Week 15 Fantasy Football Market Share Report: Hello, Doug Baldwin
Running Back Market Shares
1. Damien Williams Went Nuts
Damien Williams filled in admirably for Spencer Ware last Thursday, delivering a big outing for fantasy owners.
Ware could be back for a tough Week 16 matchup at the Seattle Seahawks, which would obviously ding Williams' outlook. But Williams may have done enough in Week 15 to remain the lead back as he showed dual-threat ability -- something KC utilized with Kareem Hunt, their former lead back.
In Week 15, Williams had 10 carries for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was a strange rushing day for KC, but Williams accounted for 10 of the Chiefs' 12 running-back carries, with Patrick Mahomes (2 carries) and Tyreek Hill (3) chipping in, as well.
Williams was a huge factor in the passing game, nabbing 7 receptions for 74 yards. He had a 18% target market share and was second on the team in catches.
Keep an eye on the injury report with Ware. But even if Ware is active, Williams has carved out a flex-worthy role this week. And an inactive Ware would vault Williams into must-start territory.
2. Doug Martin Is a Workhorse
The Oakland Raiders' number-one running back job isn’t one to get too excited about, but with some vintage Doug Martin games now in the books, using the former 1,400-yard rusher isn’t as risky as it once seemed.
Martin’s appeal is all about volume as he's seen at least nine carries in every game since Week 8.
He's been very involved inside the 20. He's got 26 red-zone carries this year, and when the Raiders get inside the 5-yard line Martin, handles an elite-level 61.1% of the red-zone rushes.
With three touchdowns in his past five games, Martin has been very useful.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden has fully endorsed Martin as his lead back. The concern here is game script as Martin gives way to Jalen Richard in passing situations. But that's not as big of a worry in Week 16 thanks to a home date with the Denver Broncos, a game in which Oakland is a mere 2.5-point underdog.
Our models rank Martin as the RB24 this week, making him a very viable Week 16 option.