Dallas Cowboys Lance Dunbar expected to be out

Dallas Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar (25) runs the ball in the first quarter of the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Miami Dolphins at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy owners should strongly consider picking up Dallas Cowboys rookie RB Joseph Randle, because Lance Dunbar will likely miss a second straight game due to a hamstring injury. DeMarco Murray suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday and is fully expected to miss this week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Randle received 11 carries (he only turned them into 17 yards, though) following Murray’s injury. ESPN Dallas’s Tim MacMahon reports that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated that Dunbar is set to miss this week’s game as well with the hamstring injury.

Dunbar has received just seven carries in four appearances this year (just one reception), but he has been able to average 5.4 yards per rush with those limited carries. DeMarco Murray carried so much of the Cowboys workload this season as the feature back, but he won’t be missed too much against the Eagles run defense. Although Randle didn’t look good against a putrid Washington Redskins defense, he is set to have a huge workload as the only healthy back on the Cowboys. He was also one of the best players in the Big 12 in college, so maybe that counts for something.

Either way, Randle is worth strong consideration for fantasy owners, especially owners of Murray. We’ll see when both Dunbar and Murray return to health, and hopefully it’s sooner rather than later, particularly when it comes to Murray.

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