Fantasy Football 2018: 10 RB sleepers to target for Week 9

21st October 2018, Wembley Stadium, London, England; NFL in London, game two, Tennessee Titans versus Los Angeles Chargers; Quarterback Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans hands off the ball to running back Dion Lewis (photo by Shaun Brooks/Action Plus via Getty Images)
21st October 2018, Wembley Stadium, London, England; NFL in London, game two, Tennessee Titans versus Los Angeles Chargers; Quarterback Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans hands off the ball to running back Dion Lewis (photo by Shaun Brooks/Action Plus via Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 28: Oakland Raiders’ Doug Martin (28) runs against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 28: Oakland Raiders’ Doug Martin (28) runs against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images) /

Doug Martin, Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers

Against the odds, Doug Martin shined in Week 8, owning the Indianapolis Colts defense with 72 rushing yards on 13 carries and adding 17 receiving yards by catching both of his targets. In the passing game, Martin will take a back seat to Jalen Richard, who caught all 8 of his targets from Derek Carr int he loss, but he’ll be the breadwinner on the ground for this Marshawn Lynch-less Raiders offense.

Furthermore, Martin looks like the guy who will punch in the touchdowns for the Raiders, and there could be quite a few scores in store when the Raiders take on the San Francisco 49ers in a rivalry matchup on Thursday Night Football. The Raiders offense looked quite good against Indianapolis in spite of the loss, and the skill position players will be treated to a high volume of plays if the defense continues to embarrass itself.

Martin hadn’t been an effective running back in three years, but he was once one of the most productive offensive players in the NFL. Though he wasn’t quite up to that standard in Week 8, he certainly turned heads with 89 yards from scrimmage and an average of 5.5 yards per carry. He’s worth rolling the dice on again in Week 9 against San Francisco in the hopes that his Week 8 display was not a fluke.