NFL Player News

Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is looking for his first big game of the season, but it is not clear if that is coming in Week 5 against the Saints.

New Orleans' defense has struggled against running backs this season, allowing 21.5 Fantasy points per game through four contests. However, this might be a game where the Buccaneers have to abandon the run early, since the Saints' offense tends to be unstoppable at home. Opponents rushed for just 93.78 yards per game against the Saints in the Superdome last season, compared to 129 on the road.

Martin's role might just depend on how the game goes this Sunday. If the Buccaneers can keep it close, he could put together a solid performance, as he did in Week 3 a year ago, when he rushed for 144 yards against the Saints.

Consider him more of a No. 2 back this week, with both Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg ranking him toward the bottom of the top 20. 

The Titans signed rookie running back Lache Seastrunk to their practice squad. The sixth-round pick out of Baylor was cut by the Redskins, then the Panthers.

Former 49ers running back LaMichael James signed with the Dolphins, reports Fox Sports. San Francisco released the oft-injured back following the season opener.

Vikings rookie running back Jerick McKinnon was limited in Tuesday's practice with an ankle injury ahead of Thursday's game at Green Bay. McKinnon ran 18 times for 135 yards in Sunday's win over Atlanta.

The Vikings' receiving corps has had to deal with two different quarterbacks over the last two weeks, and they may see a third if Teddy Bridgewater's ankle injury forces him to sit out Thursday's game against the Packers in Week 5.

Though Bridgewater threw the ball well in his first start, it was little-used third receiver Jarius Wright who saw the bulk of the bump. Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson, the team's more well established duo, combined for just five receptions. Even if Bridgewater does play Thursday, we just don't have enough information on how he likes to use his receivers to know whether Sunday's game is the start of a pattern or not.

We really need to see more from Bridgewater before we can determine how he and the coaching staff wants to use his receivers. With nothing in the way of must-start players among this trio, you probably want to avoid using them in Week 5. 

With Ben Tate expected back in Week 5 to start against the Titans, how should Fantasy owners approach the Browns' backfield?

Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West have emerged as contributors in Tate's absence, but the Browns have maintained that they expect Tate to be the No. 1 back when he plays. Though the team will likely limit his workload, Tate should be at the top of the hierarchy in Week 5, with Crowell and Terrance West filing in behind.

Though there is obviously the chance for re-injury, both Jamey Eisenberg and Dave Richard consider Tate the best option for Fantasy owners this week. Tate was running well in Week 1 prior to his injury, and could be in line for 15-plus touches this week against a Titans defense that has allowed 21.5 Fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. He should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back, barring a setback this week in practice.

If Crowell or West are to find success, it will have to come with a much smaller workload than they have experienced so far. Crowell has been the team's go-to option on the goal line, which makes him slightly more valuable than West in a diminished role. Still, neither player is likely to be worth starting as anything more than a flex option in deeper leagues, especially with so few teams on by this week. 

The running back position has been a tough one to pin down for Fantasy owners this season, with so many big names struggling -- if they aren't out of action entirely. With this in mind, it is more important than ever to hit on your waiver-wire pickups. Jamey Eisenberg's top waiver-wire targets at the running back position are as follows:

The Vikings' Jerick McKinnon, The Ravens' Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro, the Browns' Isaiah Crowell and the Texans' Alfred Blue. Additionally, Andre Williams of the Giants, Darrin Reaves of the Panthers and Denard Robinson of the Jaguars are mentioned as possible options worth targeting.

If you need a roster spot, consider dropping Adrian Peterson, DeAngelo Williams and Darren McFadden this week. 

The Jets placed fullback Tommy Bohanon on injured reserve, ending his season. He'll undergo surgery for a broken collarbone.

If you just look at the raw snap counts for Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon in Week 4 against the Falcons, you might come away thinking Asiata was the workhorse and McKinnon is a change of pace back. After all, Asiata was on the field for 58 percent of the team's offensive plays, while McKinnon played the understudy role, with 42 percent of the work.

However, the numbers are a bit skewed by the first two drives, when Asiata played 13 consecutive snaps to open the game. It seemed like Asiata was in line for a huge workload Sunday, but McKinnon appears to have forced a change in the game plan. McKinnon opened the third drive with a 55-yard run, and the workload changed from that point on.

The Vikings played 63 offensive snaps from the start of the third drive, and McKinnon played 32 of them, with Asiata taking on 31. McKinnon touched the ball on 59.4 percent of his snaps as well, while Asiata touched the ball on just 48.4 percent of his snaps from that point on -- after getting eight touches on his first 13 plays.

Asiata seems likely to continue working as the primary ball carrier for the Vikings, but he just has not been particularly impressive, even accounting for his three-touchdown showing Sunday. McKinnon is less of a sure thing in this backfield given his workload, but he seems to have a much higher upside; even if you remove his 55-yard scamper, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry to Asiata's 3.9.

If you have to own one player in Minnesota, it should be Asiata. He is the starter, and it seems like the team is going to keep going back to him. However, McKinnon is the lottery ticket here. The Georgia Southern product has the higher upside in this backfield, and he might keep forcing the Vikings to change their plans moving forward. 

At the Fantasy Football Today blog, I snagged video from the game Sunday to compare how McKinnon and Asiata played. 

If the question before the season was, "Which Patriots running back do I want to rely on?" the answer through four games has been an emphatic, "Neither." The team's moribund offense has affect everyone involved, and Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley have been hit as hard as anyone.

Last season, the Patriots had one of the best running games in the league, and they augmented it with Vereen's pass-catching skills to create a tandem that was consistently useful for Fantasy owners. So far, however, Vereen and Ridley have just two double-digit Fantasy games between them, one each. And things aren't much better for Vereen in PPR leagues, where he has just one additional 10-plus-point effort.

The Patriots have one of the league's five-least productive offenses, as they are averaged just 298.5 yards per game, while scoring just 20.0 points per game. At this point, Fantasy owners probably cannot rely on either member of the Patriots backfield on a weekly basis, especially as long as they continue splitting time and work.