The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and running back Doug Martin announced that he has been suspended four games for violating both the NFL's substance abuse and PED polices. Martin, who will enter rehab, will begin his suspension in Week 17 with the remainder being served for the first three games of the 2017 season.
This somewhat explains why Martin, the third-best fantasy running back last season, was a healthy inactive for Tampa's Week 16 game against the New Orleans Saints.
With Martin out for Week 17, expect Jacquizz Rodgers to see a bulk of the Buccaneers' touches from the backfield against a struggling Carolina Panthers defense. He immediately becomes a value DFS play, especially in PPR-heavy DraftKings formats.
The larger question here is what this means for Martin and his future in Tampa Bay. The running back was set to earn $7 million next season, each penny counting against the Buccaneers as a dead cap hit should he be released. Now that Martin has violated the league's two policies against drugs, that guarantee is eliminated.
This makes it easier for the Bucs to release Martin outright, even after he signed a huge five-year extension this past spring.
Rodgers may be the best option in Week 17, but he likely doesn't have much of a future in Tampa Bay. Based on Charles Sims previous success in a similar role, there's no reason for the Buccaneers to bring Rodgers back.
Though, there's also some question as to whether Sims himself can be effective as an every-down player. Injury issues this season coupled with a lack of real touches in the past leads us to question whether he'll ever be an every-down back.
As it relates to Martin, he was being relied on as a RB1 option heading into the 2016 season In fact, Martin's ADP had him as a Round 1 pick. That obviously won't be the case in 2017 with this off-field issue hanging over his head and questions surrounding where he'll be playing in 2017. Add in a three-game suspension to start the season, and Martin is questionable from a fantasy aspect moving forward.