The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books, and that means it’s time for us to fully turn our attention to the 2020 NFL season and fantasy football. While COVID-19 means we can’t guarantee an NFL season, our league mates want us to be on our heels, unprepared for the season. Never you fear, Football Absurdity is here to cover all of the 78 fantasy football eligible players drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. Keep in mind, most of these guys won’t get selected in your draft, but you’ll want to know these 2020 NFL draftees when your fantasy football draft comes around. We continue our look around the AFC West with a look at the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders have all-new digs in 2020, moving from Oakland to Sin City. They will also have a new-look offense, taking three fantasy football eligible players in the first 81 picks. How will the two new Raiders receivers and the Swiss Army Knife look for 2020 fantasy football?
FULL LAS VEGAS RAIDERS DRAFT RESULTS
| 1 | 12 | Henry Ruggs | WR | Alabama |
| 1 | 19 | Damon Arnette | CB | Ohio State |
| 3 | 16 | Lynn Bowden | WR/RB | Kentucky |
| 3 | 17 | Bryan Edwards | WR | South Carolina |
| 3 | 36 | Tanner Muse | S | Clemson |
| 4 | 3 | John Simpson | OG | Clemson |
| 4 | 33 | Amik Robertson | CB | Louisiana Tech |
Round 1, Pick 12: Henry Ruggs, Wide Receiver, Alabama (5’11” 188 lbs)
| 40-yd Dash | Bench Press | Vertical Jump | Broad Jump | 3 Cone | 20-yd shuttle | 60-yd shuttle |
| 4.27s (u) | — | 42.0 in | 131.0 in | — | — | — |
Courtesy: NFL.com, (u) = unofficial.
Depth Chart:
WR1 Henry Ruggs III
WR2 Tyrell Williams
WR3 Hunter Renfrow
WR4 Bryan Edwards
WR5 Nelson Agholor
WR6 Zay Jones
TALENT
Here is the three-word evaluation: the next D-Jax. Alabama frequently used him to clear out opposing defenders to make room for players, which speaks to his gravity on the football field. He’s not big at all but boy is he fast. Ruggs struggles mightily with aggressive and physical WRs but if you give him an inch, he’s taking your soul and running for a mile with it. He’s good at the point of the catch on deep bombs and can take a slant to the house on any given play. Ruggs is a home run hitter and was in the top-tier of wide receivers in what was widely considered an extremely strong wide receiver class. That sums up all you need to know about Ruggs’ talent.
Ruggs also ran the fastest 40-yard dash since John Ross broke the record in 2017 (4.27 seconds)
2020 OPPORTUNITY
It was shocking, to me, that he went ahead of teammate CeeDee Lamb. But, clearly, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock saw something they liked with Ruggs in their offense. It makes a lot of sense for them to get a deep speed guy, the middle of the Las Vegas Raiders’ field is full up with Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and the football that Nelson Agholor just dropped. Derek Carr rarely throws deep, but when he uncorks one, he is usually on-target. Gruden & Co. are banking on uncorking Carr a bit more. I think that Ruggs will get plenty of opportunities to produce, and will pull defenders away from Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow underneath, opening them up more, as well.
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
For fantasy football, he’ll be a boom-or-bust WR3 to start but could easily fly up the rankings as the season goes along. He didn’t land in the best of situations out of the round one wide receivers, but not the worst (hello Brandon Aiyuk). Ruggs can win you some weeks, but unless we see Gruden specifically scheming him open, I don’t think he does it consistently enough for you to feel good about putting him in your lineup. Then again, I can’t stress that he was the first wide receiver off the board. Gruden & Mayock have to have something in their back pocket for Ruggs. He’s well worth a pick in the double-digit rounds between WR40 and WR50.
TALENT: 
OPPORTUNITY: 
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK: 
Round 3, Pick 36: Lynn Bowden, Running Back/Wide Receiver, Kentucky (5’11” 204 lbs)
| 40-yd Dash | Bench Press | Vertical Jump | Broad Jump | 3 Cone | 20-yd shuttle | 60-yd shuttle |
| — | 13 reps | — | — | — | — | — |
Courtesy: NFL.com, (u) = unofficial.
Depth Chart:
RB1 Josh Jacobs
RB2 Lynn Bowden
RB3 Jalen Richard
TALENT
Lynn Bowden is extremely versatile, but doesn’t do anything very well. He’s an okay runner, he runs routes just fine, and he plays a passable quarterback in a pinch. Bowden’s biggest talents are his versatility and his vision. Bowden moves very naturally with a head of steam, weaving his way through traffic. Unfortunately, he does not change speeds very well, and is more a guy who sweeps through traffic until someone brings him down rather than anyone that can juke a would-be tackler in the open field. Bowden exhibits decent burst off the line, and is strong on the field and at the point of the catch, but don’t be fooled: he went this high because of his versatility.
Gil Brandt and Pro Football Network listed him as a WR, but the Las Vegas Raiders drafted him as a running back, apparently, which will best utilize the skills he demonstrated in college. Still, despite his apparent limitations on tape, he was incredibly effective.
Let me put this a different way: Lynn Bowden ran for 99 or more yards in every single game where he received more than six rush attempts last year. He threw the ball at least ten times in four of those games. In the remaining games, he had at least six receptions in every game. Bowden is a true jack of all trades. Jon Gruden seemingly took one thing with him from the Bay Area as he moved out to Vegas: the itch to get himself a player like San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel.
2020 OPPORTUNITY
I’m not quite sure what to think about Bowden’s opportunity. Bowden, like Samuel, Antonio Gibson, and Taysom Hill, do not create reliable fantasy football output. The Jack of All Trades label tends to lead teams to fit players into cracks that other players don’t fill, rather than creating a role for that player off the bat. For example, Deebo Samuel’s big blowup games came in weeks ten and eleven, when George Kittle nursed an injury. Deebo had sixteen touches in those two games. Deebo had fourteen touches in the next four games combined.
I see Bowden as different from Antonio Gibson in Washington as I see him fitting into gadget play cracks that Jon Gruden wants in his offense. Sweeps, screens, wildcats with Josh Jacobs, etc. The easy WR/RB comparison here, and the one I keep seeing: Randall Cobb.
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
The only question is if Jon Gruden can get creative enough to give Bowden valuable looks. I’m not 100% certain he will in his rookie year, and that leaves Bowden on the list of guys I should know, but not guys I’m prioritizing in a standard-length draft.
TALENT: (for versatility)
OPPORTUNITY: 
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK: 
Round 3, Pick 17: Bryan Edwards, Wide Receiver, South Carolina (6’3” 212 lbs)
| 40-yd Dash | Bench Press | Vertical Jump | Broad Jump | 3 Cone | 20-yd shuttle | 60-yd shuttle |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bryan Edwards missed the NFL Combine due to a foot fracture in February
Depth Chart:
WR1 Henry Ruggs III
WR2 Tyrell Williams
WR3 Hunter Renfrow
WR4 Bryan Edwards
WR5 Nelson Agholor
WR6 Zay Jones
TALENT
Edwards is a big guy who can get fast with a long runway. He doesn’t always play up to his size, but he is physical and athletic when he wants to be. He also has amazing hands when he wants… but also has a lot of focus drops. He doesn’t run past most people and isn’t the shiftiest. He’s savvy enough to get open, and I’m very cautious to poopoo him as much as people did D.K. Metcalf last season. He was a top 5-7 wide receiver in the draft before the foot injury took him out of the running to go that high.
2020 OPPORTUNITY
I listed Bryan Edwards as the WR4 for the Raiders with the consideration that he would be working his way back from the foot injury. I’ve hedged my bets there. If it fully heals, he’s taking Tyrell Williams’ lunch and eating it right in front of him. It appears as though he avoided the dreaded Lisfranc fracture, which takes a lot of time and surgery to facilitate recovery. If the NFL season happens on time, I can only hope Edwards will be out there.
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
My best recommendation for Edwards is to keep an eye on him. The Raiders do not feature a heavy pass attack, but he will fill the #2 role very well for Jon Gruden’s offense. Edwards seems like the type of rookie WR who breaks out around week seven or eight after he’s had a chance to acclimate to the NFL. Monitor what he does, and pounce if he flashes, but don’t think he’s worth a draft pick in a standard draft.
TALENT:
OPPORTUNITY:
2020 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK:
For more 2020 NFL Draft coverage, check out these:
The Rookie Roundup… Roundup
Fantasy Football Fallout: 2020 NFL Draft Round One
Football Absurdity Podcast: First Round Recap
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