Jeffrey Pittenger USA TODAY Sports
I’m sure by now you have seen enough highlights and postgame shows to have heard about the five fantastic touchdowns Eddie Royal has put up for the San Diego Chargers through the first two weeks of the season. If someone didn’t grab him after last week’s two touchdown performance then he probably will be at the top of the list for whoever has the first waiver order number in your league after hanging three touchdowns on the anemic Philadelphia Eagles‘ defense in Week 2.
In my opinion if you have one of the first two waiver numbers I would rather have DeAndre Hopkins over Eddie Royal, just for the simple fact that Hopkins comes from a more prolific offense where there is a more proven threat in the passing game to keep him from being double covered.
With Royal you need to temper your expectations, in that he has emerged from out of nowhere on a Chargers team that previously had no quality tape put up for opposing defenses to target. Quarterback Philip Rivers is desperate for a go-to receiver after suffering injuries to Malcom Floyd and seeing Vincent Brown under perform. Antonio Gates can’t be the only effective weapon in the passing game so someone had to emerge. The cat is out of the bag on Royal, and in a way beating up on the Eagles’ defense has put a double coverage target on his back against future opponents.
He’s still a guy who makes a lot of moves and has shown good speed when he’s healthy. He’s got added value if your league rewards points for his contributions in yards and scores in the return game. He’s not going to save your season, but if your number two receiver went down or the guy you drafted as your number three is crapping out, Eddie Royal could have a place on your team. Just don’t expect him to average two or three touchdowns per game through the remainder of the season.
Eric Beuning is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com.
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