4 Sophomore Breakout Candidates

Dynasty managers have become impatient. I get it. Last season Jayden Daniels finished as QB5, Bo Nix was QB7, Buck Irving was RB13, Tyrone Tracy was RB26, Brian Thomas was WR4, Malik Nabers was WR6, Laddy McConkey was WR13 and of course Brock Bowers was TE1. The standard approach now is to drop rookies who do not hit like Andy drops Woody in Toy Story 2.

When consensus moves in one direction, that creates value. There are four sophomores who I am adding exposure to this offseason.

Keon Coleman was always going to be a slow burn. If you drafted him you should have known you were taking on a multi-year investment. His athleticism, speed and contested catch ability provide a big fantasy football ceiling. His 2024 scouting report noted that he needed time to develop as a route runner, concentration in traffic and to adapt to a stronger set of defensive backs.

The former basketball player and Florida State standout caught just 29 of his 57 targets as a rookie. The good news? He averaged 19.2 yards/reception. Coleman did see at least 5 targets in 6 games last season and scored in 3 of those games. He was force fed 17 targets in Weeks 17 and 18 last season-the Bills want him involved.

Coleman finished as WR67 in 0.5 ppr last season. He projects as a WR48 in my 2025 seasonal projections. He closes the gap by increasing his catch% just to 59% and finding the endzone a couple more times. Buffalo appears committed to distributing the ball so Coleman should see at least 80 targets.

Coleman cost an early second round pick in 2024. DLF start-up ADP from June has Coleman going behind late 2025 second round picks Jack Bech and Tre Harris.

Sanders quietly had a successful rookie reason. He caught 33 of his 43 targets for 342 yards. Touchdowns are always the limiter for rookie tight ends. Sanders found the endzone just once in 2024.

The Panthers invested a top 10 pick in rookie Tetairoa McMillan, who should see 110+ targets this season. Beyond that, they did little to add to the passing game. Bryce Young should be looking towards Sanders as his safety blanket in a critical year for him and the Panthers organization.

Sanders finished as TE36 in 0.5 ppr last season. He projects as TE22 in my 2025 seasonal projections. I expect his targets to increase by 25 and his reception% to hold around 77%. The key jump will come with touchdowns. If he finds the endzone 4 times he will make an impact in fantasy lineups.

Time for some quick math-how do you add to 100% exposure? I am only kidding-kind of. My rookie evaluation for Braelon Allen gushed about his strength, contact balance, vision and explosion for his size. He also entered the league young-he will play the 2025 season as a 21 year old.

Allen rushed for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns on 92 carries as a rookie. He also caught 19 of his 27 targets for 148 yards and 1 touchdown. Last season the Jets had 607 passing attempts and 363 rushing attempts. I expect that split to change dramatically under new head coach Aaron Glenn and Justin Fields. The Jets should lean run-heavy.

Braelon Allen finished as RB43 in 0.5ppr last season. He projects as RB34 in my 2025 seasonal projections. Allen can hit that mark just by maintaining his 25% rushing share and increasing his targets slightly. You do not have to fade Breece Hall to like Braelon Allen-both players can be top 36 fantasy scorers.

McCarthy does not quite fit in with the rest of the players on list this. A preseason injury took away his true rookie season. He also is not flying under the radar. Still, it is worth discussing the expected impact of the member of the 2024 rookie class who steps into the best offensive situation this year.

McCarthy was my post-draft QB2 in the 2024 class, and I loved Jayden Daniels' evaluation. My report for McCarthy focused on his excellent mechanical foundation, subtle athleticism, arm talent and excellent decision making. It does not hurt that he landed in a perfect scheme with a creative play caller and a trio of high-end weapons to throw to.

When I slide rookies into my projections sheet I use historical data on rookie quarterback performance and compare that to the individual player's skillset along with the offense he slots into. I tend to project rookie quarterbacks conservatively-it can take time for them to ramp up. I followed that process with McCarthy this season and it landed him as QB16.

That projection slots him just behind Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert, just in front of Cam Ward and Brock Purdy. It is based off a 66% completion rate on 530 passing attempts (slightly less than Sam Darnold threw last season). The key here is a conservative 24 passing touchdowns to 8 interceptions. I am confident McCarthy will have a strong TD:INT ratio for a rookie but he could blow past 24 touchdowns easily. His projection has him rushing 64 times for 418 yards and 3 touchdowns. His athleticism could help him surpass this mark as well.