·      Dolphins – Chase Edmonds (Running Back)

          A common theme for this article will be guys going into their fifth season on a new team after not resigning with the team that drafted them.  Chase Edmonds fits that bill.  He spent most of his career in Arizona having to split carries with Kenyan Drake or James Connor.  However, when he did get his opportunities, he took advantage of them. The knock on him last year was his lack of touchdowns, but if you watched the Cardinals, you would’ve seen that he would often get them in position to score just to be vultured by James Connor.  While he’ll likely still have to split carries in Miami, it seems like the Dolphins signed him to be the guy.  He currently shares a backfield in Miami with Raheem Mostert, Sony Michel, and Myles Gaskin.  In my opinion his biggest competition is Mostert, but as we know, he can’t stay on the field.  Even if he does, there will be plenty of touches to go around.  New Head Coach Mike McDaniel is going to bring the Shanahan running game to Miami and backs THRIVE in that system.  So, if Chase Edmonds is running back one in Miami, look for him to explode this year.

·      Jets – Elijah Moore (Wide Receiver)

          If we were choosing quarterbacks on this list, this decision would’ve been more difficult.  However, even though we aren’t using QBs, Elijah Moore’s success will be directly correlated with Zach Wilson’s.  Although, Moore had a very solid rookie year even with Wilson being an average to below average player.  In just 11 games last year, Moore had 43 receptions for 538 yards and 5 touchdowns.  That’s an efficient like right there, and he also had a few carries to go with that.  According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, “Elijah Moore has established himself as the Jets No. 1 Wide Receiver.”  His only real competition is rookie receiver Garrett Wilson but having a good running mate should be to Moore’s benefit.  Look for Wilson to attract attention on the outside and free up more looks for Elijah Moore out of the slot.  If he stays healthy, Moore will be in line for the second-year receiver jump.

AFC North

·      Bengals – Chris Evans (Running Back)

          The Bengals were one of the toughest teams to choose a breakout player from.  Chase and Burrow had monster season last year.  Trey Hendrickson also proved he was worth the big-time money the Bengals paid him.  Their young players all had incredible seasons last year, which is why they ended up in the Super Bowl.  With that said, there is one player I think will have an increased role this season and will start to make a name for himself.  That player is 2^nd year running back Chris Evans. The Bengals already have a great running back in Joe Mixon, and Samaje Perine is a solid number 2.  But I truly believe that Evans takes the RB2 spot from Perine this season.  What the Bengals need is a good 3^rddown back, and I think that’s where Chris Evans will do most of his work.  He didn’t have much production last year, but the production he did have came in the passing game.  Evans had 15 receptions for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns. An efficient stat line.  Do you remember what Gio Bernard was for the Bengals? I think we see Chris Evans take that kind of leap this season.

·      Steelers – Pat Freiermuth (Tight End)

          Muuuuuuuth! Am I right?? After about week 7 in his rookie season last year, Freiermuth started to see around 70% of offensive snaps. I expect his snap percentage to be even greater in his second season from day 1.  That’s not exactly a hot take, but I mention it because that’s really all he needs to become a household name.  Just be on the field.  Because when he’s on the field, he is one hell of a tight end.  Muth knows how to find the end zone, scoring 7 TDs in his first season.  He will be the featured tight end in that offense from here on out which means his targets will only increase.  I believe the FLOOR, if he stays healthy, is 650 yards and 9 touchdowns.  That stat line last year would have been good enough to be 12^th at the tight end position in yardage and tied for 1st in touchdowns.  Look for Freiermuth to establish himself as a top 10 tight end in the league.

·      Browns – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Linebacker)

          J.O.K… The Joker.  JOK is one of these new breeds of linebackers that can do everything.  One of these guys that can play that joker role, hence the nickname.  He can fill a gap and make tackles.  He can rush the quarter back.  He can cover guys out of the slot or the backfield.  He’s a little undersized for a linebacker, but it doesn’t matter.  He ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, so he has the speed to get to anywhere on the field in a hurry.  In just 14 games and in a somewhat limited role, he had a total of 76 combined tackles, 4 passes deflected, 2 forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks. Cleveland will make sure JOK is always on the field this season, and with his speed and athleticism, he’ll be a player that jumps off fan’s tv screens.  He’ll be on everyone’s radar by the midway point of the season. 

·      Ravens – JK Dobbins (Running Back)

          We last saw Dobbins in the 2020 playoffs.  Since then, injuries have kept him off the field.  In his rookie season, he quickly put everyone on notice.  In week 7 of that season, his snap count jumped to 66%, and he had a fantastic performance with 15 carries for 113 yards.  From that point on, he was solidified as the Raven’s best back.  His snaps increased along with his touches, but his efficiency remained the same.  Impressive to say the least.  Going into last season, he was a player that everyone was excited about, but as I mentioned, injuries drowned out that excitement.  But this year, he’s back and undoubtedly the number one running back in Baltimore.  Everyone knows how much backs benefit in that system alongside Lamar Jackson, and it’s Dobbins’s turn to shine.  He has all the talent in the world.  If he stays on the field, he’ll be a 1000 yard back with double digit touchdowns.  With ease. 

AFC South

·      Titans – Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Wide Receiver)

           Another tough team to choose from.  The Titans have a young secondary loaded with talent.  A few of which could’ve made this list.  But we’re going to stick to the offensive side of the ball, because after trading Pro-Bowl receiver AJ Brown, Tennessee has a huge void to fill.  Sure, they drafted Treylon Burks in the first round to fill the hole Brown left behind.  But remember, no rookies on this list.  Brown leaves behind 105 targets. NWI has already proven he can play in this league after nearly eclipsing 500 yards and averaging 12.5 yards per catch last season.  With Burks opposite of him and drawing a lot of attention, I think NWI will take advantage of teams’ second cornerbacks and make a name for himself this year. 

·      Colts – Michael Pittman (Wide Receiver)

          This one was an easy choice for me.  Anyone who plays fantasy football knows what Michael Pittman did last season.  You could argue that last season was his breakout year, but I’d argue that he was just getting his feet wet.  Last year, Pittman nearly doubled his production from his rookie season.  I fully expect the third year wideout to have, by far, the best year of his career this reason for a couple reasons.  The main reason being that he finally has a great quarterback to work with in Matt Ryan.  In his rookie season, he had the corpse of Phillip Rivers, and last season he dealt with everything that comes along with Carson Wentz.  The only thing holding Pittman back from putting up monster numbers has been consistency, but inconsistent quarterback play leads to inconsistency at the receiver position.  This season, I expect Matt Ryan to force feed the 6 ft 4 Pittman leading to a monster performance in his third season. 

·      Texans – Brevin Jordan (Tight End)

           Alright, first things first, I’ll admit there may be a little bit of bias behind this choice being that I am a Miami Hurricane fan.  However, I think my prolonged exposure to the second-year tight end makes me more aware of his talent than most.  At one point during Jordan’s sophomore season at Miami, it was believed that he’d be a first-round pick after his junior year.  Athletically, he stood out at the tight end position in college.  In his junior season, Jordan racked 38 receptions for 576yards and 7 touchdowns.  Now those stats may not jump off the page, but keep in mind that Miami ran a very run-heavy offense.  The knock-on Brevin Jordan was always his health, and that ultimately led to him falling to the fifth round and the Texans last year.  He spent the first half of last year being inactive for the Texans before making his debut in week 8 in which he had 3 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.  Jordan is big, strong, and fast and a unique athlete at that position, and it’s led to him being an early producer in training camp this season.  He seems to be becoming a favorite target of quarterback Davis Mills.  I have a theory that young quarterbacks like to target their tight ends, and I believe that will be the case with Mills and Jordan.  Look for their connection to blossom throughout the year. I fully believe that Brevin Jordan will be a name everyone knows at the tight end position by year’s end.

·      Jaguars – Travis Etienne (Running Back)

          Travis Etienne is by no means a name that flies under the radar.  The Louisiana native was a first-round pick for the Jags last year after a stellar career at Clemson.  He drew comparisons to Alvin Kamara for his versatility which led to a lot of excitement about his rookie year.  However, a Lisfranc injury ended his rookie season before it even got off the ground.  It was probably best for him considering the disaster that was the Jacksonville Jaguars last year under Urban Meyer, but that’s a discussion for another time.  This season, Etienne is healthy and ready to roll in new head coach Doug Pederson’s offense.  He won’t have the burden of carrying the entire workload out of the backfield.  I’d imagine his backfield mate James Robinson will do most of the heavy lifting there, but that should free up Etienne to showcase his other abilities in the passing game.  Let’s go back to that Kamara comparison.  Remember Kamara’s rookie season where Mark Ingram did most of the heavy lifting, and Kamara would efficiently have huge performances out of the backfield and in the passing game? Expect something similar from Robinson and Etienne.  They could establish themselves as one of the top duos in the league, and Etienne could prove to be the number one guy in that duo come January.

AFC West

·      Chiefs – Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Wide Receiver)

          MVS had his moments in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, but he was often overshadowed by Devante Adams, and he would tend to get lost in the mix with the other handful of receivers the Packers would put on the field.  Sometimes, talent isn’t enough to make a name for yourself in the NFL.  You need the right system and the right role.  MVS is a fantastic deep threat.  He’s now in a system with one of the best deep ball throwers the league has ever seen in Patrick Mahomes.  On top of that, the Chiefs lost their number one receiver and best deep threat when they traded Tyreek Hill to Miami.  So, we have a talented receiver stepping into a system in need of a player with his skill set.  Not too mention, his biggest competition for targets at the position will be Juju Smith-Schuster who has underperformed in recent years.  Sure, Travis Kelce will still demand a lot of targets.  I also don’t see MVS running the gadget plays that Hill ran as that duty probably transfers to Mecole Hardman.  But I think he will still be able to get open in this offense a produce a ton of big plays that will make him stand out and jump off the screen.

·      Raiders – Divine Deablo (Linebacker) 

          We are starting to see an increasing number of freakish athletes at the tight end position across the NFL.  To counteract that, teams are looking for linebackers that can play more of a hybrid role.  Guys that are big and strong enough to stop the run, but also fast enough to cover these freakish tight ends and running backs out of the slot.  Look no further than 2^nd year linebacker, Divine Deablo.  He stands out on a field as much as his name stands out on paper.  The 6ft 3in 226 lb. Deablo also runs a 4.42 forty-yard dash. Big and strong? Check.  Fast? Check.  He didn’t see the field much for the Raiders until week 12 last year, but once he got on the field, he made it known that he belongs there.  Between weeks 12 and 17, Deablo recorded 26 solo tackles and 41 combined tackles.  This kid is good.  A common theme in this article has been talented guys who, with more playing time, will burst onto the scene.  It’s really that simple when it comes to Deablo.  If the Raiders were smart, they’d plug him in to the starting lineup and never look back.  Let him be the beast that he is and enjoy the outcome.

·      Chargers – Asante Samuel Jr. (Cornerback)

          As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  That certainly applies to Asante Samuel Jr.  It feels like just yesterday we were watching his dad be a stud cornerback for the Eagles.  What can I say? We’re getting old.  Anyways, it didn’t take long for Jr. to prove that he too can play at a high level in this league.  I, for one, was slightly confused that he wasn’t drafted higher last year after how well he played for Florida State.  I figured with his college production and pedigree, he’d be drafted higher.  However, it benefited him as he fell to a team that is loaded with talent.  Especially on the defensive side of the ball.  A great pass rush is extremely beneficial to the cornerback position, and the Chargers have an argument that they have the best pass rush duo in the league with Bosa and Mack.  Last season, Samuel allowed a completion percentage of 62.1% and a QB rating of 96.8 while recording 2 interceptions.  That is solid production from a rookie CB adjusting the side and speed of NFL wide receivers.  That stat line is on par with Saints’ Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore’s rookie season in which he won defensive rookie of the year.  I think Asante takes a similar path as Lattimore and establishes himself as one of the top young cornerbacks in the league.

·      Broncos – Javonte Williams (Running back)

          Last but certainly not least, the second-year bruiser out of the Denver Bronco’s backfield.  Williams’s put his speed and power on display often last season as he paired with Melvin Gordon to create one of the scariest backfields in the NFL.  Now, both Williams and Gordon often would face loaded boxes from defenses considering the Broncos’ quarterback situation.  Teams didn’t exactly fear Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater, yet Javonte Williams still nearly produced a 1000-yard season.  The days of loaded boxes are over with the addition of Russell Wilson.  Having one of the all-time greats at the quarterback position should open more running lanes for Williams, although he’s already proven that it doesn’t matter how many defenders are in his way.  At the beginning of last year, Gordon entered the season as the lead back, but the two backs had about as close to a 50-50 split in snaps as you’ll see.  I think this year this is Javonte’s backfield.  I still expect Gordon to have a large role, but after seeing the energy that Williams brings with powerful highlight runs, I believe the Broncos will put the ball in his hands as much as possible.  I think he breaks that 1000-yard threshold and doubles the 4 rushing touchdowns he had last season.  He’s just as much of a threat in the receiving game where he had 46 catches and 3 touchdowns; however, I don’t see his receiving stats taking a major leap, because that is where Gordon excels.  At the end of the day, I think Williams’s leap in rushing production could be enough to gain him Pro-Bowl honors at the end of the year.