Derek Carr is coming of a pair of strong performances and has a favorable Week 4 matchup
With bye weeks set to get underway and some notable injuries around the league, many owners will turn to the waiver wire in Week 4.
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Ownership totals are in ESPN leagues as of Tuesday.
Derek Carr – QB – Oakland Raiders – 19.9 percent
After an ugly start to the season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Carr has turned things around over the past couple of games and is starting to live up to his own lofty expectations in year two.
Carr has passed for at least 314 yards in each of the last two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns while totaling five touchdowns to just one interception. With a trip to Chicago coming up, that upward trend should be able to continue at least through Week 4.
Although Carr looked very promising in his rookie season, the concern was that he didn’t have enough weapons around him to be valuable in fantasy. That isn’t the case in 2015, as Carr and Amari Cooper have already formed a strong connection that is only going to get better.
For owners who need a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger, Carr is likely the most productive option readily available in most leagues.
Thomas Rawls – RB – Seattle Seahawks – 0.4 percent
Marshawn Lynch popped up on Seattle’s injury report late in the week with a calf issues and was limited to just six carries on Sunday. With Lynch’s short-term status uncertain, Rawls gets some unexpected fantasy value for Week 4.
The Seahwaks decided to make the undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan their feature back on Sunday while using Fred Jackson for third -down duty. Rawls responded with 16 carries for 104 yards, nearly matching Lynch’s total production over the first two games.
Lynch will still get the majority of carries when healthy, but Rawls has set himself up to get a significant number of touches over the rest of the season. Rawls is a very physical runner who is tough to bring down, particularly behind the line of scrimmage, and could spell the 29-year-old Lynch quite often.
Rishard Matthews – WR – Miami Dolphins – 16.4 percent
Matthews, a fourth-year receiver out of Nevada, appears to be breaking out in a big way and could provide some fantasy value.
After totaling 734 yards his first three years in the NFL, Matthews is already up to 262 and a career-high three touchdowns early in 2015. Most of that has come over the past two weeks, as Matthews torched a strong Bills defense for 113 yards on six receptions with two scores.
With those numbers, Matthews should continue to receive a healthy number of targets per game, even with Miami’s crowded passing attack. Matthews has more targets from Ryan Tannehill than any receiver other than Jarvis Landry, and is the only Dolphins wideout with a touchdown this season.
Charles Clay – TE – Buffalo Bills – 14.2 percent
Clay put up productive seasons in 2013 and 2014 with the Miami Dolphins, but always seemed on the verge of an even bigger breakout. Now in Buffalo, Clay appears to have found a solid role and can offer fantasy production.
With touchdowns in back-to-back games, Clay sits just outside the top 10 in overall fantasy points this season for tight ends. Clay caught five passes for 82 yards against Miami on Sunday and was featured early and often in Buffalo’s passing attack.
More importantly, it appears the Bills are going to make an effort to get Clay the ball more often, as he had a season-high seven targets against the Dolphins. Tyrod Taylor is providing strong quarterback play, which will help every receiving target in Buffalo.
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Nathaniel Reeves is a correspondent at FantasyPros. Follow him @njr3701.
