Cornerbacks: Josh Norman (Panthers) and Ronald Darby (Bills)
A former fifth-rounder out of Coastal Carolina, Josh Norman is playing so well that he's forced Sam Monson to make a definitive statement about him joining the upper echelons of cornerbacks with his elite play. It was harder picking the number two guy, but in the end, a surprise rookie candidate has emerged. Darby has been a revelation since he was thrust into the lineup, allowing a 31.4 QB rating when thrown at.
Honorable mentions: Tyrann Mathieu (Cardinals), Adam Jones (Bengals), and Desmond Trufant (Falcons)
"I've got three guys, two of them on the same team, and first we'll start off with the Buffalo Bills; Tyrod Taylor and Charles Clay. I think that's been an unbelievable combination for that Bills organization. Hey, you got your starting quarterback in free agency, you don't see that every day in the NFL. Tyrod Taylor is a perfect fit for their scheme, like Howie was saying, they're running that San Francisco 49ers' offense that made Colin Kaepernick so successful out there, that is so important, that's big. And then yes, Charles Clay fits within that scheme as well. A hybrid tight end, and he's one of the best tight ends in football, I don't think he gets the credit for it, all of the things he can do. Slot receiver, fullback, tight end – he is a very versatile player."
[
Pro Football Focus, Khaled Elsayed – Top 10 rookie of the year candidates entering week five](https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/10/08/top-10-rookie-of-the-year-candidates-entering-week-5/)
1. Ronald Darby, CB, Bills ( 7.3)
Darby is simply getting better and better, with his effort against Eli Manning and the Giants his best performance yet. The second-round pick wasn't expected to contribute this much, this soon. But he is, so credit goes to our list leader after four weeks.
*7. *Karlos Williams, RB, Bills ( 2.9)
It looks like a concussion might slow him down, but Williams has really made things happen when he's been on the field. It's a shame his momentum is about to take hit.
Charles Clay, tight end, Buffalo Bills
Not much went right for the Buffalo Bills on offense in Week 4, but Charles Clay was a bright spot. Against the New York Giants in Week 4, Clay caught a career-high nine passes for 111 yards, and he was Tyrod Taylor's favorite target with Sammy Watkins sidelined. He'll look to continue the upward trend against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
2. Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF ( 0.8 overall grade)
PFF's 13th-highest graded quarterback, Taylor has provided momentary stability at the QB position for Buffalo. At a time where even average-to-below-average QBs are making substantial money, what's impressive about Taylor is his contract ($1.12 million per year) has less to do with his inclusion in this list than his overall accuracy (79.3 accuracy percentage, sixth in NFL), or his performance when pressured (75.9 accuracy percentage under pressure, No. 5 in NFL).
[
Bleacher Report – Best TE performance](http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2576095-bleacher-reports-week-4-nfl-awards?utmsource=newsletter&utmmedium=newsletter&utm_campaign=buffalo-bills)
Winner: Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (5 votes)
In the lead-up to last week's tilt between the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, Tim Heaney of USA Today advised fantasy football enthusiasts to consider Bills tight end Charles Clay as a bye-week replacement for Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots:
Early on, New York has nearly stifled the opponent's top receivers, thanks heavily to Prince Amukamara. If Sammy Watkins plays through injury, he'll struggle to gain separation. Enter Clay, a top-10 tight end so far in PPR leagues who has averaged 5.7 targets and 4.0 receptions over his first three outings, scoring in the last two.
Things didn't go quite as Clay and the Bills had hoped. The fifth-year veteran had a touchdown called back due to a penalty, and the Bills fell to their downstate neighbors, 24-10.
However, that loss can't be blamed on Clay, who reeled in nine passes for 111 yards in defeat.
As Chris Brown of the team's website reported, Clay continues to impress Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor:
I'm definitely confident in the mismatches he's going to receive or the matchups he's going to get throughout the year. You get a guy like that who is very talented at the tight end position who is going against linebackers and we like those matchups and the moves that he made once he got the football.
In Week 4, Clay impressed our pundits as well.
11. Bills (2-2)
Just when they think they're in, we pull them back out! They had an ugly loss to the Giants, but the Bills were playing without LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins. Buffalo should get a win in Tennessee this week, and then hope those players return soon after.
No. 11 – Buffalo Bills
B - — Tyrod Taylor has the ability to be a playmaker, but his success in Buffalo will depend on the playmakers around him. With LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins out last week, Taylor and the Bills offence struggled mightily. No. 5 must prove he can get it done on his own.
9. Buffalo Bills
Pass blocking rank: 13th
Run blocking rank: 8th
Penalties rank: 9th
Stud: Who doesn't love a good comeback story? Richie Incognito ( 9.4) is an interesting study—not because of "Bullygate"—but because a year away from the game has allowed him to recharge and come back better than ever.
Dud: Rookies do tend to struggle, and John Miller (-10.6) is no exception.
Summary: A big improvement here, and it's not hard to figure out why, with Incognito the catalyst for a much-improved run blocking effort. Cordy Glenn has been his usual self, but it's worth pointing out that Eric Wood has really elevated his game.
Middle of the pack
17. Tyrod Taylor (30)
18. Jay Cutler (21)
19. Nick Foles (24)
20. Matthew Stafford (13)
21. Blake Bortles (23)
Taylor has come out of the gate faster than anyone could expect, especially without Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman might be relieved to be free of Colin Kaepernick. ... Stafford has been consistently depressing and erratic. It's sad to see the Lions play so passively because of their offensive line. ... No one wants to admit it, but Cutler has looked just fine under coordinator Adam Gase. ... Foles made his chances count against Arizona, often against good coverage. The Rams ask him to make roughly 3-5 big plays a week. When it works, like against Seattle or Arizona, he's the picture of efficiency. ... There's no doubt Bortles is making strides. Even in his lesser games, he tosses in four to five plays that a lot of these quarterbacks couldn't make.
