Ryan Mathews (RB, PHI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 54% of Fleaflicker Leagues

ANALYSIS: Despite an incredibly ugly start to the season, the starting running back in a Chip Kelly offense has been a hot commodity thanks to its high-volume of snaps and running plays.  Heading into this season, I was not willing to pay the steep price that was needed to acquire DeMarco Murray, simply because of how he seemed to fade at the end of last season.  The Cowboys knew they weren't going to bring Murray back to Dallas and used him until his tank hit E like Kramer did to that test drive car in Seinfeld.  Murray finished the regular season with 392 carries to tie Terrell Davis for seventh-most in NFL history.  The last six running backs to carry the ball at least 392 times saw a marked decrease in production the next season.

Enter Ryan Mathews.  Mathews has plenty of talent, hence why the Chargers drafted him 12th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.  Like Murray, Mathews is an injury-prone runner who can be a legit RB1 when healthy and things are clicking.  Unlike Murray, Mathews is coming off of a season where he only carried the rock 74 times.  Granted, that was due to the aforementioned injury issues.  But Mathews appears to be healthy, while Murray is already nursing a hamstring issue.

The Eagles running attack looked good for the first time this season against a very good Jets defense, as Mathews finished the game with 108 yards on 25 carries, as well as a 23-yard receiving touchdown.  I don't believe that it is a coincidence that Mathews was the lead runner on the day Philly's running game showed life.  He is a must-add in all leagues and I believe he will outscore Murray the rest of the way as he continues to get more carries in this sleeping giant of an offense.