Let me start by defining what a true breakout candidate is for me. This is someone who come next year, will be drafted much higher than they are going this year. They will be drafted to be a star or starter for your team depending on the round they are currently going in this year. An example of this would be Bucky Irving who last year went in the 15th round of my main league. Thats right, the 15th round. His ADP is now the 2nd round. Others would be Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey to name a few more examples. Here are my 3 Breakout Canidates for this season.
Again, the ADP (Average Draft Position) I am using is gathered from the Sleeper platform.
- Jameson Williams DET (ADP: 61.3) – Jameson Williams had a rather rough start to his career. Coming into the league with a torn ACL and only playing 6 games his rookie year, then followed up by a suspension due to a gambling. Yes, we are going into year four, but head coach Dan Campbell has said this offseason that they are going to unleash Williams. Last year he had over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns. Demanding 91 targets for a guy with breakaway speed and big play ability. 4 of his 8 touchdowns were for 50 plus yards. I believe we have yet to get his best. WIlliams true breakout season is incoming.
- Josh Downs IND (ADP: 105.5) – Another Colt? You better believe it. We just got the news that Daniel Jones is the guy in Indy and I am one of the select few Colts fans that believes this is probably the right decision and we should be extremely happy as fantasy managers. Last season Downs had more targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns than his rookie campaign in 3 fewer games. This is just my opinion; I think Downs is the most talented well-rounded receiver on the team and I love me some MPJ. 107 targets last season that is going in the sometimes-double digit rounds. We will be talking about Downs as the WR1 for the Colts next season.
- Drake Maye NE (ADP: 128.5) – Maye has a rocket of an arm, and he has legs. Imagine that. He rushed for 421 yards last season in 13 games, give him 4 more and another year under his belt and let’s see where that can take him. The Patriots have made major upgrades all over their offense. They upgraded the Line in the NFL Draft, along with RB Henderson. Not to mention the addition of WR veteran Stefon Diggs. Drake Maye will utilize the deep ball more often this year, and his supporting cast and coaching is a huge upgrade. He is going in the 11th round and sometimes the 12th. I believe we will see a very comparable season to Bo Nix and he is a 6th round pick this season. Again, breakout, incoming.