Perhaps no back saw his fantasy value rise more in August than Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. He was going in the middle rounds of drafts, but he catapulted to being a pick in the fourth round in several formats.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 1: Doug Martin will be pushed by Charles Sims
Doug Martin looks to bounce-back from a horrible 2014. Should you start him out of the gate in fantasy football for Week 1?
Why? Well the big news was coach Lovie Smith pimpin’ his back in somewhat emphatic fashion while the local papers also had plenty of positive reports of the former elite rookie. Plus, his preseason numbers were impressive with 20 carries for 118 yards and a score.
This week, he’s going up against a very vulnerable Tennessee Titans defense. Sure, they did add Dick LeBeau to be their defensive coordinator, but they have a very sub-par front seven. Inside linebacker Zach Brown is coming off an injury from last year and he missed tons of tackles in the preseason. Inside linebacker Avery Williamson was also not effective and the fifth-round pick from 2014 will look for improvements.
The Titans were 31st against the run last year and not even a big-time coordinator is going to solve all their problems. Expect Martin to get his season going right off the bat.
Fantasy impact: Martin is a very strong RB2 this week and should be in just about all lineups. Charles Sims could push him eventually, but don’t expect it to happen this week.
