8 Fantasy Football Second-Year Breakouts: Sophomore Risers for 2026

May 7, 2026

John's fantasy football breakouts for second-year NFL players. His top 8 sophomore risers, potential sleepers, and draft value picks for 2026 fantasy football leagues.

Timing the breakouts of young players in the NFL for fantasy football is a good way to add value to your rosters in dynasty leagues.

You should at least have your eyes on the right players for redraft for waiver wire pickups or to draft and stash on your bench.

Eight sophomore players in the NFL are worth looking into for the 2026 NFL season -- most of them are likely primed for breakouts. Let's dive into the analysis for all eight options!

Second-Year Breakout Running Backs

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Jeanty's first season in the NFL was disappointing. If you simply look at where he finished, you don't get the whole story. He was held back by a terrible offense, a bad passing attack, a poor offensive line, and an offensive coaching staff that was in jobs they never should have had in the first place, if the results are any indication.

Jeanty made the most of it and had some excellent games, but there were too many duds to have made him worth drafting at his ADP. This year, things should be different, as the Raiders made an effort to bolster the interior of the offensive line by signing one of the best centers in the league, Tyler Linderbaum.

Why the Raiders made Tyler Linderbaum their number one target pic.twitter.com/7lshWcvSip

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 12, 2026

Jeanty made plenty of highlight-reel plays, but there were far too many instances of him getting splattered at the offensive line by opposing defenders. He held up well, thankfully, and this year, he should have more space to work and make it to the second level.

Vegas' new head coach is an elite offensive coordinator and should immediately turn them into a respectable offense. The rushing production is likely to be impressive, according to my analysis, and Jeanty should get plenty of work in the passing game as well.

He'll be a workhorse back. My analysis predicts that he has a solid chance at finishing as the RB1 overall in fantasy football leagues in 2026. Klint Kubiak was able to turn around the Saints offense in 2024 and the Seahawks offense in 2025 when the rosters were healthy enough to be competitive.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Hampton already broke out in 2025, when he had a few big games, punctuated by a long, explosive rushing touchdown against the New York Giants. But he cooled off after his ankle injury -- which was quite severe. Missing eight weeks makes it hard to produce much, and injuries that severe often aren't conducive to quick, full recoveries.

Hampton should be back to 100 percent. What he did last year was impressive, considering he was playing behind an offensive line decimated by injuries and in a scheme run by a now-fired offensive coordinator. This season, the Chargers will have Mike McDaniel, one of the most creative offensive minds in football, running the show.

Happy 23rd Birthday to Omarion Hampton 🎉🎊🎁🎈⚡️ pic.twitter.com/hFz04oAPr6

— BoltzGalaxy⚡️🪐 (@boltzgalaxy) March 16, 2026

At just 23 years old, Hampton is clearly entering his prime and will benefit from the far better blocking schemes that McDaniel implements. The Chargers should have a healthier offensive line, injury gods willing. My analysis indicates a healthy Hampton, regardless of the competition, should put up a top-4 RB season this year in PPR fantasy football.

Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Tuten didn't have a great rookie season. When he wasn't struggling through a shoulder injury that limited his touches and practices for several weeks, he was languishing on the roster behind lead back Travis Etienne Jr. Many analysts, myself included, jumped the gun in proclaiming him the starting running back for the Jaguars.

Etienne is gone now, and in his place, the Jags signed RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. The former Washington Commander has bounced around rosters in the NFL and hasn't been able to secure a long-term extension with a team yet. He was good at picking up yards over expectation in 2025, but his game has many limitations.

Bhayshul Tuten's got the juice pic.twitter.com/tsymiJw72h

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 17, 2025

Tuten has elite speed, and while he's unlikely to get a major passing down role thanks to the presence of quality pass-blocker LeQuint Allen Jr., he has a chance to carve out a bigger rushing role this season. He's a great pick to make in Best Ball formats, where big plays and spike performances matter a lot more.

In dynasty fantasy football, his value is a bit murkier. The signing of Rodriguez could siphon touches away from him, though that's not for certain. But he's a solid buy-low candidate after his disappointing first year in the league. Those who drafted him in rookie drafts may have already given up on him.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns 

The Browns will probably still have a bad offense. But at least they're under good offensive direction now, we hope, with new head coach Todd Monken. Monken was the architect of one of the league's best rushing attacks over the past two seasons, though we have to credit Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry for a large part of that.

Judkins should be mostly healthy to start the 2026 NFL season, though, and he had good draft capital and doesn't have a ton of competition in his backfield. Fellow sophomore RB Dylan Sampson should handle pass-catching work while Judkins gets around 18-20 touches per game.

Second-Year Breakout Quarterbacks

Cam Ward, QB, Tennessee Titans 

The Titans made an upgrade on their offensive coaching staff, firing their former head coach, Brian Callahan, and hiring Brian Daboll as their new OC. While Daboll was a controversial figure with the New York Giants, he's likely a better offensive coordinator than he is a head coach.

For Ward, that's a good thing. He'll have an experienced and well-regarded "whisperer" to help him get on the right track in his development. Ward showed flashes in his rookie season, but he was thrust directly into a horrible situation. He had bad coaching, a bad offensive line, and one of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL.

I like to tell myself Cam Ward’s rookie season went just like Patrick Mahomes’s would’ve if he didn’t sit but with DeAnthony Thomas & Jehu Chesson as his top 2 WRs pic.twitter.com/iNcw7LuDkF

— RBT (@SamuelBrownRBT) April 12, 2026

Ward isn't immune to bad decisions, but things should improve further with the addition of wide receiver Carnell Tate, the highly talented Ohio State product. Tate is a shifty route-runner and was dominant at the catch point last season. Ward needed a true No. 1 target, and now he has one.

There will be plenty of growing pains. We may not see a true Ward breakout until they add more high draft picks or splash free agent signings at wideout. Former Giants slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson is a decent signing, but he's unlikely to make a huge difference.

We should see at least an improved Ward this season, though. Last year, he was essentially not startable in fantasy football leagues thanks to having zero help around him.

Second-Year Breakout Wide Receivers

Luther Burden III, WR, Chicago Bears

Burden already broke out to a degree. But this season, he should get more playing time on the outside opposite WR Rome Odunze and in the slot. Burden, Odunze, and tight end Colston Loveland will be the clear top-3 pass-catchers for the Bears in 2026, considering their draft capital and talent.

Burden is a demon after the catch and has developed nicely as a route runner. Odunze's drop in production last season was likely in large part due to his heel injury, so he should be better this season, and he and Loveland present serious target competition, but Burden was highly efficient with his opportunities in 2025.

Caleb goes to Luther Burden for 37-yard gain!

CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/84ZTm8DZ8T

— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025

In his sophomore campaign, he should be more consistent, and a lot of explosive plays are in his near future.

Jack Bech, WR, Las Vegas Raiders 

Bech had a miserable rookie year. Most players on the Raiders didn't have much offensive production, other than tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty, thanks to their talent and overall volume. Both of them had plenty of disappointing fantasy performances, though.

Bech just wasn't involved much in the offense. Even after the team traded away their top WR, Jakobi Meyers, in the middle of the season, Bech didn't step into a full-time role. The last offensive coaching staff didn't have much of a clue what to do with the players on their roster, though.

Jack Bech runs a great route here at the top on this INT. He was wide open.

If Geno Smith takes one hitch here instead of 2, I think he avoids it getting tipped. pic.twitter.com/wmKjbeEOU9

— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) October 6, 2025

The quarterback play there wasn't very strong, either. The Raiders used their first overall pick in the 2026 draft on QB Fernando Mendoza, though, and he should help them improve at the position. Even if he doesn't start right away, veteran Kirk Cousins still has some left in the tank.

Both are likely steps up over Smith, who is likely on his way out of the league, albeit gradually. Raiders head coach Kubiak is one of the league's best offensive coaches, and he should find a way to get Bech the ball as he deserves. In dynasty leagues, Bech is a nice buy-low candidate.

It might take a year or two for him to truly break out in redraft leagues.

Matthew Golden********, WR, Green Bay Packers

There are a lot of asterisks after his name because he was a player I was low on coming out of college. He had a vast swath of screaming, flashing warning signals that were largely ignored thanks to his fast 40-yard dash time and a few big games in college. But he was effectively the WR2, or at best WR1B, behind Isaiah Bond at Texas.

Bond wasn't productive in his first season in the NFL. He's not a great prospect. Golden isn't either -- he struggles against press coverage and doesn't have much of a release package. He has to be schemed open from the line of scrimmage. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur does a great job of that, though.

WHAT A TIME FOR MATTHEW GOLDEN'S FIRST TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON

GBvsCHI on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/s0j2j3XGKC

— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2026

The Packers aren't known for their ability to draft receivers. Golden was a weird fit because, like fellow Packers WR Jayden Reed, he has a degree of needing to get manufactured touches, and there are only so many of those to go around. He should have a better season this year than last, though, at least.

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