Doug Martin's Fantasy Trade Value, Updated Outlook Heading into Week 7

If you don’t think fantasy football can be frustrating, just ask Doug Martin owners. 

Martin has a whopping 139 combined rushing yards in four games this season to go along with his 2.9-yards-per-carry stat. He has yet to top 45 yards on the ground in any individual contest and has a single touchdown.

Basically, 139 yards and a touchdown is a good individual game for a top-notch running back. We see better single-game performances than that every week, but that is what Martin has in four games.

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He is not exactly an option in the passing game either, with seven total catches for 55 yards and zero touchdowns.

It is certainly fair to worry if his impressive 2012 season was an anomaly at this point. Martin only played in six games last year and averaged 3.6 yards per carry and had one total touchdown. He is off to another disappointing start in 2014. He may not even be the best running back on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as Adam Levitan of Rotoworld and Around The NFL both noted:

Martin missed two games earlier in the season with a knee injury, and there are questions regarding his durability after missing 10 games in 2013. It’s hard to score fantasy points if you aren’t consistently on the field.

The bottom line here is that if you are still a Martin believer, this is the perfect time to trade for him. After all, we are talking about buying somebody at the lowest of lows, which is the ideal time to pounce in the stock market or in fantasy football.

What’s more, the Buccaneers are on a bye in Week 7, which means Martin owners could be looking for some immediate impact to fill his spot. Again, there has never been a better time to trade for Martin when it comes to fantasy football, but the question is how much you trust him moving forward.

To Martin’s credit, it is very difficult to put up impressive numbers as a running back when the team around you is simply not good. Tampa Bay has struggled along the offensive line at times this year and often finds itself playing from behind early, which is exactly what happened in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The good news for Martin owners is that he has out-touched Bobby Rainey in every single game he has played this year.

Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

Even without the production, Martin is clearly the top running back option in Tampa Bay when it comes to play-calling. The only way to score points in fantasy football is with opportunity, and Tampa Bay continues to provide just that for Martin.

Martin also thinks his breakout game is on the horizon, via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com:

"

Yeah, there’s been times where it’s definitely been close. These guys work hard. They work their butts off in practice. Everyone [holds] each other accountable for this. We’re going to get it going and I can’t wait until it happens. [I'll] Just continue what I do – just run the ball hard, follow my keys and just keep going hard like I do.

"

Tampa Bay has some remaining games against vulnerable run defenses in the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings, among others, so the opportunity for Martin to impress is still there.

In terms of immediate reward, the Buccaneers play the Vikings in Week 8 after the bye. Minnesota is giving up 118.2 rushing yards per game, which is 20th in the league.

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The recommendation here is to hold onto Martin and see what he does with that golden opportunity. Minnesota is not exactly a dominant offense either, so Martin and the Buccaneers probably won’t find themselves behind right away like in weeks past. Perhaps the running game will actually be a factor in the offense.

However, if Martin still doesn’t produce in that contest, he needs to hit your bench or become trade bait. Eventually, your team needs points from the running back position.

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