By: OutOfSightSports

9/5/22

7 Fantasy Players who could BREAK OUT going into this NFL Season

In this piece, we are going to look at seven NFL players who are in situations to break out this year and establish themselves as LEGIT fantasy threats if all goes right. Drafting a player in the later rounds who ends up being a pivotal piece of a championship team is about the best feeling there is as a fantasy football manager. This is not from best to worst, it’s just eight promising fantasy players who could break out. With that being said, let’s get to the list.

1.  Dameon Pierce- We are going to start with the only rookie on this list, Dameon Pierce. Pierce was a 5^th round pick of UF who was never really utilized right by former UF coach Dan Mullen, probably the reason he fell in the draft. With that being said, the young RB has established himself of the Texans run game with fantastic preseason outings and by outperforming vet RB Rex Burkhead in camp. Also, we know Marlon Mack was cut somewhat surprisingly. Anyways, the former Gator will probably lead this year’s draft class in touches. He is a HARD, tough, and gritty runner that fights for every inch who could be a huge threat in the red zone and a great fantasy pickup.
2. Tua Tagovailoa- After a weird rookie campaign, the former Alabama product struggled a good bit in his 2^nd season in the league. With that being said, the Dolphins have made it clear he is their guy. They have gone ALL-IN when it comes to surrounding him with talent, trading for speedster Tyreek Hill this offseason, drafting young superstar Jaylen Waddle going into Tagovailoa’s 2^nd year, keeping Mike Gesicki around with a 1-year deal, and upgrading their RB unit with Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert this offseason. I just don’t see any chance that he doesn’t become a more productive quarterback in real life and in fantasy after being surrounded with this level of offensive talent. This also shows the trust the organization has in their QB.
3. Irv Smith Jr- Two years ago, Smith Jr averaged nearly 13 fantasy PPG in games that fellow TE Kyle Rudolph missed during the 2020 season. With those numbers, he would have been TE5 last season. Unfortunately, he didn’t play last season as he missed the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. In his place, Tyler Conklin saw 87 targets in a role that was intended for Smith Jr. Consider adding the young TE to your squad this season if you can get him at the right value.
4. Rashaad Penny- From Week 14 on last season, Penny led RBs in almost every stat. He was first in rushing yards, first in rushing yards over expectation, first in rushing TDs, first in 10+ yard runs, YAC and rushes over 15MPH. Not to mention, being in a run heavy offense that lost their franchise QB is most likely going to result in him getting more carries. He will also most likely be available in the lower rounds because of his durability concerns. I think that injury is the only thing that could stop Penny from breaking out this season.
5. Kadarius Toney- The Giants started rotating Toney in their WR group in Week 4 last season, and it is safe to say it worked. In the following two games, the former Gator was targeted 22 times, recorded 16 grabs and 267 yards. (189 against the Cowboys and Trevon Diggs) An ankle injury and poor QB play derailed his productions, but he showed that he can play at the next level during that period. A breakout is coming.
6. Rashod Bateman- As we know, Marquise Brown was traded to the Cardinals leading a ton of volume up for grabs in Baltimore. The Ravens selected Bateman in the first round of last season and might very well be the best receiver I believe Jackson has ever had. He is a monster at catching 50/50 balls and is a HUGE red-zone threat. Don’t be surprised if he gets well over 100 total targets.
7. Gabriel Davis- Davis has shown he can be a touchdown machine, as we saw him score a whopping 4 touchdowns in the AFC Divisional round last season vs the Chiefs in a game for the ages. He already has 125 career regular season targets and has found the endzone 13 times and an addition five times on 13 targets in the postseason last year. A field-stretcher and a redzone threat, Davis has a chance to be a BIG-TIME fantasy threat in a pass-heavy offense led by an MVP caliber QB in Josh Allen.