Rookie WR Prospects: Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb & More
by Alan Seslowsky

“The 2020 Wide Receiver class is loaded,” is a cliche at this point. The truth is it may not be an exaggerated narrative. RosterWatch has been evaluating and analyzing rookie prospects for over a decade, and this was the first time since 2014 that the depth of the class has credible sustainability in the NFL. Below are a few notes on some of the players in our top 10.

Brandon Aiyuk– A Perception Chasm 

A few days before the NFL draft, it appears that NFL circles are higher on Aiyuk than fantasy players. There may be a bias toward Aiyuk since he is coming out of Arizona State. ASU is the same school that last year’s first-round pick N’Keal Harry came out of. Harry’s rookie season was disappointing for fantasy. This is presenting a possible buying opportunity for Aiyuk in upcoming dynasty rookie drafts.  RosterWatch Co-Founder, Byron Lambert, has Aiyuk ranked as his WR6 (pre-draft) in this class. Byron’s scouting report included comparisons to Christian Kirk, Sammy Watkins, and Odell Beckham. An elite yards after the catch prospect, Aiyuk has reliable hands and a monster wingspan of 81 inches.  RosterWatch suspects that Aiyuk will go on day two of the real NFL draft cementing the depressed perception of him in the fantasy world. It’s a great year to have second-round rookie picks in your dynasty league.

Justin Jefferson– The Most En-Vogue 

Jefferson is the type of prospect that every team is looking for in the modern NFL, a big slot. RosterWatch compares him to Greg Jennings, Stevie Johnson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. He is considered a safe prospect, but he does have limitations if he was forced to play outside. To illustrate the point, RosterWatch Co-Founder Alex Dunlap pointed out on the most recent episode of the RosterWatch Podcast that over 50% of Jefferson’s yards came on crossing routes. For fantasy, he profiles as a volume player or compiler and should have value in PPR league working from the interior of the field. 

Jerry Jeudy, Ceedee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs- RosterWatch’s Top Three

Most fantasy players are very familiar with RosterWatch’s top three WR prospects. A few notes on each:

Henry Ruggs– 25 TDs on only 100 total college touches. You read that correctly. One out of every four times he touched the ball, he scored. 

Jerry Jeudy– An elite prospect with a high floor and a high ceiling. He owns NFL ready route-running skills. You are nitpicking if you try to get him any lower than WR2 in your rankings.  

Ceedee Lamb– RosterWatch’s clear WR1 in the class. From a physical profile, he is similar to Jerry Jeudy. The reason we have Lamb above Jeudy is that he plays a bit bigger and has a touch more physicality. He also has better ball skills despite not being quite as smooth a separator as Jeudy.