Fantasy Football: Don’t Sleep on Bryan Edwards

Coming off a productive offensive year, the Las Vegas Raiders find themselves with a handful of fantasy-relevant players that can help any fantasy football team. The two big names are Darren Waller and Josh Jacobs who both finished as a TE1 and RB1 in 2020. However, the draft (and trade) price for these stars will not be cheap. This article will highlight one fantasy football sleeper from the Raiders. I believe this player can impact a fantasy team on a weekly basis. This player will not cost nearly as much as other players at the position, but can have a big opportunity to outperform his ADP.

Bryan Edwards, WR

It was a quiet rookie year for Bryan Edwards, the third round pick out of South Carolina. In only 12 games, Edwards put up 11 receptions for 193 yards and one touchdown on just 15 targets. I expect things to change in favor of Edwards in year two. The majority of the targets will still go to Waller, who led the team with 145. However, the pass catcher who was second on that list, Nelson Agholor, is no longer on the team. This opens the door immediately for Edwards to see more targets.

In addition to more balls being thrown his way, according to PlayerProfiler, Edwards has some solid metrics that can be used as quality indicators that success is in his future. He had a college dominator of 48.4% which was in the 94^th percentile, a college target share of 29.1% which was in the 88^th percentile, and a breakout age of 17.8 which puts him in the 100^th percentile. Edwards also had a speed score of 103.4 which is in the 79^th percentile.  With a massive frame of 6’3” and 212 lbs, this wide receiver has some wheels. While these metrics do not tell the whole story, they boost some confidence in my belief that Edwards can get it done this year.

Derek Carr is coming off arguably the best season of his career. His yards per game was 256.4, and his touchdown percentage was 5.2 both of which were the second highest mark of his career. He had a QBR of 71, which was the highest of his career. With a solid quarterback that seems to be figuring it out and a run game to take pressure off the pass catchers, this offense is set up nicely for success.

In addition, not only do the Raiders have a threat at tight end in Darren Waller, but they also have a first-round pick in Henry Ruggs who is also entering his second year. I see this as even more reason to believe in Edwards. Not only will teams have to focus on Waller, but they will need to respect the speed of Ruggs who measures in the 100^th percentile in the 40-yard dash. This will create a lot of space for Edwards to work with. Plus, he most likely will never see double coverage. This will be advantageous to Edwards and only help him succeed.

Conclusion

Bryan Edwards is basically free in fantasy football drafts. While I do not think he will be leading any championship runs, I do believe he will be fantasy-relevant. He has the size, speed, and metrics to be able to produce at this level. Take a late round flier on this second year wideout and watch him be a viable flex option going forward.