In The Blitz, RotoViz writers react to the latest news and help you place it within the context of our 2020 research and recommendations.
The first wide receiver selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Henry Ruggs, scored his first professional touchdown in Week 5 and flashed big-play ability along the way. After missing the last two games, it was nice to see him healthy and active.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III had a breakout performance, catching two passes for 118 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Most of Ruggs’ yards came via a 72-yard touchdown pass. Ruggs showed why the Raiders drafted him with their first pick of the draft. He has blazing speed and big-play potential. This style of play will make him a volatile fantasy option going forward. He can have games like this where he gets loose in the secondary and catches a long touchdown pass. He can also have games like he had earlier in the season where he catches just one pass on a couple targets. He will be a risky fantasy option in most weeks but is certainly worth considering as a starting option. He returns to the field in Week 7 against the Buccaneers.
The League Of Speed
Hailing from what is quickly becoming Wide Receiver University, Ruggs joins a growing list of talented wideouts from the University of Alabama to leap to the NFL. Ruggs follows Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, and now Jerry Jeudy as highly coveted collegiate prospects.
Boasting elite speed and explosiveness, Ruggs torched the combine and still left fantasy owners wanting more. That should tell you something about what the community thought of Ruggs.
The NFL values raw speed and athleticism, as shown by Ruggs’ draft selection. From a fantasy perspective, few had Ruggs inside their top group of wide receivers. However, his combine performance and subsequent draft capital changed more than a few minds, and the potentially most intriguing part of his profile even went overlooked by many draftniks and fantasy managers. So far this season, we’ve seen what Ruggs can do. Now, fantasy owners are eager to see if this trend continues.
