Week 7 Start Em, Sit Em: DeMarco Murray and More Sleeper RBs That Will Surprise

Seeing as they tend to get the most consistent amount of touches, running backs may be the most important aspect of a fantasy team. With several good ones either injured or on the bye, though, many fantasy owners are scrambling for a replacement.

Luckily there should be plenty of options still available on the waiver wire that are expected to receive increased workloads this weekend. Here are three sleeper running backs who should put up some nice numbers and make for solid fill-ins this week.

Maurice Morris - Detroit Lions

With Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best nursing a concussion, veteran Maurice Morris is expected to get the start for the Lions against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. While he isn't the most explosive player, Morris is steady and reliable, so the Lions should feel very comfortable with him.

Detroit did try to trade for Ronnie Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles, but Lions running back James Harrison failed his physical with the Eagles as he was found to have a brain tumor. This means that the job looks to be all Morris', at least until Best gets healthy.

The Falcons struggle against the pass so one would think that the Lions would attempt a lot of passes, and they will, but Atlanta may overcompensate and open some running lanes. This was the case against the Chicago Bears a couple weeks ago as Best ran wild out of the shotgun. Look for Morris to pick up some chunks of yardage on shotgun runs as well.

Ryan Torain - Washington Redskins

After a dominant performance against the St. Louis Rams a couple weeks ago, Washington Redskins running back Ryan Torain looked to be entrenched as the 'Skins top back. With head coach Mike Shanahan's backfield carousel, though, it is nearly impossible to tell.

Torain certainly didn't help matters last week by gaining just 22 yards on 10 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he has a great chance to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

The Panthers are one of the NFL's worst teams when it comes to stopping the run, so Torain could be in for a big day if given ample touches. I suspect that he will as John Beck will get his first start of the season at quarterback after Rex Grossman's nightmarish outing last week. Beck is nothing special, so the 'Skins will need to pound the rock in order to be successful.

DeMarco Murray - Dallas Cowboys

While most blame late-game collapses for the Dallas Cowboys' shortcomings this season, another culprit is the complete lack of a running game. Felix Jones has been both ineffective and injury prone, and he will miss Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams with an ankle injury.

That means that either rookie DeMarco Murray or Tashard Choice will have to carry the load. With Choice averaging less than three yards per carry this year and Murray being used most in Jones' absence last week against the New England Patriots, I think Murray will get a decent amount of touches.

The Cowboys will likely pass early against the Rams, but I expect them to build a nice lead for themselves. Because of that, somebody will need to run the ball to kill the clock. Murray should be the main beneficiary and he could potentially have a ton of running room as the Rams are the worst in the league against the run.