In Need of an Encore | Second-Year Players to BUY Before Camp

by Jonathan Lange · Featured
Second-Year Players in Dynasty

Development is essential for NFL players to reach their full potential. For example, the tight end position is often cited as one that takes time to develop. Not long ago, the third year for wide receivers was seen as a potential “breakthrough” year.

With that individual development in mind, I’ve identified several second-year players in camp you should be targeting who can boost your fantasy squads this Fall, starting with WR1 in Tampa Bay.

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“For My Next Trick…”

Emeka Egbuka | WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Emeka Egbuka is already a top-20 dynasty wide receiver, but I anticipate he’ll make a jump in Year 2. Egbuka started his rookie season scorching hot, finishing as a top-12 fantasy receiver three times over the first five weeks. A hamstring strain in Week 6 threw cold water on his hot start, and Egbuka had only one top-12 finish as a receiver for the rest of the season. Egbuka somehow finished with the second-highest fantasy points per route run (0.38) on the team — despite playing at less than 100 percent.

This season, the Bucs will be without veteran receiver Mike Evans (SF) and have added third-round rookie Ted Hurst. Chris Godwin will get his share, but how long can he stay on the field?

New offensive coordinator Zak Robinson (ATL) has compared Egbuka to Cooper Kupp, whom Robinson coached during Kupp’s historic 2021 season, when he won the receiving Triple Crown. Egbuka has always been stuck with outstanding pass catchers such as Jeremiah Smith and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Ohio State, and then Evans. Now he’s the top option on his team and has a real chance to be a league-winner.

Ashton Jeanty | RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Of all the second-year players in the NFL, Ashton Jeanty may be the player I’m most excited to see on the field again. Billed as a “Pro-Bowl talent” by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, Jeanty was a can’t-miss prospect who had a tumultuous first season.

In Jeanty’s defense, many factors were going against his success as a rookie. The Raiders’ 2025 season was forgettable, with a coaching staff that had already retired mentally and an offensive line that finished dead last in Run-Block Win Rate at 62%. Despite the circumstances, Jeanty still finished as a high-end RB2, averaging 14 FPPG.

He now has a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, one of the rising offensive minds in the NFL. More importantly, the Raiders also bolstered the offensive line by adding All-Pro Tyler Linderbaum (BAL). If Jeanty was able to produce average numbers in a dysfunctional offense, he should be capable of producing above-average numbers in a functional one.

Cam Skattebo | RB, New York Giants

Cam Skattebo had an eerily similar first year to Egbuka’s, with a strong start until an injury derailed everything. Unfortunately for Skattebo, his injury was much more serious. A broken tibia with a right ankle dislocation shelved him from Week 9 through the remainder of the season.

New head coach John Harbaugh (BAL) has committed to a physical run game, and further strengthened that commitment by drafting Francis Mauigoa in the first round of the draft. Fullback Patrick Ricard, who specializes in run blocking efficiency, has also arrived in New York with Harbaugh.

Skattebo only has Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary to worry about stealing carries, which should be a non-issue. All signs point to the Arizona St. alum having a strong season; the only doubt is whether he will be fully healed from that devastating injury in 2025. Even then, he will be a hot topic as a “buy low” in the season because of his talent.

The Grand Finale

Ricky Pearsall | WR, San Francisco 49ers

Ricky Pearsall is another case of an injury ruining a rookie season. Firstly, he was shot in the chest in late August. Additionally, Pearsall sustained a PCL injury during his Week 4 matchup against Jacksonville. He went on to miss six games, but even after his return, he was never at full strength, as evidenced by his snap share eclipsing 80% only twice.

Before the injuries, he had three full games at the beginning of the season, averaging eight targets and over 100 air yards in each game. Pearsall was heavily involved when he was at full health, but the PCL injury that he suffered is an injury that can be tricky to manage and fully recover from. Despite the injuries, he finished fifth in yards per route run (YPRR) last season.

Now fully healthy, Pearsall looks to pick up where he left off at the start of his rookie season.

Tyler Warren | TE, Indianapolis Colts

The Colts offense took a big step forward in 2025, and they will need to rely even more on Tyler Warren to keep that momentum going. Warren had an outstanding rookie year after leading the Colts in targets last season. The departure of Michael Pittman (PIT) will lead to even more looks for Warren’s second season.

While Daniel Jones appears healthy heading into 2026, I expect to see more of Warren taking snaps at quarterback, as he did at Penn State. The Colts would be wise to protect Jones coming off the Achilles injury. Not only is there an argument for using Warren more to protect Jones, but Jonathan Taylor also had 18 rushing touchdowns, a number that is sure to regress.

While other second-year tight ends like Colston Loveland (CHI) and Terrance Ferguson (LAR) are getting attention, Warren offers unique upside that has received little discussion this offseason. I’m expecting another season in which Warren leads the team in targets and delivers more fantasy-point production from the running game as a versatile tight end.

Bhayshul Tuten | RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Bhayshul Tuten didn’t show much in his rookie season, with only one game over 30% snap share. Still, when he was on the field, he made an impression. Tuten was already generating plenty of excitement coming out of Virginia Tech. But landing in a sweet spot like Jacksonville, well, that amps up the excitement even more.

Tuten never got much work while the team leaned on Travis Etienne; however, Etienne is in New Orleans now, and the Jags brought in Chris Rodriguez (WAS) to help carry the load. The drumbeat from Duval has been entirely positive for Tuten, and Rodriguez is currently recovering from foot surgery. This situation is eerily similar to Chase Brown before he broke out in his second year in Cincinnati.


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