The fantasy football Week 16 playoffs schedule is here and for some owners that means championship matchups and with both LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray dealing with injury issues this week, Joseph Randle, Darren Sproles, Chris Polk and Lance Dunbar are solid pickups and they could be worth using as start options if either RB is out for the Cowboys and Eagles this weekend.
Murray is expected to play on Sunday for the Cowboys against the Colts after getting surgery on his hand, while McCoy is expected to start despite Polk getting first crack in practice on Wednesdays. According to ESPN.com, Murray was back at practice on Thursday after being there on Wednesday and that is another positive step in him starting on Sunday. Jason Garrett said that as long as Murray can handle all his responsibilities like blocking and pass catching, he should play.
McCoy is not banged up much and he said that there was nothing serious going on and that the RBs often rotate in practice. Fantasy owners likely shouldn't get too worried, but the fact that Polk was first in getting practice reps is a scary thought if it bleeds into Saturday's game. The Eagles play against the Redskins on Saturday night and McCoy comes in after getting 17 touches against the Cowboys. The Eagles had to play catch-up in that game and that left Polk and Sproles to score TDs over McCoy, who finished with 16 carries for 64 yards in that game.
Last time the teams played, McCoy had 22 yards on 19 carries and fantasy owners are looking for him to have a big game this week. Murray has been the top back in the league this season in yards and owners are hoping he can be the usual workhorse on Sunday. The game is big for the Cowboys, as they have the inside track for the east division and a chance to get home field advantage in the playoffs.
Garrett said he wants to see how Murray reacts to the surgery and also wants to be sure that Murray can handle all of his duties in the offense. Apart from being the leading rusher in the league, Murray is responsible for pass blocking, catching the ball out of the backfield and carrying the ball securely without fumbling. Adding a cast or protection to the hand could affect those responsibilities and Garrett will have to weigh whether it's worth putting in Murray when he is not fully healed. Murray has been the workhorse, but the Cowboys trust Randle and they also like Dunbar in the offense. This season Dunbar has just 91 yards in 14 games, but he has been a factor out of the backfield with 16 catches.
The Cowboys have not officially locked up a playoff spot yet, but they have the inside track as division winners after beating the Eagles last week. Murray has been the best player in the league at his position this season and he comes in with 1687 yards on the season, meaning he is not likely to get to 2000 yards, especially if he misses the game on Sunday. Murray was on pace for over 2000 yards, but after going for less than 100 in three of his past six games, it's unlikely he makes it there.
