The consensus used to be that it took wide receivers three years to breakout into fantasy relevance. But, the NFL is turning more pass-happy and players are being utilized in various ways. So, it isn’t out of the question that there are a few second-year breakouts that can boost production for your dynasty team. Similar to last year, if your teams had Courtland Sutton, DJ Chark, or D.J. Moore on your roster before the start of the season, you more than likely felt comfortable with your team’s outlook.
In this 3-part series of articles, I’ll look at six wide receivers that need to be considered. If you didn’t draft some of these second-year wideouts, it’ll be almost impossible for you to acquire them going forward. But, if you’re given the chance, don’t be afraid to overpay.
A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
The obvious choice of these rookie wideouts primed for a breakout coming into their 2nd season is A.J. Brown. Going into the draft, he was the most coveted talent at the position. But, landing spot put him in a bad light. This convinced owners to draft other wide receivers over him in their rookie draft. When the Titans were forced out of their comfort zone with the ground game, it became obvious who Tannehill looked to through the air. A.J. Brown broke Corey Davis truthers’ spirits, and assumed the number one role, by being the only rookie of the bunch to surpass 1000 yards. Moving into his second year, Brown will continue to be the only option through the passing game worth mentioning, as defenses will be forced to focus on Derrick Henry every single play.
Much like his Ole Miss counterpart D.K. Metcalf, A.J. Brown is an elite physical specimen that has speed not typical of men his size. With the ability to beat defenses deep and on contested catches, players and coaches will have to figure out how to stop Brown. It also doesn’t help that they have a punishing bruiser of a back in Derrick Henry. Henry allows for play-action passes deep down the field. Also much like D.K. Metcalf, Brown was also compared to Andre Johnson. I could easily see Brown topping 1,500 yards three times in his career. Much as Johnson did with the Texans before Hopkins arrived in Houston.
Receivers like Brown, Johnson, and Metcalf are just a matchup nightmare that cannot be beaten physically. With a dominant running game, it’ll only help further Brown’s production. Arian Foster only helped Andre Johnson continue his dominance. Imagine what Henry can do for Brown.
With over 20 yards per reception and 12.5 yards per target, Brown was a monster with the ball in his hands and made sure to punish defenses after the catch. He was able to find the end zone eight times during the regular season. He clearly posed a threat in the red zone for the Titans. Moving forward, defenses will have to choose between him and Henry. This will allow for even more opportunities to score going forward. It isn’t out of the question that Brown could become the elite WR1 for fantasy rosters. One who posts double-digit touchdowns and thousand-yard seasons year after year. It is starting to look more likely than not that he will continue crushing opponents on the field. And on your roster. Although the playoffs last year show a different story, the hope is that he will continue his regular-season pace going forward.
Progressing through his second season, expect more than five 100-yard games as long as Tannehill can continue his efficient pace from 2019. That was when he took over in week six and never gave the job back to Mariota (who is now a part of the Las Vegas Raiders).
Darius Slayton, New York Giants
Darius Slayton‘s production in his rookie season came by way of most offensive weapons for the G-Men missing significant time. Between Barkley, Engram, Shepard, and Tate 22 games were missed due to injury. Now that the offense is returning to full strength, the assumption is that Slayton will no longer lead the team in yards or touchdown receptions since he is only a 5th round selection from a year ago. However, this 2nd-year wide receiver I believe only showed flashes of his potential. With the returning cast, he will only continue to grow with Daniel Jones. The other receiving options do not have the outside WR1 ability that Slayton possesses. Shepard and Tate are proven slot wide receivers. This should give Darius plenty of time on the field at the X position.
While only playing 14 games, Slayton was thrust into the primary receiving role for his team. Daniel Jones in his rookie season was able to make Slayton fantasy relevant in his 1st season. The two should only continue to develop chemistry, pushing Slayton even more into fantasy relevancy. Slayton was able to turn an average of 8.8 yards per target into 15.4 yards per reception. This displayed what he can do once he has the ball in his hands. This offense understands it would be better suited to get Slayton the ball more often going forward.
Coming out of college Slayton was not necessarily all the rage next to the other wide receivers in the 2019 class. However, throughout the season he was able to burst onto the scene and gain some much-deserved recognition. Even Nate Burleson can see this second-year wideout topping 1,000 yards and reaching double-digit touchdowns. The Auburn product landed in the 95th percentile of wide receivers for the combine and catch radius. This only shows Slayton’s game-changing ability. This ability was put on display by his two touchdown catches in three different games last year.
If given a full season with Daniel Jones, who also missed three games last year, Slayton will only improve on his rookie campaign. I fully expect him to breakout for the Giants next year. I think a good comparison for him that should excite fantasy owners is the player who left New York, Odell Beckham. Beckham’s leaving coincidentally gives Slayton his opportunity to shine. Both Odell and Darius are roughly six-foot-tall receivers, with similar catch radius and 40-yard dash results out of college. It isn’t out of the question to think that the organization traded away Odell for a less dramatic pairing for Daniel Jones’ growth.
Conclusion
As the NFL turns towards dynamic offenses that feature aerial attacks of all kinds, we will more than likely see wideouts breaking out earlier than the season before. It used to be that wideouts were not as important as a running back that could handle a heavy workload. Now it is quite obvious a dynamic receiver is worth more than a volume monster halfback. 2nd-year wideouts this season will prove the theory that the NFL is changing rapidly. At this rate, I don’t even feel bold telling you to get out in front of it or that it is happening. But, do your best to grab some of these young wide receiver talents for your dynasty rosters before it is too late. It won’t be long before they’re the players we’re comparing incoming rookies or emerging talents to.
I hope you enjoyed this series. You can read Part 1 of the series (D.K. Metcalf and Terry McLaurin) here and Part 2 (Hunter Renfrow and Marquise Brown) here.
Thanks for reading this article. Feel free to follow me @DFF_MattBull and leave any comments or questions about your team.
