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Is Latavius Murray or Damien Harris the Bills' short-yardage back this season? Joey Pollizze provides a fantasy football outlook on Buffalo's RB situation.
The Buffalo Bills running back room will look a little different in 2023. After the departure of Devin Singletary this offseason, the Bills will roll with James Cook to lead the backfield. Cook was the team's second-round pick in last year's NFL draft.
Who runs behind Cook remains a mystery, though. The team signed both Damien Harris and Latavius Murray in free agency this offseason. Harris comes over following four seasons with the New England Patriots, while Murray will enter his 11th NFL season.
So is Harris or Murray the Bills' short-yardage back this season? Should you draft either in fantasy? Let's dive in.
Is Latavius Murray Or Damien Harris The Bills' Short-Yardage Back?
There's no doubt Cook will lead the team out of the backfield this season. He has run primarily with the first-team offense, while Murray and Harris fill in behind.
As of now, it remains unseen which running back will be the team's short-yardage guy. Harris and Murray will likely both get opportunities inside the red zone this season. The former is obviously much younger (26) and did have a 15-touchdown season in 2021.
Harris should be the favorite to be the team's goal-line running back this season but don't be surprised if Murray gets his fair share of carries in short situations, too. Both veterans are on one-year deals and should be utilized in spurts on a pass-heavy offense in Buffalo.
Damien Harris and Latavius Murray 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
Whether Harris or Murray wins the RB2 job behind Cook, neither will likely put up consistent fantasy production each week. The Bills ran the ball just over 40.5% of the time last season and most of that came from quarterback Josh Allen. Allen had 126 carries in 2022.
If one running back does run away with the red zone touches this season, he'll be an interesting flex choice every week. Still, it might be hard to trust the RB2 on a team led by Allen. The Bills quarterback often takes it himself on a run or winds up throwing it.
This ongoing battle between Harris and Murray should be determined throughout training camp. There's also a chance both running backs fill in sparingly and split short-yardage reps. Whoever does win the job, though, is worth a late-round flier in fantasy drafts this season, given how often the Bills find the end zone.
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