BALLER MOVE: Handcuff to Doug Martin
OWNED IN: 58% of Fleaflicker Leagues
ANALYSIS: After an early Doug Martin fumble against the New York Giants, Charles Sims appeared to be well on his way to an increased workload and a solid fantasy day. Until he fumbled as well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a Dallas Cowboys team this week that have given up the most fantasy points to running backs this season, according to Yahoo! Sports. That's good news for the Bucs, but all it does is cloud fantasy owners with more confusion of which running back will emerge with more points.
The Buccaneers have been without wide receiver Vincent Jackson and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, leaving it up to the inconsistent Mike Evans and the seesaw battle of running backs to produce in Tampa Bay. With Dallas' inability to stop the run, expect a more balanced attack from both Martin and Sims. However, Martin hasn't lost his starting job, and despite his lack of production and his ephemeral visit to the bench, he still out-carried Sims against the Giants.
Martin is simply the safer option. Although struggling of late, he is more capable of having the explosive game, and will look to get back on track against the Cowboys. Sims has some value in PPR leagues, but without a big play his floor is very low. A giant question mark looms over Sims' head, and so does his spot on fantasy lineups. It can't hurt to have Sims on your bench, but until it is clear that he has taken over the starting job, Martin is the RB1.
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