Henry Ruggs

Fantasy Upside

Henry Ruggs wasn’t great as a rookie with just 26 catches, 452 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 13 games. Ruggs did show off his speed though, with a couple of big plays and 17.4 yards-per-reception. Ruggs should benefit from a full offseason and he has considerable upside due to his playmaking ability.

Fantasy Downside

Ruggs is potentially just the latest in a long line of super-fast college players who get drafted super high and then fizzle out in the NFL. He caught just 60.5% of his targets last year and his PFF receiving grade was a lowly 55.6 last year, 22nd among rookie wide receivers – right below Freddie Swain. The Raiders’ offense doesn’t look like it’s going to get remarkably more prolific with Derek Carr under center, so Ruggs is going to have to assert himself to get more targets and then be more productive with them. That might be a tall order for the sophomore speedster.

2021 Bottom Line

Ultimately, Ruggs is free and is worth considering for a late-round flyer in best ball formats, but in redraft, owners will probably be looking for more week-to-week production. If you have a really deep roster and clog up spots with high-risk/reward players in case they pop, Ruggs might be a nice target. Otherwise, he should likely remain undrafted in most formats.