Las Vegas Raiders: 5 players we need to see more of in Week 17

Raiders rookie WR Henry Ruggs III

Henry Ruggs had a similar start to the year as Bryan Edwards, as he was a starter in Week 1, but injuries took him out of the lineup for a few weeks in the first half of the season. Ruggs also missed some time due to COVID-19 protocols but has at least had a few games where he was productive, unlike Edwards.

The high point of Ruggs’ season was the Week 5 win in Kansas City, as he had two catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. His abilities to stretch the field and beat defenders in the air were on full display with just those two catches, but the highlights after that were few and far in between.

The game-winner against the New York Jets is a candidate for Play of the Year for the Raiders, and his leaping grab against Atlanta on fourth down was incredible as well.

It may be odd to say that we need to see more of a player that was on the field in more than 53% of the team’s snaps, but what we mean is that we need to see more plays drawn up specifically for him. After the draft, GM Mike Mayock claimed that the Raiders would work on all kinds of manufactured touches for Henry Ruggs in the form of end arounds and bubble screens.

We have seen little of that so far this season and there have been far too many games where Ruggs has been targeted three times or less.

Against Denver and their aggressive defense, we need to see some of these manufactured touches and Ruggs needs to see at least ten targets or touches this game. We already know what Darren Waller and Nelson Agholor bring to this offense, but we have yet to see the full potential of this rookie speedster.