Kiddnets
Footballguy
Last year certainly didnt inspire confidence - but his tag is pretty low.We've been hoping they'd use Jacobs correctly for some time now. I wouldn't be so confident they'll figure out how to use Ruggs.
Last year certainly didnt inspire confidence - but his tag is pretty low.We've been hoping they'd use Jacobs correctly for some time now. I wouldn't be so confident they'll figure out how to use Ruggs.
If you don’t sell for peanuts today, you’re outright dropping him in 2022.people shouldn't give up and sell for peanuts after just one year.
drafting him in the 1st round of rookie drafts and selling him for pocket lint after one year is not a great way to play fantasy football IMO. I'd rather go down with the ship before doing that, in the hope he improves year two and beyond.If you don’t sell for peanuts today, you’re outright dropping him in 2022.
Cut your losses, jettison now
What did he flash? No signs of slowing down? Perhaps he should get started before slowing down.
He had that huge catch in week 1 I guessJohnnyU said:What did he flash? No signs of slowing down? Perhaps he should get started before slowing down.
Game winner against the Jets. Nail in the coffin of the Chiefs. After that, ehhhhh...not a whole lot.He had that huge catch in week 1 I guess
He could have been one of the greatest heroes in Jets' history if not for the stupid Rams.Game winner against the Jets.
Ahhh yes forgot about that playGame winner against the Jets. Nail in the coffin of the Chiefs. After that, ehhhhh...not a whole lot.
No risk in trying because he’s so cheap but tiny 30 year old WR with health concerns means there is a good reason he’s so cheap.You can probably acquire John Brown for relatively little, unless you're dealing with someone super-savvy.
Then, for basically a little bit more than you paid for Ruggs, you get the odds-on 2021 WR1 for the Raiders, and you can keep Ruggs on your bench while discovering whether he's the heir-apparent, or not.
I agree. John Brown is a quality receiver Ruggs can learn something from. Similar builds, similar speed, Brown is the much better route runner at this point.You can probably acquire John Brown for relatively little, unless you're dealing with someone super-savvy.
Then, for basically a little bit more than you paid for Ruggs, you get the odds-on 2021 WR1 for the Raiders, and you can keep Ruggs on your bench while discovering whether he's the heir-apparent, or not.
Knowing my luck, Brown will have a full year of health and Ruggs will see a lot of pine.No risk in trying because he’s so cheap but tiny 30 year old WR with health concerns means there is a good reason he’s so cheap.
Y U NO LIKE ZACH?He could have been one of the greatest heroes in Jets' history if not for the stupid Rams.
Give it about four-plus months. That might not be peace you're feeling.I've made my peace.
I feel like Zach’s mom has been a great addition to the Jets circus.Give it about four-plus months. That might not be peace you're feeling.
I have made myself almost blissfully unaware of what is going on with that right now. We heard it in the Jets thread back around the draft but all of us quickly realized what element of New York media that was and promptly put it with the millions of Stern interviews that will forever remain in a closet somewhere, unheard by me, at least.I feel like Zach’s mom has been a great addition to the Jets circus.
Yeah she’s just a social media disaster waiting to happen. If I’m Zach’a agent I’m demanding she delete all her accounts ASAP.I have made myself almost blissfully unaware of what is going on with that right now. We heard it in the Jets thread back around the draft but all of us quickly realized what element of New York media that was and promptly put it with the millions of Stern interviews that will forever remain in a closet somewhere, unheard by me, at least.
Nelson Agholor was the #1 WR for the Raiders in 2020, beating out Ruggs, Edwards and everyone else. Certainly no one expected that...but happen, it did. John Brown, although a bit of a different build, is still philosophically the same type of WR as Agholor, and career-wise, looks like he might be the better NFL Player than Agholor. Brown was brought in to replace Agholor, not to be the #3 or even #2 WR on the Raiders, unless he gets beat out for the job, by Ruggs, particularly. No one on that Roster, including Ruggs, has shown they are 'NFL good' enough to beat out an established veteran like Brown, who was WR19 in 2019 as the WR1 for the Bills, notching 72/1060/6 over 15 games. The reason Brown might be cheap may be largely because truth has an annoying habit of being stranger than fiction. Based on 2020, there's no reason to believe Ruggs can beat out Brown, and if Brown is the Raiders #1, and plays a full slate (admittedly, he could get dinged), he reasonably could equal or better the WR22 #'s of 2020 Agholor (48/896/8 - probably not 8TD, but 6 is reasonable, with more receptions/yards), and for his ADP, Brown is potentially one of absolute steals of 2021.No risk in trying because he’s so cheap but tiny 30 year old WR with health concerns means there is a good reason he’s so cheap.
You wrote off this factor way too much/quickly in your post. Ruggs got dinged week 1 and never played healthy all year. Despite his physical struggles, he flashed speed and playmaking at the NFL level. The major question about him headed into year 2 and beyond is whether or not his injury issues last year were fluky or a harbinger of his ability to deal with NFL rigor. If he can stay healthy, Gruden is going to dial up big plays for this guy. The floor is low, but his ceiling is still extremely high. I wouldn't pay 100 on the 2020 dollar, but if peanuts is his price now, he seems like an excellent buy low candidate IMHO.Yet guys like Jefferson and Lamb had no problems taking off in year 1 with the same constraints (albeit not injury).
https://twitter.com/victafur/status/1400192054135640064?s=21Vic Tafur @VicTafur
Ruggs: “Of course I am ready to assume a bigger role. Last year was just a starting point.”
He’s worked on his route tree, versatility and getting bigger. “I eat all the time and go hard in the weight room.”
https://twitter.com/victafur/status/1400189259366080516?s=21Vic Tafur @VicTafur
Hunter Renfrow said @__RUGGS “opened up the field for everyone else last season. You can’t put stats on that. He is a great player.” #Raiders
https://twitter.com/joshdubowap/status/1400194582944653316?s=21Josh Dubow @JoshDubowAP
Per NFLGSIS, the #Raiders averaged 7.77 yards per pass play with Ruggs on the field last year compared to 7.25 when he wasn't.
Brutal comps - but the kid has shown to have speed to burn and can catch.....last year was simply a disaster on many fronts. Why would they draft him as the top WR to just use as a decoy? Its up to the coaching staff.....if they want him to shine they could easily incorporate him into a big part of the O with screens, sweeps, etc....they have egg on their face right now for the pick....I can see a rebound year and he's dirt cheap to acquire as a bench WR....I see good upside.Oof. Well, I guess in counterpoint I'll post the Henry Ruggs get-the-fans-pumped-up workout video that I first saw on the Raiders site. Let's hope against hope for a brighter future.
https://youtu.be/gNFwj0AbeIo
PFF had an article about whether he'd breakout this year. They had statistical comps from college and the pros. They were not impressive comparisons. The best was Will Fuller, who one could only dream of Ruggs becoming.
The others: Justin Hunter, Donnie Avery, Anthony Gonzalez, Titus Young, Phillip Dorsett, Dante Pettis, Nelson Algholor, Marquise Brown.
Ooof.
Agreed on all almost all counts, really. It was disaster. I can't fathom that they drafted him to simply be a decoy. He is dirt cheap to acquire. My hope is that he's got good upside for a bounce-back year, but knowing the Raiders personnel and their coaches and who and how their offense runs, I'm not so sanguine.Brutal comps - but the kid has shown to have speed to burn and can catch.....last year was simply a disaster on many fronts. Why would they draft him as the top WR to just use as a decoy? Its up to the coaching staff.....if they want him to shine they could easily incorporate him into a big part of the O with screens, sweeps, etc....they have egg on their face right now for the pick....I can see a rebound year and he's dirt cheap to acquire as a bench WR....I see good upside.
No training camp, injuries, COVID, Aghlor balling.....kid couldnt catch a break. Im not high on the coaches either - sometimes there is too much security lol......but maybe they were protecting him from too much contact as he was dinged up.....if they dont find ways to get him the ball this year then he's probably toast but I can definitely see a breakout if the coaches cooperate lol.Agreed on all almost all counts, really. It was disaster. I can't fathom that they drafted him to simply be a decoy. He is dirt cheap to acquire. My hope is that he's got good upside for a bounce-back year, but knowing the Raiders personnel and their coaches and who and how their offense runs, I'm not so sanguine.
Who is that other owner that just needs Ruggs to put it over the top? His value is a bit looooooowwwwww right now.I can see a breakout if things go well and would be holding BUT if another owner and I were working on a deal and he was a piece the other owner states he needs or puts the deal over the top (depending on the deal of course) I'd do it.
I guess what I mean is if we are countering back and forth and he says "give me Ruggs and it's a deal." I did that to move up in the rookie draft. I wasn't going to say no over Henry Ruggs. Moved up from 1.11 to 1.04. Kind of like a 3rd round rookie pick to me. If I really want the deal to get done and the guy wants a 3rd, I'm not going to get tough and say no, if I really think it's worth it.Who is that other owner that just needs Ruggs to put it over the top? His value is a bit looooooowwwwww right now.
Wow. That can't be all you gave up, though. What was the deal, just out of curiosity?I guess what I mean is if we are countering back and forth and he says "give me Ruggs and it's a deal." I did that to move up in the rookie draft. I wasn't going to say no over Henry Ruggs. Moved up from 1.11 to 1.04. Kind of like a 3rd round rookie pick to me. If I really want the deal to get done and the guy wants a 3rd, I'm not going to get tough and say no, if I really think it's worth it.
Oh no, I gave up more. 1.11, Ruggs and a 2022 1st. Also, if it matters, I didn't draft Ruggs, I got him in a trade earlier in the year.Wow. That can't be all you gave up, though. What was the deal, just out of curiosity?
I agree that when asked to high point or to catch a ball with hands, Ruggs did just fine, even though he's down as having a few drops here and there. We can probably chalk that up to those coming on deep passes, but that should be his bread and butter; then again, it's year one with no training camp. I know that he was three-five yards shy of three extra touchdowns on the year, one in Carolina, one in Atlanta, and one against Cleveland that was called incomplete but shouldn't have been. His year looks a little different but for those few extra yards here and there.Ruggs continued to pass the eye test with major flashes during the year, including a very natural and sound catching technique.
Speaking Wednesday, coach Jon Gruden said Henry Ruggs "looks much better" in his second year.
Specifically, Gruden wants to get Ruggs more involved in the offense and not just use him as a decoy. The first wideout off the board in the 2020 draft at No. 12 overall, Ruggs disappointed with a mere 26 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. Ruggs had just one 100-yard game, zero games of more than three catches, and a pair of zero-balls. Ruggs was running routes way down the field, and Derek Carr is a quarterback who doesn't like to throw it deep, instead settling for high-percentage throws in the short areas of the field and between the hash marks. Ruggs needs a more diverse route tree and for Carr to air it out more. We'll believe it when we see it, but it does help that Carr-favorite Nelson Agholor is now in New England. Ruggs should be treated as a WR5 for fantasy until we see the Raiders feed him more targets.
SOURCE: Vic Tafur on Twitter
Jun 16, 2021, 2:20 PM ET
Great point. Smoke is a filthy route runner. His highlight reel the year before Diggs when he went off as WR1 is great. His problem was soft tissue injuries and sickle cell that causes him to heal slower. Such an under appreciated guy.I agree. John Brown is a quality receiver Ruggs can learn something from. Similar builds, similar speed, Brown is the much better route runner at this point.
Maybe. That is until Smokey gets injured again.You can probably acquire John Brown for relatively little, unless you're dealing with someone super-savvy.
Then, for basically a little bit more than you paid for Ruggs, you get the odds-on 2021 WR1 for the Raiders, and you can keep Ruggs on your bench while discovering whether he's the heir-apparent, or not.
Maybe you can clarify this for me. This is a question I have posed to several Raiders fans before and I never get an answer.Dude was a Covid rookie dealing with multiple nagging injuries all year long, starting with a severe offseason thigh puncture and then a mysterious leg injury in game 1, prior to which he flashed some serious eye test candy. Despite the injuries and Agolor's unexpected strangle on his position, Ruggs continued to pass the eye test with major flashes during the year, including a very natural and sound catching technique. His usage and targets were limited all season, but when called upon, he actually performed quite well, leading all rookie WRs in the season-long YPC metric. He's also received rave reviews from teammates, including Carr for his work ethic and talent.
And yet here a bunch of you dynasty folks are valuing him at the equivalent of a bag of chips heading into this season. Maybe you are right, but I suspect anyone who has traded for him recently is going to end up the winner of those deals, starting as soon as this season. To me, the only legit concern here is durability due to his build. The talent is there IMO, and the opportunity likely will be as well - there is a vacuum for targets in this Raider offense after Waller Baller, and would it really be a surprise if Ruggs takes the lion's share of those and adds that to his targets last season? Extrapolate his YPC and add a sandwich to the bag o chips.
So Chucky takes Ruggs with the 12th overall pick of the draft to use him as decoy?Speaking Wednesday, coach Jon Gruden said Henry Ruggs "looks much better" in his second year.
Specifically, Gruden wants to get Ruggs more involved in the offense and not just use him as a decoy. The first wideout off the board in the 2020 draft at No. 12 overall, Ruggs disappointed with a mere 26 catches for 452 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. Ruggs had just one 100-yard game, zero games of more than three catches, and a pair of zero-balls. Ruggs was running routes way down the field, and Derek Carr is a quarterback who doesn't like to throw it deep, instead settling for high-percentage throws in the short areas of the field and between the hash marks. Ruggs needs a more diverse route tree and for Carr to air it out more. We'll believe it when we see it, but it does help that Carr-favorite Nelson Agholor is now in New England. Ruggs should be treated as a WR5 for fantasy until we see the Raiders feed him more targets.
SOURCE: Vic Tafur on Twitter
Jun 16, 2021, 2:20 PM ET