The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are having a very tough season and now that the team is 0-6 on the year, things might be getting even rougher, as running back Doug Martin might be out for the season with an injury, making fantasy owners ready to grab Mike James as a free agent sleeper option if the diagnosis is true.
Martin rushed for 47 yards and had one reception for seven yards and now he could be out for the season according to ESPN.com, as sources have reported that Martin may have a torn labrum in his shoulder, which could amount to a season ending injury, making James the next back up. The ESPN.com report says that Martin is waiting on an MRI and that he will not be playing on Thursday when the Buccaneers take on the Carolina Panthers in the NFL network game no matter what the MRI says.
After the game, Martin said that he had x-rays after the game and they were "fine", but the report could make fantasy owners very worrisome, as Martin is one of the most productive backs and this would mean he is out for the season if it's bad. Mike James is a rookie out of Miami and he ended up coming in for Martin, adding 45 yards on 14 carries and he could be in line for the start on Thursday night. Fantasy owners came into the season high on Martin after he had an amazing year in 2012, but he has not been the same this season and now the Buccaneers are still winless heading into a tough divisional matchup on Thursday.
The team is ranked 20th in the league in rushing yards per game, while Martin has 456 on 127 carries to go along with 12 catches for 66 yards. He has scored just one touchdown this season and that has been frustrating for fantasy owners and he has been over 100 yards rushing just once over the past five weeks and over 100 yards total just once in the past four games and part of that is due to the Bucs struggles as well as the fact that they have a rookie quarterback in Mike Glennon, so defenses can focus on the run more.
Last season Martin had an astounding 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie and he also added 49 catches for over 450 yards while playing in all 16 games and now his second season could be over before it really begins. Martin was injured after a hit in the game against the Falcons while trying to catch a pass in the third quarter and that was all for the 24-year-old on Sunday.
James has played in five games this season and has just 17 carries for 57 yards, but he had 45 of that on Sunday and that could mean much more production as a waiver free agent for owners. A promising sign is the fact that he made three catches in the game as well, as the team likes the screen game and to take over for Martin, he will need to be a factor catching the ball. Next week the team has the Carolina Panthers and with Martin out, that could be a tough game to win, as Carolina is coming off of an emotional win over the Rams.