Fantasy football owners are counting on DeMarco Murray being used this year as much as he was last year. The Dallas Cowboys ran Murray so much he became the NFL's leading rusher in 2014, but the Philadelphia Eagles might not have the same plan. Murray signed after Ryan Mathews to join a rotation that includes the dynamic Darren Sproles. All three backs are quality and head coach Chip Kelly is staying quiet on his intentions with the bunch.
Both Murray and Mathews have been starters for teams prior to coming to Philadelphia. Mathews signed a multi-year deal right before Murray inked his. With the plan to keep their run game fresh and healthy, Kelly is staying quiet on just how many reps Murray will get and where Mathews and Sproles fit into the overall scheme of the offense.
"We get to the end of the week and we see exactly what's going to go on," Kelly said, via ESPN.com. "The reason I've been like that is because we've had guys get hurt on Thursday and Friday. So to sit here and say, 'Hey, this is our rotation,' and then if one of those guys were to get hurt -- well then we are wasting time to have those meetings. So we always have our meetings, whether it's a preseason game or a regular-season game, after our training sessions on the last day ... and then sit down to kind of hammer it out."
It can be expected that Murray will be the starting running back, but Mathews and Sproles are set to see a lot of field time. Sproles told the media that Kelly stressed he would be playing a lot in 2015 as he remains the best option for passing downs. This is likely frustrating to fantasy owners who want to know if Murray will be used as the workhorse just like he was last year. Kelly said that running back coach Duce Staley has a good plan worked out for all three backs to rotate.
"So you can take Ryan Mathews out and DeMarco Murray comes in; or if DeMarco Murray comes out and Darren Sproles comes in. That's kind of what we have been trying to build towards here, and those three guys obviously give us the opportunity to do that," Kelly said.
Fans should not expect the same from the receiving rotation. Jordan Matthews is the new leading man on the offense while Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff run alongside him. Matthews and Agholor are expected to get plenty of attention from quarterback Sam Bradford while Riley Cooper works in as the fourth option.