Cliff McBride-Getty Images
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin did not have a great season opener, with just nine yards on nine carries and one catch for seven yards against the Carolina Panthers. He did suffer a left knee injury in the game, but he was able to return quickly and head coach Lovie Smith downplayed the severity of the injury on Monday.
Martin was able to return to practice on Thursday and Friday, albeit on a limited basis both days, and he was officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Rams. To me that makes Martin a game-time decision, and thus a very risky fantasy starter automatically.
Bobby Rainey was not very productive himself last week against Carolina, with four carries for 12 yards and two catches for eight yards, but he is now in line for a bigger role with Martin banged up. A first glance at the 185 rushing yards the Rams allowed in Week 1 may tell fantasy owners they are a sieve against the run, but Vikings’ wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson had 102 of those yards on the ground, including a 67-yard touchdown. Adrian Peterson averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last Sunday (21 carries for 75 yards), and Minnesota’s running backs totaled 86 rushing yards on 24 carries, which is also good for an average of 3.6 yards per carry.
If he is active on Sunday, it’s safe to say Martin will be less than 100 percent. That makes a split of touches with Rainey likely, and a dreaded committee situation for fantasy owners to navigate in what looks to be at best a neutral matchup. If I have to start a Buccaneers’ running back this week it would be Rainey, but expectations for a big game should be tempered even if he ends up with a big workload.
With kickoff coming at 4:05 Eastern time on Sunday, if I own Martin and have anything resembling another viable option I’m benching him without regret. Rainey is close to being a priority waiver wire pickup for Martin owners right now, and he could become a solid fantasy option down the road if Martin’s injury lingers beyond this week.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.
