Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin will not play against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. He did not play in Week 2 due to a knee injury suffered in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. Bobby Rainey will get the start and is expected to see a featured workload.
Bobby Rainey set up for a big fantasy day with Doug Martin out
Doug Martin is inactive for Thursday’s game against the Falcons. We break down the fantasy implications.
Cliff McBride
Even with the injury taken out of the equation, Rainey has been outplaying Martin. Rainey was fantastic in Week 2 with 174 yards from scrimmage on 25 touches while Martin had just nine rushing yards on nine carries before his injury in Week 1.
The Falcons defense has been one of the worst in the league. It is the only team in the NFL without a sack, ranks 26th in the NFL for rushing yards allowed, and it is giving up over 200 yards from scrimmage per game to running backs. Rainey should be extremely busy as the Bucs try to establish the run to keep Matt Ryan off the field.
Fantasy impact: Martin’s fantasy value continues to take huge hits after things looked promising in the preseason. Even when he comes back, he’ll likely lose some carries to Rainey. If you have Rainey on your roster, he should be in your lineup.
