboys starting running back DeMarco Murray would return from his sprained knee to play against the Lions in Detroit this Sunday. A full week of participation in practice followed pretty strange rumors that connected Dallas with every running back imaginable in trade scenarios. Despite Dallas not having the cap space to add the likes of an Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew or Darren McFadden, not to mention to injury concerns of the two latter, the rumor mill churned away. One can only wonder if those musings fueled Murray to try to recover too soon and caused him to suffer a setback that now appears might keep him out. Per insider Bryan Broaddus of the DallasCowboys.com:
"@johndkaman: @BryanBroaddus So did Murray further injure the knee?" Sounds like he pushed himself too hard to come back.
— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) October 27, 2013
"@Ansky27WS: @BryanBroaddus So Murray is not playing today vs the Lions?" Hearing he might not.
— Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) October 27, 2013
For fantasy purposes, the Cowboys would likely lean on Joseph Randle for the second week in a row, however he might not get the full load of carries. Randle ran 19 times for 65 yards (3.4 ypc) last week in Philadelphia and added another 28 yards on 3 receptions. He was credited with a dropped pass as well. That's not the issue.
For Randle owners, the issue is that Lance Dunbar, Dallas' speedy change of pace back, is set to return to action after missing two weeks with a hamstring issue. Dunbar is by far the most electric of all of Dallas' runners, and if healthy figures to be a major part of their arsenal. He is also a better pass protector than Randle has shown to be. Throw in the fact that Phillip Tanner is most likely the short yardage back and one might not be ready to declare Randle their hero-in-waiting. Of course, with six teams on bye this week, most people don't have a plethora of options at the moment.
Also of note, fans and owners haven't had much success with Miles Austin of late. He's been shutout in two straight games and will most likely be given more time for his hamstrings to fully heal. He's already been passed by Terrance Williams on the depth chart and pecking order for Tony Romo targets.
On the other sideline, Lions fans received a bit of a scare on Friday when Reggie Bush was held out of practice with a leg injury. He and the team said it was just precauitionary, and he was listed as Probable-Knee on the official injury report. There are no signs he is going to miss today's game.
Also, Calvin Johnson has been nursing his own knee ailments but appears good to go after a dynamic week against Cincinnati last Sunday.
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Week Eight!
| S/U | ATS | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 7 | 9-6 | 7-8 | 4-11 |
| Season Total | 66-41 | 54-52 | 47-59 |
Prognosticator's Corner
Week 8 Lines & Predictions To Be Updated Shortly! (click on column headers to sort)
| Lines From Las Vegas Hilton via Sportsbook.com | KD's Picks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MatchUp | Kickoff | Underdog | Line | Favorite | O/U | Straight Up | ATS | O/U | ||
| Carolina at TAMPA BAY | 01_Thursday | BUCS | 7.0 | Panthers | 39 | Panthers | Panthers | Over | ||
| San Francisco at JACKSONVILLE | 02_Sun, 1pm | JAGUARS | 15.0 | 49ers | 40 | 49ers | Jaguars | Over | ||
| Cleveland at KANSAS CITY | 03_Sun, 1pm | Browns | 7.0 | CHIEFS | 39 | Chiefs | Chiefs | Under | ||
| Miami at NEW ENGLAND | 04_Sun, 1pm | Dolphins | 6.0 | PATRIOTS | 46 | Patriots | Dolphins | Under | ||
| Buffalo at NEW ORLEANS | 05_Sun, 1pm | Bills | 11.0 | SAINTS | 49 | Saints | Saints | Under | ||
| Dallas at DETROIT | 06_Sun, 1pm | Cowboys | 3.0 | LIONS | 51 | Cowboys | Cowboys | Under | ||
| NY Giants at PHILADELPHIA | 07_Sun, 1pm | Giants | 5.5 | EAGLES | 49.5 | Giants | Giants | Over | ||
| Pittsburgh at OAKLAND | 08_Sun, 405pm | RAIDERS | 2.5 | Steelers | 40 | Steelers | Steelers | Over | ||
| NY Jets at CINCINNATI | 09_Sun, 405pm | Jets | 5.0 | BENGALS | 41.5 | Bengals | Bengals | Under | ||
| Atlanta at ARIZONA | 10_Sun, 425pm | Falcons | 2.5 | CARDINALS | 46 | Falcons | Falcons | Under | ||
| Washington at DENVER | 11_Sun, 425pm | Redskins | 11.0 | BRONCOS | 59 | Broncos | Redskins | Over | ||
| Green Bay at MINNESOTA | 12_Sun, 830pm | VIKINGS | 7.5 | Packers | 47.5 | Packers | Packers | Under | ||
| Seattle at ST LOUIS | 13_Mon, 840pm | RAMS | 11.5 | Seahawks | 43 | Seahawks | Rams | Over | ||
Fantasy Fix
Here's a look at some great Fantasy Resources for you entering Week 8.
- Injury Updates, via Rotoworld
- Other major injury news: Dwayne Bowe likely out after setback on Thursday. Danny Amendola returns, but for how long? Jimmy Graham is a game-time decision but it's a 1pm game. Same with Mark Ingram. CJ Spiller looks like he's out. Brandon Jacobs is out, Peyton Hillis starts. Michael Vick is back. Santonio Holmes and Roddy White are out. Stephen Jackson's back but probably limited. Andre Ellington to start. James Jones is doubtful. Christian Ponder to start.
- Jaimey Eisenberg's Start'Em or Sit'Em (CBS Sports)
- Sunday Morning Report (Weather, complete injury reports) KFFL.com
- Yahoo! Week 8 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | K
- CBS Top 150 Flex PPR Rankings
- Every Sunday morning you can check the live chat War Room at SB Nation Fantasy. We strongly recommend you head over there if you have any questions about who to start/sit or injuries for today's games.