Fantasy football owners worth their salt have begun preparing for draft season, and will be searching high and low for value. Sometimes, that is in the form of second-year players with low average draft position (ADP), because they didn’t do much or live up to expectations as rookies.
Here are five second-year players that should break out, and allow you to load up elsewhere on your roster.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, MIN (ADP: 104 Overall, QB 15)
Bridgewater was underdrafted in the real NFL Draft (32nd overall, behind Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel) and he’s being potentially underdrafted in fantasy. Bridgewater showed the most promise of any rookie QB in the 2014 draft last year, and his supporting cast has improved immensely.
Bridgewater will have Adrian Peterson in his backfield this time around, as well as a brand new No. 1 WR in Mike Wallace. Yes, Wallace is overpaid and somewhat miscast in a lead role, but the receiving corps as a whole with Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson in the mix is very solid. Bridgewater does not have Top 5 upside just yet, but as the 15th quarterback off the board he offers very good value.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, TB (ADP: 143, TE 18)
Seferian-Jenkins is a physical monster, and reports out of Tampa Bay OTAs are that he was “uncoverable.” There are a few factors working in his favor. First, Jameis Winston is almost guaranteed to be a significant upgrade over the QB play the Buccaneers received last season.
Second, Seferian-Jenkins isn’t someone whom defenses can focus on, because of the talent Tampa Bay has at wide receiver. Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson will draw a ton of coverage and safety help, leaving Seferian-Jenkins one-on-one with linebackers.
Third, he’s healthy. This player is going undrafted in many leagues, and he has the upside of a Top 5 tight end. It’s really not out of the realm of possibility for him to finish as high as third at his position.
Carlos Hyde, RB, SF (ADP: 34, RB 16)
Hyde isn’t nearly as low as other names on this list, but he has the upside to become a 2016 first-rounder. Most people are down on San Francisco this year after losing Jim Harbaugh and a slew of players to early retirement, but this was an offensive line that averaged more than four yards per carry per FootballOutsiders.com, and upgraded in a big way athletically with Hyde running instead of Gore.
Doubts about Colin Kaepernick’s ability to lead an an offense with his arm persist, so if he stumbles the running game will be leaned on. Hyde also is lacking serious opposition on the roster. This could be a huge year for Hyde, who was a beast in college and ran well in 2014 when spelling Frank Gore. He was stealing playing time already last year, and although Gore was productive the 49ers had no problem letting him go.
Cody Latimer, WR, DEN (ADP: 152, WR 59)
Latimer did next to nothing last season despite having one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time running the offense he’s in. That’s because he didn’t see the field much; part of that was his own effort and attitude, but part of it was a glut of talent at the position. With Wes Welker in the fold, Emmanuel Sanders was needed to play on the outside, and there was also Julius Thomas to feed at tight end.
Now, both Welker and Thomas are out of the way and Latimer’s path to playing time is clear. Sanders is better suited to a slot role, so Latimer figures to have a line at the job opposite Demaryius Thomas. Eric Decker 2012 numbers (87 catches, 1,288 yards, 11 TDs) are not reasonable, but three-quarters of that is possible. Not bad for a WR barely being drafted in the Top 60 of his position.
Andre Williams, RB, NYG (ADP: 141, RB 49)
Williams is not super talented, and frustrated Giants fans last season with his low yards per carry (3.3). The G-Men trust him as a goal-line back, however, and with their offense showing life late in the season it’s not a stretch to draft Williams with 10 TDs in mind. Shane Vereen has never proven he can be a three-down back, so he’ll be largely used in passing situations.
Rashad Jennings is solid, but unspectacular with his own litany of previous injuries. It’s not hard to see Williams taking over as the lead back relatively quickly, and offering weekly threats for multiple touchdowns. He’s not a big play guy, and he’s not going to top 100 yards very often, but rushing TDs cure a lot of ills.
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