5 breakout fantasy players to watch for in your draft

One of the most important parts to creating a winning team in fantasy football is being see things that the projections can't. The fact of the matter is that you can't pick every already established and highly projected player in the draft, you've got to understand who's got the best upside and who you won't regret passing up on. In this article we'll go over 5 players coming into this year you should have your eyes on to get some value in your draft.

What makes a breakout?

A breakout player can be spotted through many different factors. In the simplest cases it usually comes from some type of change in their environment, whether it's joining a new team, a new coaching staff, or losing a previously higher priority piece of the offense, there are always many changing circumstances in the league and being able to identify these to your advantage can be one of your greatest tools in a draft.

1. Kenneth walker III, Kansas city chiefs

Walker was one of the most sought after free agents of the offseason after his incredible playoff perfomance with the Seahawks that included him winning MVP of Super Bowl LX. A key part to Walker's success came in the divisional round against the 49ers when backup running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL. A long discussed part of Seattle's offense had been whether they were holding Walker back, especially in the touchdown department due to their usage of Charbonnet and Walker would prove those questions true in later games, putting up 417 scrimmage yards and 4 touchdowns over the following 3 games. After signing with Kansas City, Walker is slated to be the workhorse back and has a ceiling far beyond his projected ADP of RB12.

2. Isaiah likely, new york giants

Despite stats of 307 receiving yards and 1 touchdown not appearing very flattering on paper in 2025, Likely's change of scenery in New York gives him much more intrigue than one may initially believe. It's very likely as well that the Giants' new head coach John Harbaugh, former coach of the Baltimore Ravens and Isaiah Likely, had a say in bringing Likely over in free agency, potentially signaling Harbaugh's intent to get Likely a bigger role in the offense as the top tight end now that he's no longer behind Mark Andrews, putting his ceiling above the ADP of TE12 in this budding Giants offense.

3. Josh downs, indianapolis colts

Josh Downs is entering year 4 now as the WR2 of the Colts with the potential to have a near WR1 role. With the departure of Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers, another receiver who worked mostly in the slot, Downs now becomes the top option in the middle of the field for Daniel Jones, who might be more focused on shorter, quicker throws after losing some power due to an Achilles injury limiting his ability to push the ball downfield. All of these factors contribute to why I believe Downs is set up to outperform his projected ADP at WR46.

4. Bhayshul tuten, jacksonville jaguars

Tuten spent his rookie year backing up former Jaguars first round pick Travis Etienne Jr. However, with Etienne's departure to the Saints over the off season, Tuten now finds himself in a competition with the Jaguars new acquisition Chris Rodriguez Jr. for the top spot in the backfield. Recent reports seem to indicate that neither option has run away with the spot, but will start out in more of a committee back system. However, due to the flashes that Tuten showed last year and his ability to score in short yardage, I believe we will see him move into more of a lead back role and outperform his intitial projections that land his ADP at RB26.

5. Matthew golden, green bay packers

Golden's rookie year was fairly dissapointing, with the first round pick only putting up 361 receiving yards and no touchdowns. However, his breakout game actually seemed to come during the Packers' wild card game against the Chicago Bears, where he posted 84 yards and a touchdown. With the departure of Romeo Doubs, the suspension of Josh Jacobs, and simply more time spent in Matt LaFleur's system, I think the former first round pick is poised to have a much more fruitful season and breeze past his ADP of WR49.

Conclusion

Spotting players like these is key for winning your season at the draft. For instance, having players like Golden or Downs, who project to be taken in later rounds, turning in productive performances week after week does absolute wonders for your team and will be the difference between a winning record or not for you this year.