Ryan Mathews (RB, PHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: A lot of people are going to look at the box score of the Eagles-Saints game and notice how well DeMarco Murray did. What cannot be lost is that Ryan Mathews also had a fantastic game, turning eight carries into 73 yards and a touchdown. He also had three catches for 23 yards. While you’d like to see more touches, there’s no doubting that he is still going to be the “1B” option at best while DeMarco Murray is healthy. That said, his game against the Jets when Murray was out, as well as this most recent game, show that Mathews appears to be able to run effectively in this Eagles system.

Mathews and the Eagles have a few tough contests in primetime coming up, with a home game on Monday night against the Giants and their stellar rushing defense next week, and then a Sunday night tilt against the daunting Carolina Panthers front seven that has Luke Kuechly back before the Eagles have their Week 8 bye. Be aware of what you’re buying into, as the Saints defense is poor and can be gashed by anyone. That said, the game against the great Jets’ defense was what really anchors hope for Mathews. Mathews does have the potential to put up a goose egg for you (as seen in weeks two and four), but he is an elite handcuff option that can also produce standalone value in deeper leagues.