The Dallas Cowboys began practice preparation for the New York Giants without their top two running backs, DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones.
Murray will not practice Wednesday and coach Jason Garrett indicated he is a long shot to play this week. Murray was hurt against the Ravens. He sat out last week’s game against the Panthers with a sprained foot. His backup, Felix Jones, has a knee bruise and was also idle Wednesday.
“He’s moving around better,” Garrett said of Murray, acknowledging that he remains on crutches to keep weight off of his foot. “He’s in the meetings and we’ll just see where he is. I don’t anticipate him practicing today. We’ll just see where he is moving forward.”
Phillip Tanner worked with the first-team offense and is the presumed starter if Murray and Jones are out.
Murray has 330 rushing yards this season. Of that total 131 came in the Sept. 5 opener against the Giants, a 24-17 Cowboys’ victory.
Fantasy Analysis: Tanner may not be a bad pickup if you need running back help, but don’t expect him to be a miracle worker against a tough Giants defense.