LATAVIUS MURRAY NEWS

Sits out with quad injury Murray was held out of practice Wednesday due to a quadriceps injury, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Impact During this past Sunday's wild-card victory against the Bears, Murray pulled up at the end of a five-yard catch in the third quarter and eventually was deemed questionable to return with a thigh injury. With a few days to evaluate his health, he's officially tending to a quad issue. Murray is good for at least a handful of touches per game -- his season low is five, done twice (Weeks 2 and 14) -- but those could be up for grabs if he's unable to get healthy in time for Sunday's matchup with the Buccaneers.

JANUARY 13, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Health of key Saints players trending up at the right time

Saints quarterback Drew Brees likes the way the health of the roster is trending at the most crucial time of year

JANUARY 12, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Drop, ejection and penalties sink Bears in playoff loss

A drop in the end zone by Chicago receiver Javon Wims was just one of many mistakes that cost the Bears a chance to stay with New Orleans in a playoff opening loss

JANUARY 11, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brees, Saints pull away late for 21-9 playoff win over Bears Drew Brees completed 28 of 39 passes for 265 yards, connecting with Michael Thomas and Latavius Murray for touchdowns.

JANUARY 11, 2021 • STARTRIBUNE.COM

Brees, Saints pull away late for 21-9 playoff win over Bears

Drew Brees gets to celebrate his 42nd birthday by preparing for a playoff game that will also feature the one active NFL quarterback older than him

JANUARY 11, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Hurts thigh in wild-card round Murray (thigh) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Bears, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Impact Murray left his mark on the game before suffering the injury, rushing four times for nine yards and catching both of his targets for 11 yards and a touchdown. With the Saints nursing a comfortable fourth-quarter lead, there's little reason for the team to bring Murray back in. He'll look to heal up in time for the NFC divisional round next week.

JANUARY 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Latavius Murray cuts Khalil Mack, pops up for TD catch and run New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray cuts Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, pops up for touchdown catch and run.

JANUARY 11, 2021 • NFL.COM

Browns advance, Brees to meet Brady, Lama Jackson a winner

The NFC divisional round will give fans a third-time treat: another meeting between old-timers Tom Brady and Drew Brees

JANUARY 10, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Latest: Browns open 28-0 lead over Steelers

The Cleveland Browns are off to a record-setting start in Pittsburgh

JANUARY 10, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Transcript - Latavius Murray Conference Call 1/7/21 | NFC Wild Card 2020 New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray talks return to practice, Alvin Kamara on Thursday, January 7, 2021.

JANUARY 8, 2021 • NEWORLEANSSAINTS.COM

New Orleans Saints running back Latavius Murray eager for playoffs after missing regular-season finale 'It was frustrating because I wanted to play'

JANUARY 7, 2021 • NEWORLEANSSAINTS.COM

Comes off COVID-19 list The Saints activated Murray (undisclosed) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Impact Murray missed the Saints' victory over the Panthers in the regular-season finale because he was deemed to be a high-risk close contact of Alvin Kamara, who tested positive for COVID-19. There's no telling when Kamara will complete the necessary testing protocol and rejoin the Saints, but if he's unable to suit up in the wild-card round, Murray is the prime candidate to lead the backfield Sunday versus the Bears. On the season, Murray has averaged 11.3 touches for 55.5 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring five touchdowns in 15 appearances.

JANUARY 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Saints passed tests of resilience heading into playoffs

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton can draw encouragement from the fact that his team enters the playoffs having won 11 of 13 games despite a lack of lineup stability at several...

JANUARY 5, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Patrick Mahomes watching Chiefs' finale against Chargers

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is inactive for their meaningless regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers

JANUARY 3, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Latest: Henry runs for 2k, Titans' doink wins AFC South

The Tennessee Titans needed the game of Derrick Henry’s career and another big comeback to win their first AFC South title since 2008

JANUARY 3, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ty Montgomery Fantasy Value With Alvin Kamara & Latavius Murray COVID Status in Saints Week 17 Backfield The Saints offense has been lead all season long by the dominant play of star running back Alvin Kamara. And while he has avoided missing an...

JANUARY 2, 2021 • FANDUEL.COM

In COVID-19 protocol, out Sunday Murray was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and is out for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.

Impact Murray and Dwayne Washington are considered high-risk close contacts to Alvin Kamara, who tested positive for the coronavirus, so all three running backs will sit out Week 17. Ty Montgomery should see a significant increase in reps versus the Panthers. The Saints are also expected to promote running back Tony Jones from the practice squad, and Taysom Hill could see more tread as well. Murray will be available for the first round of playoffs as long as he continues to test negative.

JANUARY 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

The Latest: Cardinals place WR Christian Kirk on COVID list

The Arizona Cardinals have placed receiver Christian Kirk on the reserve/COVID-19 list, leaving them without a key offensive player heading into Sunday’s game against the Rams

JANUARY 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kamara on COVID-19 list, could miss Saints' playoff opener

The New Orleans Saints have placed running back Alvin Kamara on their COVID-19 reserve list

JANUARY 2, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stepping in for Kamara Murray is expected to take on a larger role Sunday against the Panthers, with teammate Alvin Kamara ineligible to play after testing positive for COVID-19, Mike Triplett of ESPN.co...

Impact Murray put up 307 total yards and four touchdowns in a two-week span the last time Kamara missed games, back in Weeks 7 and 8 of last season. A repeat of that level of production may be too much to ask, but Murray should at least see a nice workload uptick relative to his 2020 average of 9.7 carries, 1.7 targets and 55.4 total yards per game. Carolina has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs, including 204 combined yards and a touchdown to Kamara and Murray in Week 7. Ty Montgomery and Dwayne Washington are the other running backs on the Saints' roster, while undrafted rookie Tony Jones resides on the practice squad.

JANUARY 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Notches full practice Thursday Murray (quadriceps) practiced in full Thursday.

Impact One day removed from putting in a limited session due to a quad issue, Murray managed to log every practice rep Thursday. His snap and touch counts this season have largely depended on game script and need, with the latter ranging from five in Weeks 2 and 14 to a campaign-high 20 in Week 12 during Taysom Hill's second spot start for Drew Brees. Consequently, Murray is difficult to trust on a game-to-game basis.

DECEMBER 31, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Limited by quad issue Murray (quadricep) was limited in practice Wednesday.

Impact According to Katherine Terrell of The Athletic, Murray wasn't present at the open portion of the session, but the veteran running back fit in reps at some point. On the season, Murray's touch count has wavered wildly, and now with an injury in tow he again is in danger of yielding most of the backfield reps to Alvin Kamara. Murray has two more chances to prove the health of his quad ahead of Sunday's regular-season finale at Carolina.

DECEMBER 30, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Saints' Kamara has come through with his best season yet

Alvin Kamara has had the finest season of his four-year career in a year when the Saints have had to make do without some other offensive stars

DECEMBER 29, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nearly 100 yards in blowout win Murray rushed 12 times for 72 yards and caught all three of his targets for 24 yards in the Saints' 52-33 win over the Vikings on Friday.

Impact After three straight duds, Murray came alive on Christmas Day, racking up 96 total yards -- his second-highest mark of the season. The performance should be taken with a grain of salt, as New Orleans racked up nearly 600 yards of total offense in the blowout victory. Murray gets another quality matchup with Carolina in Week 17, where he'll look to finish the regular season on a high note.

DECEMBER 26, 2020 • ROTOWIRE

Vikings banged-up defense sinks to new depths against Saints

The Minnesota Vikings’ depleted defense ended its first series by haplessly trying to chase down Alvin Kamara as the Saints running back raced away for a 40-yard touchdown

DECEMBER 26, 2020 • ASSOCIATED PRESS