It wasn’t surprising to see fifth-round pick Hunter Renfrow make an instant impact for the Raiders as a rookie. Renfrow finished the season with 49 receptions for 605 yards and four touchdowns. However, the season-long numbers don’t even begin to describe just how good the former Clemson receiver was as a rookie.
In Renfrow’s final seven games as a rookie, he caught 35 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns. He had 81 percent of his 2019 receiving yardage total in the second half of the season. It is clear that he developed a strong chemistry with Derek Carr.
But despite his strong second half of the 2019 season, Renfrow isn’t getting much love from the fantasy football community. Here is where Renfrow ranks among wide receivers in average draft position by several fantasy sites:
ESPN: 63
Fantasy Pros: 63
Rotowire: 85
CBS Sports: Not Ranked (Outside Top-60)
Fantasy Football Calculator: Not Ranked (Outside Top-70)
In most drafts, Renfrow is essentially free as he isn’t being drafted in 12-team PPR leagues. But that doesn’t make much sense considering just how productive he was last season.
In PPR leagues, Renfrow averaged 15.2 points per game from Week 8 on. While it’s tough to expect him to repeat those numbers for the entirety of the 2020 season, it’s worth noting that only nine other receivers averaged 15 or more PPR points at receiver last season.
While the Raiders did bring in rookies Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards this season, neither are likely to cut into Renfrow’s workload too much. In fact, the presence of Ruggs could be beneficial for Renfrow as he could help loosen up the safeties.
Renfrow could easily catch 70 or more passes in this Raiders’ offense, especially if the team gets into negative game scripts. But Renfrow averaging 4.5 receptions a game? That certainly makes him an intriguing late-round pick in your fantasy drafts.
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