14 second-year players with breakout fantasy football potential

The 2018 fantasy football season is right around the corner, and as NFL teams iron out their rosters, now is the time for fantasy owners to start making game plans.

Last season featured an incredible rookie class. There were early round picks who lived up to the hype, stars who fell flat on their faces, and late-round gems who emerged as playmakers. With a season under their belts, which second-year players have the best potential to have breakout seasons?

We went through the entire 2017 class and found 14 players who can turn into stars next season.

Kansas City traded Alex Smith after his best season (his first-ever passing for 4,000 yards) because of their confidence in Patrick Mahomes. That confidence seems to be warranted. Mahomes posted a 62 percent completion rate in his only start of 2017. His receiving arsenal is loaded with Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and new arrival Sammy Watkins. Plus, all of his running backs can catch. Mahomes is in the best position to stand out in his sophomore season.

There is still a slight fantasy risk with Mahomes. He only played one regular season NFL game last season. He is having a good camp, though. With so many things in his favor, Mahomes is a high-end QB2 that is likely to be a consistent QB1 by season’s end.

The Chicago Bears spent the spring rebuilding their passing game. Under the new leadership of head coach Matt Nagy, the Bears brought in free agent weapons Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton. Nagy has also added more passing plays to Chicago’s run-heavy offense. This opens up a whole new world for second year QB Mitchell Trubisky.

Trubisky entered a circus in his rookie year. He was essentially asked to manage the chaos while Chicago addressed all types of issues. Now that he has a year under his belt and a better feel for the game, the skills that propelled him to the second-overall pick should start to show. Nagy’s system and a revamped receiving corps make it easier for Trubisky in his second season. He has all the makings of a breakout fantasy stud this season.

The collective NFL world was heartbroken when Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practice after a 400-yard Week 8 clinic against the Seattle Seahawks. Watson was on a meteoric rise before that injury. If there could be a silver lining for the situation, it is Watson’s injury happened in the middle of the season. He will have had 10 months of rehab before the kickoff of the 2018 season. Watson is making excellent progress in his recovery, getting first team reps with the Texans’ offense in training camp.

The Texans do not plan to change anything about Watson’s game if he is fully recovered this season. He will be a threat in the running game and he has DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller in the passing game. That means he should be able to get back to his spectacular form for fantasy owners.

Cook was in the same conversation as breakout rookie rushers Kareem Hunt and Alvin Kamara before going down in Week 4 with a torn ACL. He opened the season rushing for 127 yards on 22 carries and averaged more than five yards per carry in three of his four regular-season games. Unfortunately, Cook spent most of his rookie year watching his Vikings pick up the pieces with Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon.

The Vikings are rehabbing Cook slowly. They want as few setbacks as possible, especially with McKinnon taking off for the San Francisco 49ers. If Cook can stay healthy, he should be able to get back on track for a monster season. The Vikings’ offense looks almost exactly the same, minus Case Keenum. Cook should find Kirk Cousins to be equally, if not more, favorable to his skill sets. Fantasy owners should pencil Cook in as a solid RB1 for this season.

Jones flashed his talent early last season, posting two games with 100-plus rushing yards in his first four starts. He cooled off quickly, battling knee problems throughout the year. Now, the fifth-round pick will look to be more consistent in his sophomore season.

It will not be easy. He will miss the first two games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He is also battling Jamaal Williams and Ty Montgomery for carries; the Packers are going to go with the hottest hand. If Jones explodes for another 100-plus-yard game, he will get more opportunities. The Packers’ backfield is a mess for consistent fantasy production, but owners should keep an eye on Jones as a late-round flier.

Clement had the most exciting rookie year of anybody on this list. He began the season as an undrafted free agent and finished as a Super Bowl champion. Clement rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns on 74 carries. He also made a healthy contribution to the passing game, catching 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

Now, Clement wants more. He moved up to the No. 2 rushing spot when LeGarrette Blount left for the Detroit Lions. However, he is going to have some more competition this season as Darren Sproles returns. If Clement can retain the No. 2 role in Philadelphia, he will be an excellent backup fantasy running back this season.

The messy Bengals running game Joe Mixon had to deal with in his rookie year seems to be over. Cincinnati is backing away from its complicated run committee and giving Mixon the reigns. He will still split some carries with Giovanni Bernard, but Mixon is the feature back. In this role, he could surpass 270 total touches. He looks like an RB2 initially, and has a chance to emerge as a solid RB1.

Cohen’s small stature and incredible speed made him an interesting talent in his rookie season. The Bears coaching staff did not really know how to use his talents. Regardless, Cohen had three games with 60 or more rushing yards. He finished the season with 370 rushing yards, 353 receiving yards, and a combined three touchdowns.

The Bears’ new coaching staff is very excited about the 5’6 fourth-round pick. Head coach Matt Nagy is known for his creativity, and he should draw up some interesting plays to match Cohen’s talent. While Cohen is still second on the depth chart behind Jordan Howard, he is looking at a lot more touches this season. Slot Cohen in as a strong RB2 with the ability to have a breakout fantasy game at any moment.

Between Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, there seemed to be very few targets left for other wideouts in Tampa Bay in 2017. Still, Chris Godwin made the most of his rookie year targets. The third-round pick had 34 receptions for 525 yards in 2017. He ended the season in spectacular fashion, with seven receptions, 111 yards, and a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints.

Godwin’s fantasy owners should be excited about his upcoming season. The Bucs are committed to starting Godwin in three-receiver sets, which should put him on Jameis Winston’s radar. He averaged just more than 15 yards per reception last season and stands to receive close to 80 targets this year. With that much potential, Godwin is looking at an amazing sophomore season.

Taylor was a late-round surprise last season. After going 177th overall in the draft, the former Lousiana Tech wideout finished his rookie year with 43 catches for 430 yards and two touchdowns. He had offseason back surgery, which slowed him down heading into training camp.

He will look to carve out his niche in the slot in a fairly deep receiver group in San Francisco. He was strong in the position, particularly when it came to slant routes, where he caught all 15 targets thrown his way. Taylor will see a lot of action if he can lock down the role, and could be a WR3 or WR4 with upside.

Davis was considered one of the most promising rookies in the 2017 class. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the season. Davis showed promise in a couple of games last year. He caught six balls each in Weeks 1 and 15 for 69 and 91 yards, respectively. He really showed out in the playoffs, catching five passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns against the New England Patriots. Now healthy, the Titans are hoping Davis can do more for QB Marcus Mariota.

Davis has fantasy breakout potential for several reasons, beyond being healthy. The Titans hired Matt LaFleur to be their offensive coordinator this offseason. He brings a passing mindset to the offense. Davis also should see more targets now as the clear No. 1 receiver in Tennessee.

Golladay does not back down from a challenge. He was impressive in his rookie year, catching 28 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns on limited snaps. The third-round pick still has to get in line behind Marvin Jones and Golden Tate, but the No. 3 receiver position seems to be all his. As the Lions iron out the details to evolve into an elite offense, Golladay has an opportunity to see much bigger fantasy production in 2018. He has late-round flier potential in 2018 fantasy drafts.

The tight end torch was passed from Cameron Brate to Howard by the end of last season. Brate edged out the rookie in receptions and yards, but the 19th overall pick had more snaps than his veteran teammate. Each finished the season with six touchdowns. The Bucs want to use two tight ends heavily in their offense. While Howard will continue to compete for targets with Brate, it is a good sign he is staying on the field for more snaps. Additionally, Howard started to take off toward the end of his rookie campaign before an ankle injury. Now healthy, Howard is looking to pick up where he left off. Fantasy owners should be excited about Howard’s sophomore season. He has the potential to reach TE1 status early on.

Njoku had an inconsistent rookie season, but still finished with 32 receptions, 386 yards, and four touchdowns, while playing only 48 percent of snaps for the Browns. This season, Njoku should benefit from the overhauled Browns offense. He has a lot of competition for looks behind Jarvis Landry and potentially Josh Gordon. However, he is prime to be a touchdown stud with an uptick of red zone targets. Fantasy owners can find a later mid-round gem with Njoku this season.

The 2017 rookie class was filled with talented tight ends, and the 49ers ended up with one of the best. Fifth-round pick George Kittle was one of the most productive rookie tight ends in the NFL last season. He was second in his tight end class in receptions behind New York Giants TE Evan Engram. Kittle finished the year with 43 receptions for 515 yards and two touchdowns. He is in a great position to breakout in Year 2 with Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Kittle has strong stock as a high-end TE2 heading to the 2018 kickoff.