Fantasy football season is in the air and the unique offseason is causing more questions than answers as we enter our fantasy football drafts. Today we focus on Las Vegas Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III and his fantasy football potential this year.
Henry Ruggs III’s fantasy football ADP
Average Draft Position on MyFantasyLeague: 96.91 (12 teams, PPR redrafts)
Reasons to draft Henry Ruggs III
- With the Raiders using the No. 12 pick on Ruggs, they will likely want to get him on the field as soon as possible. And with starting WR Tyrell Williams already injured, Ruggs is a near-lock to be one of the team’s opening receivers in Week 1.
- Ruggs was among college football’s most explosive players over the last three seasons, averaging 17.5 yards per reception. Despite only 100 career touches, Ruggs scored an incredible 25 touchdowns from scrimmage.
- Not only does Ruggs have elite speed (4.27 40-yard dash), he also posted an incredible 42-inch vertical and 131-inch broad jump at the NFL Combine.
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Reasons not to draft Henry Ruggs III
- While Ruggs was a home-run threat at Alabama, he was never the team’s leading receiver. The most receptions he’s ever had in a season were 46, so he could be dinged some in PPR leagues.
- The Raiders aren’t likely to rely on Ruggs heavily in the passing game as a rookie. Instead, they will ask him to contribute 10-12 chunk plays throughout the season. Deciding whether to start Ruggs on a week-by-week basis could prove to be somewhat difficult.
Where should I draft Henry Ruggs III in fantasy football drafts?
Henry Ruggs was the first receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, but should he be the first rookie picked in your fantasy draft? There is clearly a lot of upside here as Ruggs is walking into a situation devoid of a No. 1 receiver. In fact, you can make the case that the Raiders don’t even have a quality No. 2 receiver on their roster now that Williams is suffering from a torn labrum.
Ruggs will likely open the season as one of the team’s starting receivers against the Carolina Panthers. While that, in itself, is enticing, the Raiders aren’t an offense that plans on passing the ball a ton. When they do, QB Derek Carr typically looks to the short to intermediate parts of the field, targeting players like TE Darren Waller and WR Hunter Renfrow.
But considering Ruggs’ current cost, he’s not a bad value. He’s currently being drafted as WR46 and could see a big target share early in the season. If the Raiders get behind early in games, it’s not hard to envision Ruggs seeing seven-eight targets per game.
Given that Ruggs likely won’t be a starting receiver for you right away after being selected after the top-95 picks, don’t be afraid to swing for the fences here. Ruggs will be somewhat unreliable from game to game, but he does have WR2 upside right away if he can find a connection with Carr.
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