RADIO
The running back situation for the Philadelphia Eagles is mercurial to say the least. DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles all play significant roles in the offense. But where should you be starting each of them on your fantasy team?
Let's start off with Darren Sproles. Sproles ended Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers with three carries for nine yards, and five receptions for 31 yards. While he is a decent change of pace option for the Eagles, Sproles is clearly the last man in the running back pecking order in Philly. He is barely a serviceable flex option in PPR leagues. You will likely be able to find better options than Sproles on your bench or on the waiver wire.
Now to DeMarco Murray. After voicing his concerns over his lack of carries in Chip Kelly's offense earlier this month, the Eagles have made a point to give the ball to DeMarco Murray a lot more the past few weeks, and his performance has been given a bit of a boost as a result. Murray rushed the ball 18 times for a total of 65 yards in Philly's 16-27 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. He also had two catches for five yards. Despite being able to bounce back from an absolutely abysmal start to the season, Murray is far from the running back many expected him to be with the Eagles this year. Murray is a RB2 in standard and PPR formats.
Now to Ryan Mathews. Despite rushing the ball just six times in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Mathews led all rushers with 97 yards on the ground on just six carries; with one of those carries being a 63-yard touchdown. He also added three receptions for 24 yards. Mathews clearly appears to be the best back in Philly, but the carry distribution is not reflective of that at the moment. After Mathews' 63-yard touchdown in the third quarter, he only received one more carry. When Chip Kelly was asked about Mathews' lack of carries, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer that running backs coach Duce Staley is the one that controls the running back rotation. It may be time for Kelly to step in and make sure Mathews gets the ball more, because Mathews is running much better than Murray (and has been running better than Murray all season). Mathews is a solid (albeit inconsistent option because of the unpredictability of his carries) RB2.
