Muscle Hamster Escapes Cage
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers informed running back Doug Martin that they will be parting ways. Martin was the 31st overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and has had a roller coaster career playing for the Bucs. Martin who was with Tampa for six seasons only played 16 games twice. However, in 2015, Martin did rush for 1402 yards, which was second overall in the league behind Adrian Peterson.
By releasing the 29-year-old RB, the Bucs save $6.75 million against the salary cap. Despite having over $60 Millon in available cap space (now $66M with Martin’s release), the team felt it was time to move on from Martin who had been very inconsistent.
The release leaves just three RB’s on the Bucs Depth Chart; Charles Sims, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Peyton Barber. It’s safe to say Bucs will be targeting a running back either through free agency or at the NFL Draft.
| Year | Team | GM | Rush | Yds | Avg | 100+ | TD | Rec | Yds | TD |
| 2012 | 16 | 319 | 1454 | 4.6 | 5 | 11 | 49 | 472 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 127 | 456 | 3.6 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 66 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 11 | 135 | 494 | 3.7 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 64 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 16 | 288 | 1402 | 4.9 | 4 | 6 | 33 | 271 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 144 | 421 | 2.9 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 134 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 138 | 406 | 2.9 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 84 | 0 |
Fantasy Impact
If Doug Martin were released a few weeks earlier, he would have made my article of 7 players that could use a change of scenery. Despite being only 29-years old, Martin has only had two seasons where he had over 200 carries. If he can stay healthy, he could prove as a solid workhorse RB for a team needing depth. There are a number of teams that will be searching for an RB in free agency, I don’t expect Martin to last too long on the open market. He should find a home quickly.
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