With Doug Martin returning to practice ahead of Week 4 against the Steelers, the Buccaneers running back picture if a bit more cloudy than it was a week ago at this time. With a promising matchup on the way against the Steelers, can you trust either Martin or backup Bobby Rainey Sunday?
If Martin is able to overcome his knee injury, he is the guy you want in your lineup, obviously. Both Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard have him as a top-20 running back option for Week 4, and that might even be underselling his upside a bit. There is risk in relying on Martin, obviously, but the Steelers have provided little resistance against the run this season, allowing opposing running backs to rack up 5.5 yards per carry so far.
If Martin is unable to play unexpectedly, as was the case a week ago, Rainey should slide up the running back ranks. He made up for a pretty disastrous Week 3 performance in garbage time, but was better than his two fumbles might indicate. Rainey racked up over 100 all-purpose yards, coming off his massive 144-yard performance the week before.
At the very least, both Rainey and Martin should be owned ahead of this matchup. If Martin is good to go, he will be worth starting, while Rainey makes for a nice handcuff option if he suffers a setback.