Week 5 Waiver Wire: Don't Be Fooled by Darrius Heyward-Bey's Big Day

A couple days before the Oakland Raiders were due to take on the New England Patriots in Week 4, I had this to say about Darrius Heyward-Bey's fantasy outlook:

"We all want DHB to perform, but he just doesn't. In fact, the Raiders use him more as a decoy and a blocker than they do an actual pass-catcher. Lucky for them, he's good at these things."

I bring it up because I ended up being dead wrong. Heyward-Bey was Oakland's best receiver against the Pats, pulling in four catches for 115 yards.

Naturally, this performance has led to some positive buzz concerning DHB in fantasy circles. A handful of fantasy pundits have suggested DHB as a good waiver wire pickup, especially with bye weeks kicking in in Week 5.

Despite the fact I've already been wrong about DHB once this season, I would urge you to think twice before picking him up. One good game rarely equals a trend when it comes to wide receivers, especially when we're talking about DHB.

Listen, we all know DHB is one of the fastest players in the NFL. However, the jury is still out on his ability to be a dependable pass-catcher. He's never had more than six catches in any game, and his 100-yard performance in Week 4 was just the second of his career.

The weird part is how similar both of DHB's 100-yard games are. The first came last Halloween against Seattle, and it featured him catching five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. The TD came on a 69-yard pass in which, if I remember correctly, the defender went for the ball and missed. All DHB had to do was catch, turn and run.

On Sunday against the Pats, the bulk of DHB's receiving yards came on a reception that went for 58 yards. It came in garbage time, and the ball just kind of fell in DHB's lap.

So as much as the Raiders fan in me hates to admit it, DHB's two outbursts have more to do with luck than anything else. I do think that he does some good things for the team, but Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford are bigger threats in the passing game than he is.

If you want to pick DHB up anyway, be my guest. Just know that you're probably not going to get much out of him. We all want him to perform, but he just doesn't.

...where have I heard that before?