Buccaneers starting tailback Doug Martin could be set to miss his third game of the season.
According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, Martin (ankle) wasn’t practicing Friday. And with Martin also sitting out Wednesday and Thursday’s workouts, his availability for Sunday’s contest at Cleveland seems tenuous at best.
It has been a tough season for Martin, a first-round pick in 2012. He’s rushed for just 166 yards on 58 carries, failing to exceed 45 yards in any of his five starts.
Backup Bobby Rainey will start if Martin is unavailable. Rainey filled in for the injured Martin in Weeks Two and Three and racked up 144 yards rushing in the Buccaneers’ Sept. 14 loss to St. Louis. Since then, however, Rainey has gained just 131 yards on 36 carries (3.6 yards per rush).
The good news for the Bucs? The Browns are allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (143.4) and second-most yards per rush (4.8).
Whether Tampa Bay can capitalize is another matter, though.