Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin quadrupled his season touchdown total on Sunday, scoring three times. Martin had his second huge fantasy game in a row in the Buccaneers’ 38-31 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Doug Martin has 2nd straight huge game, fantasy value skyrocketing
The Tampa Bay running back has forced himself back into the conversation. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Martin started the season slow, with 16 fantasy points total through three weeks. But he had 143 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in Week 4, and followed that up with Sunday’s huge game. During that game, Martin had 24 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and added three catches for 35 yards and another score.
He wasn’t alone as a productive Tampa Bay running back, either. Charles Sims had 12 carries for 51 yards and caught four passes for 85 yards.
Fantasy impact: This came as a bit of a surprise, as -- game against New England aside -- the Jaguars had been fairly strong against running backs this year, holding the Carolina, Miami and Indianapolis running backs to a combined 22 fantasy points before the shellacking by Martin and Sims.
Martin, who has been a running disappointment for more than two years now, didn’t seem like the guy to break through. But it’s now two straight weeks that he’s been solid.
If you believe in momentum, the Buccaneers’ Week 6 bye could not be timed worse. They’ll come back in Week 7 at a reasonably strong Washington run defense, but even in that matchup, Martin has done enough to make him a top-20 running back at the worst.
