DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle's Post-Week 9 Fantasy Reaction

Subpar quarterback play plagued the Dallas Cowboys' offense in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys backfield featuring DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle struggled to produce as a result in a 28-17 loss.    

As has been the case all season, Murray was the workhorse, but even his best efforts couldn't overcome the ineffectiveness of Dallas signal-caller Brandon Weeden. The team's biggest play came on Dunbar's 40-yard catch-and-run on a short Weeden pass.

Player	CAR	YDS	REC	YDS	TD	Fantasy Points
DeMarco Murray	19	79	4	11	0	8
Lance Dunbar	3	9	2	52	0	5
Joseph Randle	1	2	0	0	0	0

Otherwise, Weeden disappointed against a Cardinals pass defense that was worst in the league entering Sunday's games. ESPN Stats & Info highlighted Murray's relatively slow start compared to his prior, prolific production:

SportsCenter noted how Murray ultimately fell shy of the numbers fortunate fantasy owners have grown accustomed to:

Arizona's ability to defend the run also didn't help, as Tony Romo's absence from the Cowboys lineup was glaring. Cardinals nose tackle Dan Williams discussed how hard it was going to be to stop Murray before Sunday's game, via ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss:

"

He makes a lot of guys miss tackles. A lot of guys try to arm tackle. He runs straight through those arms. A lot of times he drops his head on the smaller guys, safeties and defensive backs. You really have to come with good form, tackling form, and put your head and shoulders in the right place and take him down.

"

Under the difficult circumstances, fantasy owners had to be at least somewhat pleased by Murray's performance. As long as Dallas is committed to the run as it has been in 2014, Murray is worth deploying no matter the matchup.

The minimal, bit parts both Dunbar and Randle play make it difficult to distinguish which one is the best handcuff option. Murray is the primary fantasy focus in the Cowboys' running back platoon, due to his dominance of the touches.