Darrius Heyward-Bey: Raiders WR Not a Fantasy Option in Week 4 After Concussion

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey is no longer in the hospital following the brutal hit he took during Sunday's game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to the team, but he is not a good option for your fantasy football team in Week 4 of the NFL season.

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Darrius Heyward-Bey was released this morning from Eden Medical Center after spending the night under observation...

— OAKLAND RAIDERS (@RAIDERS) September 24, 2012"

While Heyward-Bey hasn't officially been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, the chances he plays appear slim.

The chances he makes a strong enough impact in the game to help your fantasy football team seem even smaller. Starting him in any type of fantasy league for Week 4 would not be smart.

The Raiders have a bye week after the Broncos game, so having Heyward-Bey sit out this week, then take the full bye week to recover for a Week 6 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons seems like the best course of action for both the player and team.

You don't want to fool with concussions, so I'm sure Heyward-Bey would welcome the extra time off.

If he returns after the bye week and isn't playing well, then it may be time to trade him or drop him to the waiver wire in your league.

Heyward-Bey hasn't been too productive this season for fantasy owners, as he has caught just nine passes for 98 yards and a touchdown through three weeks. It's hard to imagine his production improving very much as the season goes forward, even if he's fully healthy.

Since he isn't a huge factor in PPR fantasy leagues and doesn't score a lot of touchdowns, consider Heyward-Bey as a bench player until he proves to be starter material.

He's now in his fourth NFL season, so unless he shows dramatic improvement going forward, he's not worth having on your fantasy team.

Monitor his progress this week, and decide whether to trade him or drop him from your team based on his performance in the first few games following the team's bye week.

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