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Week 8 Fantasy / Betting: DeMarco Murray Out Again? Reggie Bush, Calvin Johnson Set To Play

It looks like the Cowboys may still be a bit shorthanded at running back, while the Lions will have their compliment of weaponry.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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:

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.

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