My long time readers know by now that I am a huge fan of former Boise State standout Doug Martin. The talented running back is set to take over for LeGarrette Blount as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter as a rookie  in 2012.

This cannot be too surprising considering that Tampa Bay traded up for Martin towards the back end of the first round in April. You don’t make that decision, especially for a running back, unless you plan on him seeing the field a lot.

Couple that with the offensive scheme implemented by new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, which will focus more on the run, and you have the making for something special from Martin this season.

There is no way that Greg Schiano and Co. are going to air it out as much as they did under Raheem Morris last season. It just won’t happen. Of course they need a consistent running game in order to make the transition to the ground. They get that in Martin.

Despite the loss of Davin Joseph for the entire 2012 season, Tampa Bay still have the best interior lineman in the entire National Football League in the form of Carl Nicks, who they signed away from the division rival New Orleans Saints. This is going to help the young running back a great deal.

Martin possesses a combination of field vision, toughness and agility that is rare in the NFL today. He also has to be considered one of the most consistent pass catching running backs to come down the pike in a great while. This doesn’t even take into account that Martin is already an above-average blocker at such a young age...something you just don’t see from rookie too often.

I can envision a scenario where Martin compiles 1,300 yards on the ground and another 400-to-500 yards in the air. This makes him a true RB1 in standard fantasy leagues.

Pick Martin up as a RB2 and expect him to be a top 10 fantasy back in 2012.