Doug Martin: Bucs RB's Epic Performance vs. Vikings Opens Fantasy Trade Options

Doug Martin has been a bit of a conundrum for fantasy football owners. He had a big outing in Week 1 and scored his first NFL touchdown the following week.

But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers limited his touches following a marginal Week 3 game.

It was difficult to consider him a viable starter leading up to his Week 8 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Owners that took the risk should be congratulated, as he ran for 135 yards, added 79 receiving yards and found the end zone twice.

This performance has vaulted Martin from a fantasy afterthought to one of the most desirable fantasy football quantities. 

There wasn't a concern with how good Martin was. He has excelled when given the opportunity.

The issue was how many touches Greg Schiano was going to let his rookie have.

He was given 32 opportunities on Thursday.

Fantasy owners that have been sitting on Martin have a golden opportunity to cash in.

There are very few opportunities to grab a surging running back at this point in the season. Teams that are working around injuries or under-performance at the position would most certainly be bolstered by adding Martin.

Other owners may be reluctant to surrender a top receiver or quality starting quarterback, but owners with Martin should sit down and make a wish list. A.J. Green and Percy Harvin may be out of the question, but an owner weary of Jordy Nelson's intermittent production or one that added James Jones as a free agent may be ready to deal.

Patience is a virtue, and owners that have waited on Martin have a chance to reap the rewards.

Darin Pike is a writer for Bleacher Report's Breaking News Team and a Featured Columnist covering the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks.

Follow @darinpike