2026 Second-Year Fantasy Football Breakouts: Sophomores Who Could Shine In Year 2

February 19, 2026

John's second-year fantasy football players who could be breakouts for 2026. His top sophomore breakout sleeper candidate picks to exceed expectations in 2026.

The second year of a player's NFL career is the most likely season in which a player will break out. Even if they had a solid rookie season and showed promise, they often take big steps forward after they've had a season of experience under their belts.

They learn a vast amount about how to take care of their bodies, ideal workout routines, how to function in an NFL offense, how to read defenses, and so much more. Even players who disappointed in their first season can turn things around in Year 2.

Sometimes, players were just drafted outside the first round and didn't have a ton of opportunity in their first season, as they were playing behind veterans on the depth chart. Others dealt with injuries, too. Whatever the reason, let's dive into the biggest second-year fantasy football breakout candidates for 2026!

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Jeanty had an excellent season in 2025, especially considering the awful supporting cast around him. The Raiders offensive line didn't play well, their quarterback struggled, and their offensive coaching staff was bad enough to get fired midseason.

Jeanty finished the year with 1,293 yards and 10 total touchdowns -- five rushing and five receiving. He could have had a lot more if his offensive line played well and there had been more space to run. That will change now that the head coach is Klint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks in 2025.

Elite Call from Klint Kubiak

JSN out of the Backfield on Choice Vertical, RB Slow Screen opposite! pic.twitter.com/lWpCxcYCbG

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) February 9, 2026

If Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III's performance in the Super Bowl is any indication, Jeanty will be regularly schemed with wide-open lanes to run through. A new offensive genius of a head coach can completely turn around a running back's career -- just look at Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.

Jeanty is absolutely worth a first-round pick in redraft leagues in 2026. He should absolutely detonate and finish with close to 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns. I anticipate him being a top-5 RB for the season.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Hampton is the other RB from the 2025 rookie class who is set to have a monster season in 2026. The Chargers will get back their full offensive line healthy for the 2026 season. Hopefully, it can stay that way. If it does, I expect Hampton to also clear 2,000 yards from scrimmage (if he doesn't get hurt) and 15 or more touchdowns.

The Chargers also got a massive boost in offensive coaching by hiring Mike McDaniel, the former Miami Dolphins head coach. McDaniel is also an offensive wizard, and probably shouldn't have lost his job. But Miami RB De'Von Achane's loss is Hampton's gain.

Omarion Hampton goes 54 yards for the TD!

LACvsNYG on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/G9X4Jx5KPG

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

Hampton shared touches with his backup, Kimani Vidal, after he returned from the ankle injury that caused him to miss seven games and eight total weeks of action. It might not be a good idea to read into this too much. Hampton fractured his ankle -- it wasn't just a sprain.

So while he did return, he probably won't be 100 percent again until sometime in the offseason. But next year, he should hit the ground running, literally. He was drafted in the first round, so he should be used as a workhorse back. He, along with Jeanty, should finish as a top-5 fantasy RB in 2026, according to my analysis.

Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears

Loveland had a mini-breakout midseason, but his rookie year in the NFL had its trajectory thrown off due to a shoulder injury he suffered in college. He had surgery in the offseason and missed training camp, and was a lot slower to get worked into the offense.

Football analysts who praised his elite route running, massive catch radius, and top-tier body control en route to ranking him as the TE1 of the 2025 NFL Draft class were vindicated when he actually settled into his role and started getting more work in the offense. He showed all those traits and more in his first season.

Show me Kraft making this catch pic.twitter.com/uVyJoOlJ7x

— BenJohnsonFC (@BenJohnsonG0AT) February 1, 2026

Loveland has yet to reach his full potential. He has a long career ahead of him, and the next step starts in his sophomore season, when many good players tend to break out in a big way after promising first years. An elite tight end is the ultimate pass-catching mismatch weapon in the NFL.

Loveland is strong enough to make mincemeat of cornerbacks and far too shifty and quick with his route breaks for linebackers to cover him. Unfortunately, he's in a run-heavy offense with a low-volume passer at quarterback, but TEs score less than QBs, RBs, and WRs anyway.

COLSTON LOVELAND 58 YARDS! WOW! pic.twitter.com/JRZOV8ih3J

— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025

He also doesn't get enough credit for how good he is after the catch. He has legitimate speed and is good about turning upfield quickly and accelerating with little wasted movement. It helps that he can effectively break tackles and has the balance to bounce off tackle attempts when needed.

Sleeper: Jack Bech, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Bech, despite being a second-round pick, was hardly utilized in his first season. I blamed that on the coaching staff. Former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly were horrendous hires, based on the results on the field, at least.

Vegas' offense was completely inept. That will change in a big way with the arrival of new head coach Klint Kubiak. The Albert Einstein of offensive football minds should transform the offense from one that nobody was afraid of into one that's highly productive.

Jack Bech has a ton of nuance to his route running.

Slow release towards the corners outside shoulder, then accelerates on the shallow cross and gets the first down. pic.twitter.com/3KopJ9psL2

— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) December 1, 2025

Bech is an excellent route runner and a beast at the catch point. Kubiak will know how to maximize his skill set. We saw him author easily the best seasons of their careers from WR Rashid Shaheed with the Saints in 2024 and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the Seahawks in 2025.

Both those players deserve credit for their improvement, but the new head coach deserves credit. His schemes are highly creative, and he does a great job getting his players a ton of space to run in despite massive defensive attention to contend with. Bech is a great pick to make in the late rounds in redraft leagues.

He's also a good target to trade for in dynasty leagues. He has a ton of untapped potential, and poor coaching can make even great players look ineffective early in their careers.

Sleeper: Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos

Bryant was not expected to do much in his rookie season by the wider fantasy community. This was due to the presence of WRs Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. already with the team, and Bryant being slept on during his college career despite showcasing a very solid and translatable skill set.

Bryant appeared to be on the upswing midway through his first season, though, before he suffered injuries and started slowing down. Still, he outproduced Mims and was the clear Broncos WR2 when healthy. He had just one game with more than 80 receiving yards, but made a lot of nice plays.

Pat Bryant does so many little things at a high level. Here he recognizes the play breaking down, works back to Bo, and makes a contested grab to convert a first down. pic.twitter.com/PD8knWjBwd

— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) December 2, 2025

Bryant has a great mental understanding of the game, solid route running, good size, and the ability to make contested catches, and is dependable. He's the exact type of player we see break out constantly in their second season. His Year 1 production wasn't impressive, but that doesn't mean he won't improve.

There's very little hype around him, but there should be quite a bit, in my opinion. Sutton is 30 years old and will turn 31 during the 2026 season, and he's struggled with consistency throughout his career. We could see Bryant outproduce Sutton as soon as 2026 or 2027, and the second-year pro could take over the WR1 job.

He can be had for a very reasonable price in dynasty leagues. He's a great player to trade for -- the Broncos have had good quarterback play from Bo Nix and have an elite offensive head coach. Bryant is in a very stable situation with a ton of upside.

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