A wide receiver breaking out can win you a fantasy football championship. These breakout types of players are being drafted in the later rounds of fantasy football leagues. An example of a breakout wide receiver in year two is DK Metcalf. After his rookie season, he finished as the WR41 on a ppg basis. Then, in his second year, he exploded onto the scene with a WR10 finish on a ppg basis.
The breakout players are there. Now, here is the time for my big shiny bald head to steer fantasy managers in the correct direction. There are three second-year wide receiver breakouts I am looking at with a path to be on a heavy pass-first offense.
Secon-Year Wide Receiver Breakouts
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR46, ADp 106.6
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was said to be the best wide receiver out of Ohio State. Those are words from former teammates Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. His rookie year production did not live up to expectations as he mustered up just 8.8 ppg with a WR56 finish. Smith-Njigba ranked poorly in stats such as ADOT, YPRR, YPC, target share, and many others.
The bright side was his target separation which ranked sixth amongst all wide receivers. Also, Ryan Grubb, the former offensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies, is the new offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the same Ryan Grubb who orchestrated the high-powered Huskies offense with Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillian, and Michael Penix. With another year of Tyler Lockett aging, I like Jaxon Smith-Njigba to become the Seahawks’ WR2 with WR1 upside. Lockett had produced seasons of WR12, WR17, and WR16 in ppg before dipping to WR37 last season.
Jayden Reed, WR35, ADP 83.0
To begin with, they call him the baby Deebo Samuel. Jayden Reed finished as the WR26 in PPG last season. With eight touchdowns, consensus says that he will see a regression in that department. I believe he is the playmaker for the Green Bay Packers as Samuel is for the San Francisco 49ers. Just like Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur is a play-calling guru. Reed even saw a handful of rushes that led him to score twice in that fashion. As a rookie, Reed saw ten touchdowns which ranked him FIFTH. Furthermore, Reed also saw himself with a 0.56 FPPRR (fantasy points per route run) which ranked him eighth. Then, he also saw 2.31 FPPT (fantasy points per target). All of this as a rookie is impressive and yet, he is being drafted as the WR35. When a wide receiver can get the ball in his hands and create on his own, it is special. Jayden Reed is special and it would be foolish to not draft him in 2024.
Tank Dell, WR29, ADP 63.6
Tank Dell was on his way to breaking out before he broke his leg, no pun intended. Dell went bonkers, starting his rookie season with 20-point games in two of the first three weeks of 2023. CJ Stroud was on his way to supporting two WR1s in fantasy football, but Dell dealt with injuries throughout the season and capped it off with a fibula break in Week 13. Now, the Texans added another wide receiver Stefon Diggs to an already stacked receiver room.
With another star receiver for defenses to worry about, Dell has a shot to replicate his rookie year and more. There is a high chance that CJ Stroud will be an MVP candidate and support three fantasy-relevant wide receivers in 2024. Undoubtedly, Tank Dell can easily be the WR1 to CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. In the first 12 weeks of last season, Dell averaged 16.5 ppg to Nico Collins’ 16 as well 165 total points for Dell to 160 for Collins. Dell was top 12 in FPPRR and FPPT and 14th in YPRR. Do not hesitate to draft Tank Dell in 2024.
Which second-year wide receiver breakouts are you targeting this year? Drop some names in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.