2016 NFL Predictions: 2nd-Year Players Set to Become Breakout Fantasy Stars

As fantasy football owners get set to draft their teams for the 2016 season, veterans are known commodities and rookies are measured gambles. 

But it’s the second-year players who can be the greatest hidden assets in all of fantasy.

Unlike rookies, there’s empirical NFL-level data out there to be studied for second-year players, but unlike veterans, they won’t be on everyone’s radar. 

Let’s break down some of the players entering their sophomore seasons in the NFL who have major potential to break out and become workhorses for fantasy owners. 

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals’ third-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft, rusher David Johnson is primed to build on an impressive rookie showing for a breakout second year—not only as far as second-year players go but among all running backs in general. 

In 16 games in 2015, Johnson earned five starts and racked up 581 yards on 125 attempts. He added another 457 yards receiving, and in addition to finding the end zone eight times on the ground, he hauled in four receiving touchdowns, as well. 

Though Johnson started out his rookie year with a bang, wowing with a 55-yard touchdown reception in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, it wasn’t until Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson suffered injuries that Arizona gave him meaningful snaps. 

He rewarded the team’s faith in him with his biggest game of the season in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling a whopping 187 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns. 

He averaged 6.4 yards per carry in that game, one of three on the season where he rushed for more than five yards per carry on average. 

If there’s anywhere Johnson can improve in 2016, it’s in ball security. He fumbled four times in 2015 and lost one. …

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