Getty Oakland Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow.
Normally, we wouldn’t even be talking about the fantasy football potential of a fifth-round pick wide receiver, but the Oakland Raiders‘ Hunter Renfrow is an exception. The rookie out of Clemson has done nothing but impress since he showed up to the team’s facilities. He’s proven to sure-handed and an excellent route runner. He should be the number one slot receiver for the Raiders from week one.
Oakland has received a huge influx of talent at the wide receiver position in the 2019 offseason. The majority of targets are bound to be headed towards Tyrell Williams and Antonio Brown. Renfrow will get his fair share of opportunities, but with him being a rookie, it’ll be difficult to know for sure how much of a role he’s going to have in the offense until he starts playing regular-season games. History is replete with players who dominated the offseason only to fall into obscurity. Time will tell if Renfrow can live up to the hype.
Hunter Renfrow Fantasy Football Projections: Outlook & Preview
Renfrow’s fantasy impact will largely depend on how much Derek Carr is planning on spreading the ball around. Seth Roberts was the go-to slot receiver for Carr over the last several years and he never put up more than 112 PPR points in a season. Renfrow has more upside than Roberts ever had. He’s a better route runner and has better hands.
Fantasy Pros projects him to be the 322nd overall player and 109th wide receiver. It’s hard to argue with those projections because Renfrow didn’t really even put up big numbers in college. The Raiders are very high on him and already listed him as their number one guy in the slot on their first unofficial depth chart. He has a lot of potential, but with the Raiders having so many talented receivers around him, it’s hard to know if he’s going to have a big fantasy impact
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When to Draft Hunter Renfrow in 2019 Fantasy Football
Renfrow will almost certainly go undrafted. He’s got a nightmare matchup in week one against the Denver Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr., who’s considered the best slot corner in the NFL. That means that playing Renfrow in week one should not be an option. He’ll have a more interesting matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in week two. The Chiefs struggled greatly in pass defense last year. It might be worth the risk of picking him up off the waiver wire and giving him the start at the FLEX.
The rookie is likely destined to come on and off the waiver wire. If either Antonio Brown or Tyrell Williams go down with an injury at any point in the season, Renfrow should be a priority free agent. Oakland has more weapons than they did a year ago, so it’s going to be hard to spread the ball around to everybody. If you’re on the fence, maybe give him a few weeks and see how he fits in with the Raider offense.
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