Oakland Raiders: Which players did Madden overrate and underrate?
By Justin Fried
Overrated: RB Doug Martin
Doug Martin did a solid job filling in for injured starter Marshawn Lynch last season and had a bit of a career resurgence. The 30-year-old recorded his highest average yards per rush since his All-Pro 2015 campaign checking in at a healthy 4.2 rate.
And even though his 723 yards and four touchdowns aren’t anything too special, Martin’s success was a pleasant surprise in an all too forgettable 2018 season.
But the fact still remains that he is a running back in the twilight of his career. Even despite last year’s surprise success, it’s unlikely that Martin will ever be anything more than a role player going forward.
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That’s why Madden’s rating of a 78 overall is simply too high.
Remember, this is a player who wasn’t signed until May and that was only out of necessity following Isaiah Crowell‘s season-ending torn Achilles. In fact, Martin’s roster spot isn’t even guaranteed going into training camp.
If 2018 undrafted free agent Chris Warren impresses and DeAndre Washington hangs around again, Martin could be a casualty of the numbers game. For that reason, placing him as the same overall as players like Chris Thompson and Derrius Guice just doesn’t seem right.
Those two are both leaps and bounds ahead of the level that Martin is playing at in 2019 and their ratings should reflect that as well. Alas, Madden tends to play favorites when it comes to veteran players so Martin’s rating — as inaccurate as it may be — isn’t entirely surprising.