Dose: Murray On Record Pace
DeMarco Murray leads the league with his 670 rushing yards. That's 210 more than Le'Veon Bell, who is next closest with his 460 yards on the ground. You have to run a lot to rack up that kind of yardage. And Murray has done just that. He's on pace to carry the rock 416 times, which would tie the all-time record set by Larry Johnson in 2006. That was Johnson's age-26 season. Murray is also in his age-26 season. Following that 2006 campaign when Johnson set records, he never played another full 16-game slate again, never rushed for more than 854 yards in a season, and washed out of the league in 2011. Murray already has an extensive injury history. So, when coach Jason Garrett said on Monday that he plans to scale back Murray's workload, we nodded in agreement for Murray's sake. It's going to be hard for the Cowboys to take their offensive centerpiece off the field, especially if they're going to make a run at the division title, but they can't keep feeding him 26 carries per week if they expect him to last. Look for Murray to still flirt with 22-24 touches weekly and continue his dominance behind one of the league's best offensive lines. But Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar will have to give Murray breathers. Randle would likely assume early-down duties if Murray were to get hurt, with Dunbar playing in a passing-down role like he's been doing.
What's also of great significance is Murray is in a contract year. The Cowboys have expressed a strong desire through the media that they want to sign him to an extension. And reports are that they've already offered him a new four-year deal worth more than $4 million annually. Murray balked at the offer. He'll continue to bet on himself while the Cowboys run him into the ground. If he finishes the season with upwards of 350-370 carries, the Cowboys very well may franchise-tag Murray. The one-year tag would pay Murray about $9.5 million. But if he plays all 16 games and leads the Cowboys to a winning season, Murray would deserve and earn a long-term deal. It'd be unfortunate for Murray if he were slapped with the tag. We obviously have a long way to go before that. If Murray finishes near the top of the league in rushing and stays healthy, Murray's dynasty owners would be smart to sell high in the offseason.
In Other News…
Lions kickers Nate Freese and Alex Henery combined to make just 4-of-12 field goals through the first five weeks. Both were let go. So, the Lions inked ex-Broncos K Matt Prater on Tuesday. Prater has an 81.6 percent career success rate of field goals, but made a league-best 96.1 percent of his field goals in 2013. Prater also led the league with his 81 touchbacks on kickoffs and went 14-of-15 on field goals of 40-plus yards. He was obviously benefited by the thin air at Mile High, but he's going to another great situation in a dome atmosphere kicking for a high-powered offense. Prater will be one of the top kickers to own for the rest of the season.
Coming off a 25-touch effort against the Cowboys, Arian Foster (hamstring) was listed as "DNP" at Monday's practice. When asked if the league's No. 3 rusher would play Thursday night against the Colts, coach Bill O'Brien responded, "Oh, yeah." He's set to go against a weak Indianapolis run defense as an elite RB1. Foster owners need to continue to roster Alfred Blue. Foster is bound to miss more action.
Adrian Peterson has a court date set for Wednesday in his child abuse case. He fully intends to plead not guilty if asked for a plea by the court. Peterson's side is intent on taking the case to trial, and his lawyers will reportedly push for a December 1 trial date. It's an attempt to get this thing out of the way as quickly as possible. Peterson wants to put this behind him and get back on the football field. Even if he's cleared on December 1, Peterson wouldn't be eligible to play until Week 14. He could then face league discipline, and the Vikings would have to welcome him back. The odds of that seem long. Re-draft owners of Peterson can feel pretty comfortable cutting bait. Peterson is extremely unlikely to play another down in 2014.
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Quarterback & Running Back Slants
Carson Palmer (shoulder) threw on Tuesday. Wednesday will be a big day for him after he threw last Tuesday and experienced discomfort the following day. … Charges signed RB Ronnie Brown. He'll help back up Branden Oliver with Donald Brown (concussion) sidelined. … The Redskins don't expect Robert Griffin III (ankle) back "anytime soon." … Free agent RB Mikel Leshoure worked out for the Broncos. Leshoure should be begging the Broncos for a job. It'd be an ideal landing spot for any free-agent running back. … Coach Rex Ryan gave Geno Smith another vote of confidence on Tuesday. … Teddy Bridgewater (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday. … Jake Locker (thumb) is considered day-to-day. … Coach Tom Coughlin expressed confidence in Andre Williams' ability to take on a bigger offensive role. … Antonio Gates called UDFA Branden Oliver a "Darren Sproles, with more power." … Joique Bell (concussion) said he's unsure if he'll be cleared for contact this week. It's the last hurdle before he can return to the field. … Jordan Todman is viewed by the coaches as a string third-down back. … With Knowshon Moreno (elbow) eyeing a return this week, OC Bill Lazor says he hasn't even begun considering how he'll divvy up the carries between Moreno and Lamar Miller. We believe the Dolphins see Moreno as the lead back and Mille as the COP. We'll know more on this situation later in the week.
Wide Receiver & Tight End Slants
Saints signed TE Tom Crabtree. It's a sign Jimmy Graham (shoulder) may not be ready when the Saints take the field again in Week 7. … Andre Johnson (ankle) sat out Tuesday's practice. Houston is just managing his reps. He'll be fine for Thursday night. ... The Ravens claimed TE Ryan Taylor off waivers from the Packers. He'll chip in on special teams behind Owen Daniels.
