Henry Ruggs Fantasy Outlook Gets Big Boost With Tyrell Williams Injury Update

Tyrell Williams suffered a torn labrum earlier this offseason, and initial reports were that he was going to play through the injury. The situation clearly changed, as he was placed on season-ending IR on Tuesday as he prepared to undergo surgery.

This move has big impacts for the fantasy football outlook of rookie wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards, among others in the Las Vegas Raiders offense.

Henry Ruggs Fantasy Outlook

Ruggs has been working in the slot this offseason, but with Williams officially sidelined, he could start to see some more work on the outside. This news also means that Ruggs could be asked to do even more downfield work.

The big selling point on Ruggs as a prospect was his speed, having run a 4.27-second 40-yard dash. Williams was used extensively as a deep threat last year, with a 14.0-yard average depth of target (aDOT). For comparison, the only other Raider to play over 25 percent of the team's snaps and see an aDOT of even 8.0 yards was Zay Jones.

Bryan Edwards Fantasy Outlook

Fellow rookie Bryan Edwards may be the player who sees the most significant increase in fantasy value. With Williams out and Ruggs getting some of his work in the slot, Edwards figures to see a significant increase in playing time, likely starting on the outside in three-WR sets.

Edwards is no stranger to working as a deep threat either, having been the SEC's most efficient receiver on deep passes in his 2018 junior season.

Raiders QB Derek Carr isn't exactly known as a deep-ball passer, having finished with the third-lowest aDOT (6.9 yards) among qualifying passers in 2019, so we shouldn't expect either Ruggs or Edwards to be consistent, high-floor options.

Still, the newly freed up volume gives both of these guys a great ceiling on a weekly basis.

That makes them particularly interesting best ball targets, as the format allows you to benefit their good games without having to worry about their low weekly floor.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.