Getty Oakland Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow.
The Oakland Raiders offense has a lot of work to do with the news that Antonio Brown is now a New England Patriot. Fortunately, Jon Gruden and company didn’t have Brown for much of training camp, so this isn’t the first time they’ll field a unit that doesn’t have the wide receiver. One player who should see his role increase significantly is rookie wide receiver, Hunter Renfrow.
Renfrow has become best known for the fact that he looks more like a high school math teacher than a professional football player. However, the former Clemson Tiger has some serious skills and could be a big part of the Raider offense from day one. He may not boast the most amazing athletic traits, but he’s an intelligent player with an impressive set of hands. He should see quite a bit of targets from week one and should only get better as the season goes on. This could make him a very interesting fantasy football option.
Hunter Renfrow’s Fantasy Outlook With Antonio Brown Gone
Now that Antonio Brown is calling New England home, Renfrow becomes a much more interesting player. Will he stay in the slot or will he be moved around all over the field? He’ll probably see time doing both. Renfrow’s bread will likely be buttered in the slot, but Gruden will want to utilize him in more ways. The Raiders went from having one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the NFL to a pretty average unit. They absolutely need Renfrow to play well if the offense is going to thrive.
He has a chance to be a steal in fantasy football. Renfrow as the third option isn’t nearly as intriguing as Renfrow as the second option. Brown would’ve demanded a significant amount of targets. Even though Williams will be the top target, he’s not going to get as many targets as Brown would’ve. A lot of those would-be targets should be headed in Renfrow’s direction and he will catch most of them.
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Should You Pick up Hunter Renfrow off the Waiver Wire?
If Renfrow is available, he should definitely be scooped up. According to ESPN Fantasy Football, Renfrow is available in 93.7% of leagues. If you’re in PPR, he’s got a lot of upside because he should catch a lot of passes. He’s not the big-play threat like a John Ross is, but he should be getting a consistent amount of targets each week. Derek Carr loves to target reliable receivers and Renfrow shouldn’t drop many passes.
With all that said, he’s probably in for a rough game against the Denver Broncos in week one. Chris Harris Jr. is shutdown in the slot and the rookie should have his hands full. If Renfrow gets shutout, that shouldn’t deter you from picking him up. The Raiders have a matchup against a weak Kansas City Chief pass defense in week two and he has a chance to have a breakout game. If you’re not convinced yet, see how he does against the Chiefs because if he doesn’t have a good game against them, he may have limited upside for the whole season.
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