Could Raiders WR Henry Ruggs be a fantasy sleeper in 2021?
After being the first receiver selected in the 2020 NFL draft, the expectations were high for Henry Ruggs during his rookie season. While there were certainly some flashes of brilliance, he didnt quite produce like several of the other first-round receivers. But entering Year 2, the expectation is that Ruggs will play an even bigger role in the offense. Gone is Nelson Agholor and the Raiders expect Ruggs to adequately fill his void in the starting lineup. In a recent article by Kevin Cole of Pro Football Focus, he laid out the case for and against Ruggs in 2021. Unfortunately, Cole and the rest of the analysts arent completely sold that Ruggs will be fantasy relevant due to a low target share. Here is a quick snippet of Coles thoughts on Ruggs entering the year:  Our projections assume that Darren Waller will continue to be the primary receiving option for Derek Carr, while free-agent acquisition John Brown forms a 1-2 punch with Ruggs at wide receiver. The Raiders had the lowest share of targets to wide receivers of any NFL team last season. Ruggs is far from overpriced at his current ADP, but the numbers dont make a strong case for his second-year breakout. If youre looking for a cheaper best-ball stack, combining other Raiders with Ruggs isnt a bad option. But looking for Ruggs to be a viable starting option in seasonal fantasy this fall is optimistic.  The Raiders just dont have a high-volume passing attack compared to other teams in the NFL. During the 2020 season, the Raiders averaged just 14.9 targets per game to their wide receivers. That was the second-fewest in the NFL, just behind the Baltimore Ravens (13.8). Just to compare, the Pittsburgh Steelers led the NFL at 28.7 wide receiver targets per game. For Ruggs to be fantasy-relevant, the Raiders need to throw the ball to their wide receivers more. While that certainly could happen, this offense is designed to be run-heavy and go through Darren Waller in the passing game. Despite an appealing ADP, stay away from Henry Ruggs right now in your early fantasy drafts.