It was a record day for rookies on Sunday. The Buc starts here:
Doug Martin is the man, leads fantasy running backs in Week 9
The Good, the bad, and the injured for those guys that carry the ball.
Ezra Shaw
The Good
Doug Martin against the Raiders (holy sh#!)
No caps necessary on that, Martin put on a CAPS LOCK performance against the Raiders all on his own. Martin's 251 yards ties Mike Anderson for 10th highest single-game total (Broncos, 2000, also a rookie) but Martin also added four touchdowns on the way to biggest fantasy performances that you'll ever see.
Martin became the first player in history to have three touchdown runs of 45 yards or greater in the same game. Surprisingly, the Raiders were allowing only 3.88 yards per carry going into the game, but that feels like it should jump to double-digits after getting burned by Martin.
I want to make a “Martin! I’m da man” reference but how many of you are still old enough to get it?
Doug Martin has 486 total yards in his last two games. Really. He is just under 800 yards in eight games down and eight to go. Since his Bye is already behind him, he has to be considered one of the top four backs for rest of season.
Adrian Peterson against the Seahawks ('HE ALL WE GOT' BUT HE AIN'T ALL YOU NEED)
Seattle has a rallying cry of 'We all we got! We all we need!' Well, when the Vikings faced the Hawks in Week 9, Peterson was all they had but they needed a lot more to get a win. After Percy Harvin was banged up several times, and Christian Ponder was just Ponderific, Peterson was basically the entire offense in the 30-20 loss.
AP ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, the third-highest yardage total of his career. His 10.7 yards per carry was the second-highest. There’s almost nothing left to be said about the remarkable season he is having, but he’s not going to be enough on his own to save the Vikings season.
He can still save your fantasy season, however.
Mikel Leshoure against the Jaguars (MIKEL TRESCORE)
From Jahvid Best to Kevin Smith to Leshoure, the Lions have had a lot of issues at running back in the last two years with injuries and consistencies. Or maybe that's just Lions being Lions. However, Leshoure makes his case to get the lead back for the long-term with 70 yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars on Sunday.
It quadrupled his career touchdowns!
Joique Bell actually had more yards (73) and a touchdown of his own, so it's not deadset that Leshoure has really increased his fantasy value. The Lions will likely go with the hot hand and split the carries out as the situation dictates. Still, Leshoure could be a good flex play in the second half of the season. Don't forget that he hadn't scored since Week 3.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Forte (103 yards, 1 TD), Isaac Redman (147 yards, 1 TD), Marshawn Lynch (124 yards, 1 TD)
The Bad
Alfred Morris against the Panthers (YOU CAN'T PASS ON/TO MORRIS)
It’s not that Morris was especially bad, running for 76 yards on 13 carries, but it does expose where his game is lacking: Catching passes. When Morris doesn’t score, he is susceptible bad fantasy games and therefore hurting other places that he can add points. Morris might be one of the leading rushers in the NFL, but he has five catches for 35 yards in nine games.
A scary comparison to how LeGarrette Blount failed to catch passes as a rookie and then fell off the map. That doesn't mean that Morris will, it's not the offense that Mike Shanahan is running, but it makes him less valuable as a fantasy back and hurts his chances to be a solid RB1.
Jonathan Stewart against the Redskins (I THOUGHT THIS WAS STEWART TIME)
Maybe Stewart will have more value if they declare DeAngelo Williams the starter and main ball-carrier. After Williams seemed to lose favor in Carolina over the past two weeks, Stewart's star was rising. But on Sunday against the Redskins, Williams had 37 yards and a touchdown while Stewart had 51 and no scores. Without a touchdown and without important carries in the red zone, Stewart can't be a viable every-week option in Carolina.
This season, who can be?
Ahmad Bradshaw against the Steelers (VULTURE TD'S WILL NOW BE CALLED 'ANDRES')
Because that's what is happening with Bradshaw and Andre Brown. Despite having nearly three times as many carries this season, Bradshaw has four rushing touchdowns and Brown has six. Bradshaw had 15 carries for just 48 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh. Over his last three games, Bradshaw is only rushing for about 3.5 yards per carry and one score.
You thought David Wilson would cramp Bradshaw's style and he didn't. That doesn't mean someone wasn't going to.
Honorable Mentions: C.J. Spiller/Fred Jackson, Jamaal Charles, Ryan Mathews, Rashad Jennings
The Injured
You thought Darren McFadden was annoying for having a bad season? Things got a lot worse on Sunday after he went out with an ankle injury. Reports varied on whether or not the sprain was 'high' or not, but X-rays were negative and how long McFadden will be out is not yet known. It doesn't seem good, though.
That leaves Mike Goodson as the next back... except that he also left the game with an ankle injury. Taiwan Jones is the 'desperate measures' back in Oakland right now.
