Doug

Martin

Smith says the surprising third-round selection of Charles Sims was about adding a passing-down back, not Martin’s 3.59 YPC last season. “He’s an All-Pro running back. There is nothing to dislike about Doug Martin,” insisted Lovie. “At the same time, we want Doug around here for many years. You need to have some other guys. He can’t carry it every second.” Martin’s role as a two-down workhorse and goal-line back is intact.

The Raiders pursued DeMarco Murray heavily in last year’s free agency, but came up empty handed and clearly weren’t satisfied with Latavius Murray’s 2015 performance despite his solid counting stats. The Raiders have also been linked loosely to free agent Matt Forte. Martin is fully expected to test the open market and appears poised to sign with the highest monetary bidder.

Coach Jon Gruden said he was impressed with Martin “as a person” during a recent sit-down. Per Rapoport, the Raiders are expected to make a “strong push” for the former Buccaneer in free agency. The 28-year-old has finished last in the league in yards per carry each of the last two seasons but could benefit from a change of scenery. Martin grew up in nearby Stockton, California, so this would be a homecoming of sorts. Oakland’s interest in Martin would suggest Gruden isn’t sold on Marshawn Lynch.

He was competing for a backup role behind rookie Josh Jacobs but lost out to DeAndre Washington. Martin was reasonably productive last year, supplying 839 yards from scrimmage (723 rushing, 116 receiving) with four touchdowns while filling in for injured workhorse Marshawn Lynch. Perhaps the Texans will pursue him as a replacement for Lamar Miller, who tore his ACL in Saturday’s preseason game at Dallas.

Martin was the lone bright spot for the Raiders offense tonight but that is not saying a whole lot. After starting the game with a big run, it looked like Martin and the Raiders were set for a quality game, but the 49ers jumped out to a big lead and the Raiders offense went stagnant, which put Martin in negative game script. The Muscle Hamster needs the Raiders to be in the lead (or at least staying close in games) to have RB2 weeks, and the Raiders will be underdogs against the Chargers in Week 10. Martin will be an RB3 in that matchup.

Martin injured his hip early last week in the blowout loss to the 49ers but played through it and should be fine for Week 10 against the Chargers. The Raiders have to keep things close in order for Martin get volume. If they start falling behind, it gets away from Martin and Jalen Richard takes over.

Sharing time with Jalen Richard as the Raiders’ backups to Marshawn Lynch, Martin is worth rostering in fantasy leagues only as a deep-league handcuff/stash.

Martin has been one of the league’s least effective ball-carriers in recent years, but he actually looked decent in his first start of 2018, particularly in the second half when he contributed 55 yards on nine carries. Unfortunately the ex-Buc lost a fumble at the worst possible time with Oakland trying to mount a fourth-quarter comeback. He was also stonewalled on each of his two goal-line carries during the third quarter. Martin lost passing-down reps to Jalen Richard but still out-touched him 15-10 on the afternoon. The Muscle Hamster should continue to lead the backfield in Marshawn Lynch’s absence. With six teams on bye, he’ll be an acceptable RB2/3 next week at San Francisco.

Good luck. Martin hasn’t done anything notable since 2015 and is averaging a foul 2.99 YPC over his last 309 attempts spanning the 2016-18 seasons. He has six touchdowns on the ground in 25 games over that span. But the Raiders have nowhere else to turn really; Jalen Richard is more of a pass-game back than featured runner. Whenever the Raiders are competitive, Martin could flirt with 15-18 carries, and that may be the case this week at home against the 2-5 Colts.

Martin will be out there against the Chargers. With the Raiders’ offense devolving further into anarchy, Martin will be a high-risk FLEX.