Doug Martin is one of the best fantasy football RBs in the NFL, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star has been banged up and now Bobby Rainey and Mike James are the top RB handcuffs for Martin moving forward after his injury and they should continue getting starter action through Week 3 on the Thursday night game as Martin tries to heal up for the rest of the season.
Martin had a phenomenal rookie season, but he only played in six games last year before getting injured and now he has already missed time with a knee injury. According to ESPN.com, Lovie Smith said that Martin would have been able to practice if the team did on Monday, but they did not since the team is playing on Thursday night. Martin is coming off of an injury and into a short week, meaning fantasy football owners should be cautious about starting him unless they know he is going to be playing.
The recent reports on Thursday have Martin likely out of the game for Week 3 and that means fantasy owners should look at Rainey and James as better options for the matchup. According to Pro Football Talk, Martin is listed as questionable for the game against the Falcons and he is likely to have a limited role if he ends up playing. Martin is dealing with a knee injury and Lovie Smith said it would be a bit of a running back by committee no matter what happens on Thursday.
Rainey is the top pick up option from the Buccaneers, as he has been elevated to the number one RB position with Martin out. Rainey had a very good game against the Rams on Sunday and now he could be a solid spot starter until Martin returns. Rainey ended up with 174 total yards and he has shown that he can be a viable fantasy football option and he is the guy that will benefit from the absence of Martin. The Falcons have given up 284 yards and five touchdowns to RBs already this season and the means Rainey or whoever gets the most carries could have a big night.
Rainey was string last season with 566 yards and five touchdowns and he also added 15 catches for 46 yards and one TD in relief of Martin. James is not as likely to get as many carries as Rainey, but there is always a chance he goes down as well and that would thrust James into the starting job. Last season James had a couple nice performances while Martin and Rainey were out with injuries and that opportunity could come up again. James has been quiet to start the season with six rushes for seven yards, but last season he was solid with a 4.9 yards per carry clip and he had 295 yards last season while coming in for Martin.
The Buccaneers have a number of solid offensive options, but if Martin can't go, things will fall on Rainey to pick it up. Josh McCown has a chance to have a big game and he is hoping that Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson will be coming in healthy for the matchup.