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Eddie Royal Tops the List for Week 4 WR Waiver Wire Pickups

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By @WaltYeboah

Eddie Royal Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickup

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Now that Danny Woodhead has officially been ruled out for the NFL season and your fantasy football league with a fractured fibula, the San Diego Chargers are going to need somebody to step up big in his absence. Although Chargers slot wide receiver Eddie Royal is not a running back, he can still be the man to step in and fill the void left by Woodhead’s untimely omission in the passing game.

Over the last two weeks, the Chargers have already been increasing Royal’s role in the passing game, and as a result, his fantasy numbers have spiked as he’s hauled in 11 receptions and two TDs over this period.

Unfortunately, the Chargers have had the worst luck over the last two weeks, because they lost running back Ryan Matthews temporarily, and Woodhead permanently for the 2014 season. However, Donald Brown, who now heads the backfield, will be able to keep the offense going on the ground and the air, since he’s a dual-threat running back. Yet, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers still needs one more guy that he can trust on the short dump passes — Royal is his man.

San Diego now has the opportunity to use Royal in the same manner that the New Orleans Saints are using their rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Even without their starting running back Mark Ingram, who will probably miss at least a month with a fractured hand, the Saints still have a lot of offensive weapons. Drew Brees is well-aware of this fact and he has already developed a strong rapport with Cooks, who has proven over three weeks that he’s deadly operating in the slot. Cooks has also rushed for 49 yards, which is not much, but it’s more than the 38 rushing yards that Woodhead tabulated before his injury.

Furthermore, after three weeks of play, Royal has seen more targets (22) than his fellow wide receivers Keenan Allen (17) and Malcom Floyd (11), and he’s tied for second place on the team in receptions with 12 catches to his name. The Chargers are a pass-happy team, which bodes well for Royal, so expect him to see an even greater increase in targets without Woodhead around to share the load. He may even get a few carries in the backfield like Cooks, since the Chargers’ running back depth has all but vanished.

Don’t hesitate to pickup Royal on the Week 4 waiver wire. He’s the only legitimate solution in the passing game that San Diego has right now for Woodhead’s absence, and he was already leading the charge when Woodhead was around.

Walton Yeboah-Amoako is a Columnist for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter @WaltYeboah, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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