Breakout Players at Each Position July 1st
Every year there’s a handful of players that have their quote, un-quote break out season. Truth is these players don’t really come out of nowhere. Guys generally have a path to set them up to break out, and everyone looks back and says, yeah I see it now…. and wish they would’ve drafted those guys. This year there are several candidates who could end up … breaking out! I’m going to highlight one player at each position that I think will finish in the next tier up of where they are ranked and being drafted!
Quarterback – Trevor Lawrence really started to catch fire the second half of 2022 under the tutelage of first year Jags Coach Doug Pederson. Lawrence improved his completion percentage from 59.6% to 66.3%, raised his yards per attempt from 5.2 to 7.3, and upped his TD total from 12 to 25 and had another five TD. Lawrence finished QB 8 in fantasy scoring in 2022, and the former No. 1 draft pick is still ascending. He is in the top 10 easiest schedules for quarterbacks this season and should flourish in his second year in this offense.
Running back – Last year if you grabbed Rachaad White late in drafts in hopes that Fournette would either go down or just get passed up, you were disappointed to see neither didn’t really happen until late in the season. Going into 2023 with a healthy offensive line and a season under his belt, White will flourish even if the buccaneers are trailing in games. There will be… a lot of balls coming Whites way as he increases his involvement in the team’s passing game. Look for White to catch 75+ balls and push for 1,500+ all purpose yards this season. If he can add double digit TD’s he could win you you’re league as a mid round pick.
Wide Receiver – It has been reported that Traylon Burks is really coming into his own this offseason and a different player than he was a year ago. Burks was one of the top wide receiver prospects in last year’s draft, he’s easily the Titans top option in the passing game in 2023. If he lives up to his potential and stays healthy Burks could stand to put up top 20 wide receiver numbers. He had flashes last year of being a top wide receiver and the Titans haven’t brought in anyone to compete with him for the #1 spot, he should be as much of a target monster as any wideout can in a Tennessee offense.
Tight End – Irv Smith Jr was all the hype in the 2019 draft at tight end coming out of Alabama. Injuries hampered any chance at success for Smith Jr in Minnesota and the Bengals needed a new #1 tight end. Signing with Cincinnati is a great chance for him and his future in the NFL. Cincinnati has seen several tight ends over the past two seasons perform well for fantasy. CJ Uzomah and Hayden Hurst both ended their respective stays with the Bengals as PPR TE2’s. Injuries have hampered Smith’s value over the past several seasons but he could be a breakout candidate if he manages to stay healthy in a Joe Burrow led point getting Bengals offense.
The name of the game here is the pattern of opportunities, look for guys later in drafts that have a really good chance to fill opportunities that either roster moves, offseason moves, or retirement left a void and are therefore left a huge hole of opportunities ready for the taking.
