I've got Thomas Rawls in a dynasty league, so I've been watching the offseason surrounding him with some concern. Apparently severe ankle injury, new competition, etc. So I had to think about a trade offer of Latavius Murray for him last week.
In our own dynasty rankings in the magazine, Murray comes out ahead, but it's close; just a few spots. He's also ahead in the 2016 rankings, though there's certainly no consensus on that. Rawls shows up earlier in both the experts rankings and the mock draft.
So as I mulled the offer, I decided to create a little table comparing the two.
RAWLS VERSUS MURRAY | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Thomas Rawls | Latavius Murray | Comment | Advantage |
Age | 22 | 26 | Love youth in dynasty | Rawls |
Rushing | 830 in 13 (7 starts) | 1,066 in 16 | Rawls has more power | Rawls |
Receiving | 9 for 76 | 41 for 232 | Murray will be involved as receiver; Rawls definitely won't be | Murray |
Health | Rawls comes off what appears to be history's most significant broken ankle | Injured rookie season, but has missed only one game last two years | Murray healthier now, plus Rawls' running style invites injury | Murray |
Competition | Seattle drafted C.J. Prosise and Alex Collins | Oakland drafted DeAndre Washington | Prosise a third-down type back; Collins and Washington both 5th-rounders | Push |
Offensive Line | Poor; added to by mid-rounders | Good; added to by top guard Kelechi Osemele | Oakland has superior line; Seattle has shown more commitment to running game | Murray |
Overall Team | Seattle perennial championship contender | Oakland seems to be team on rise | Seattle better recent track record of success, which tends to favor rushing production | Rawls |
I ended up standing pat with Rawls. Ultimately, I favored him because of his youth (four years younger) and greater upside (in his seven starts last year he had four 100-yard games and 5 TDs; Murray had two 100-yard games and 6 TDs all season). We'll find out this year if I made the right choice.