Marcus Murphy (RB, BUF) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: LeSean McCoy's rib injury during Buffalo's Week 2 matchup lifts Buffalo Bills running back Marcus Murphy into consideration for anyone who opted to draft McCoy. Even if Buffalo's 30-year old RB1 is able to return for the team’s difficult Week 3 trip to Minnesota, another abominable game script could occur for the talent deficient Bills. That would compel Sean McDermott to rest McCoy when games are completely unwinnable - just as we witnessed in Week 1.

Meanwhile, if McCoy is sidelined, Murphy would minimally share the workload with Chris Ivory, and could easily ascend into the responsibilities of a primary back. While there is a minuscule sample size from which to judge Murphy, the precipitous plunge that has transpired with Chris Ivory's output since 2015 is evident (1,070 yards/7 touchdowns), as his career-best numbers have dropped to uninspiring averages since that time (410 yards/2 yards). It is difficult to ascertain how effective Murphy will be when he is on the field. But there are multiple factors that could quickly supply the answer.