DeMarco Murray: Is Fantasy Football's Newest Craze a Fraud or the Real Deal?

This time last week, Dallas Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray was really nothing more than an intriguing waiver wire add. Sure, he was going to get some carries with Felix Jones out with an injury, but expectations for Murray were understandably modest.

Naturally, Murray exploded. Against the hapless St. Louis Rams, he rushed for a franchise-record 253 yards on 25 carries, at one point scoring on a 91-yard scamper.

Those who actually bothered to pick Murray up reaped the benefits. If you are one of those lucky few, I trust you also took some time to thumb your nose at the competition.

As well you should. But now that Murray's breakout day is in the past, we have to ask whether or not he is going to do anything like that again this season or ever again in his career. Is he a fantasy star, or is he a fantasy fluke?

As far as the immediate future is concerned, this will hinge on how much work Murray is going to get. And per a report from ESPNDallas.com, the bad news is that the Cowboys are not yet ready to name Murray their starter for this Sunday's tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett did say that Murray "certainly earned the opportunity to get the ball a lot."

Moreover, Jones is not expected to be healthy for Sunday's tilt, and Tashard Choice is dealing with an injured shoulder. The Cowboys would seem to have no choice but to start Murray.

Now, it should be noted that the Rams' rush defense is utterly atrocious. Even before Murray torched the Rams for over 250 yards, they were giving up well over 100 rushing yards week in and week out. Murray took what the Rams gave him, and they were very generous.

However, the thing to keep in mind here is that Murray is about to face another lackluster rush defense. The Eagles are allowing over 120 rushing yards per game, and their struggles against strong, physical backs have been well-documented. Because Murray is a strong and physical back, the matchup would seem to bode well for him.

In case you're curious, the other thing worth noting is that Murray was a productive back in his days at Oklahoma. Despite some injury issues, he did rush for over 1,000 yards twice, and he left as the school's all-time leader in touchdowns and all-purpose yards. Not too shabby when you remember that Murray was preceded by none other and Adrian Peterson.

There are a couple reasons Murray fell to the third round in the draft. The first and foremost is his history with injuries. The other is that teams aren't feeling the need to reach for running backs these days, and there were a couple of backs who were deemed more worth reaching for than Murray.

If you're still worried about Murray's role in Dallas' offense going forward, take a moment to ponder this tweet from ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon:

In other words, somebody needs to run the ball for the Cowboys, and Murray only needed one game to show that he can do it better than Jones.

So, if you ask me, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Murray. Consider him safe to start until further notice.