5 Third Year Breakout Candidates for Fantasy Football (2024)

For years, we have seen wide receivers make the classic year-three breakout. Notably, for fantasy football purposes. Just last year, we saw Nico Collins emerge from relative obscurity to emerge as the WR12 in an out-of-left field breakout campaign. While typically reserved for wide receivers, seeing other positions break out in year three is not unheard of.

It’s never too early to plan for the upcoming fantasy football season. One of the best ways to get a jump on your league mates is correctly identifying which players are set up for third-year breakout seasons. Nailing a breakout pick can lead to you hoisting your league’s championship belt in the air as you look down upon your league mates.

5 Third Year Breakout Candidates for Fantasy Football

In the dynamic landscape of fantasy football, identifying breakout candidates is crucial for building a championship-caliber roster. In this comprehensive analysis, we’ll explore five third-year players poised to make a significant leap in production and fantasy value in the upcoming season. Whether you’re a seasoned fantasy manager or new to the game, join us as we delve into the potential breakout stars who could lead your team to glory in 2024.

Make sure you follow Faceoff Sports Network on X (@FFFaceoff) and bookmark FFFaceoff.com for all of your fantasy football and sports betting needs. With that said, let’s examine five potential third-year breakout players for the 2024 NFL and fantasy football season.

Garrett Wilson, WR New York Jets

We are going right back to the well here. A popular breakout pick last year, Garrett Wilson’s 2023 was derailed on the Jets’ first snap when quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon that ended his season.

Full disclosure, I had Wilson listed as one of my breakout picks last year. In my 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook for Wilson, I wrote “We really can’t overstate the type of upgrade Wilson is getting compared to the abomination of Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Chris Streveler. Rodgers is a penthouse suite compared to the outhouse that was the Jets 2022 quarterback room.”

Unfortunately for Wilson and I, Rodgers’ injury turned that outhouse into a full-blown septic tank eruption.

As a result, Wilson went from a WR21 finish in 2022 to a WR26 finish last year. He was a disappointment relative to the expectations and where he was taken in drafts. Despite all that, Wilson’s advanced metrics were still strong. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Wilson had a 25% Targets Per Route Run (TPRR) and a 27% Target Share in 2023. Both these marks were actually better than what he posted as a rookie in 2022.

The breakout case for Wilson remains simple. He has managed to eclipse 90 receptions and 1,000 yards receiving with horrific quarterback play. He remains a very talented player.

Reinsert a future Hall of Fame quarterback into the mix, and Wilson is once again set to explode in 2024. This time, we just need all parties involved to remain healthy.

George Pickens, WR Pittsburgh Steelers

With the Steelers shipping Diontae Johnson off to Carolina, George Pickens currently stands as the Steelers WR1. Pickens is an intriguing breakout pick given what he’s been able to do whenever Johnson was forced to miss action.

From Weeks 2-7, while Diontae Johnson was dealing with injury…

George Pickens ranked:

+ top-12 in target share
+ top-10 in first-read target share
+ top-7 in yards per route run
+ top-7 in yards per target over expectation
+ top-3 in yards after the catch per reception

— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) March 13, 2024

Pickens closed 2023 on a high note finishing his final three games with a combined 14-373-2 stat line. This was highlighted by a 195-yard, two-touchdown performance in a Week 16 win against the Bengals.

Some are concerned by the arrival of former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to run the Pittsburgh offense. Despite his shortcomings with Atlanta, a Pickens breakout under Smith is not unprecedented. AJ Brown finished as the WR12 in 2020 playing for Smith’s offense for the Tennessee Titans. Corey Davis also enjoyed a career year playing for Smith in 2020.

Pickens showcased his upside last year. He has been a polarizing player in the fantasy football community. Pickens only finished 26th in our free fantasy football tool, the Consistency Score among all wide receivers. However, as the Steelers’ current WR1, it stands to reason this will improve.

With Johnson out of the picture, Pickens is in a position to take a year-three leap. As long as the Steelers don’t make a significant addition to the receiver room, fantasy gamers have every reason to be excited for his 2024 season.

Drake London, WR Atlanta Falcons

During his first two years, Drake London has dealt with terrible quarterback play and questionable playcalling. It would be hard-pressed for any receiver to produce when their play caller is drawing up plays for a backup tight end and fifth wide receiver over the player chosen 8th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

While it’s been a tough start, we have to remember that London is a good player.

DRAKE LONDON WHAT A CATCH 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/t9TKiP0dpq

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 10, 2023

London now gets a massive quarterback upgrade with Kirk Cousins signing a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons. There is also a new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson, in town. Robinson is a Sean McVay disciple and comes from a system where they traditionally hyper-target their top options in the receiving game. These all bode very well for London’s 2024 outlook.

With a complete offensive overhaul, we can expect London to put up career highs across the board in 2024. He is an easy third-year breakout call.

Zamir White, RB Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White played quite well in limited action last year. He finished 14th in Next Gen Stats Rush Yards Over Expectation Per Attempt (RYOE/ATT).

Zamir White gets loose for a BIG gain 💪

pic.twitter.com/cwsCZ3P5OB

— Raider Nation (@RaidersNationCP) December 25, 2023

White received plenty of work filling in for Josh Jacobs. In his four starts, White averaged over 23 touches per game. That kind of volume would put White on the RB1 radar.

Furthermore, volume paired with some nice advanced metrics makes White an attractive breakout pick. However, White’s placement on this list may not last as we ultimately need to see what the Raiders do in next month’s draft. As of right now, White stands atop the Raiders depth chart.

The club did sign Alexander Mattison, but he has yet to prove he’s a good running back. All things considered, Mattison presents little competition for touches. Should the Raiders draft a back we will revisit White’s place on our list. For right now, he’s in a prime position for a breakout season.

Greg Dulcich, TE Denver Broncos

Greg Dulcich’s sophomore season was nothing short of a total disappointment. Injuries completely derailed things before they could get started. He suffered hamstring and foot injuries that forced him to miss the entire year.

Disappointment aside, we should take a minute and remember why many expected Dulcich to take a step forward in year two.

Dalton Kincaid is averaging 41.3 YPG & 1.32 YPRR as a rookie, with a 68.2 PFF Receiving Grade.

Greg Dulcich averaged 41.1 YPG & 1.30 YPRR as a rookie, with a 67.6 PFF Receiving Grade…

Don’t forget how GOOD Dulcich was as a rookie…

BUY-LOW. pic.twitter.com/BEvf98iIPV

— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) December 16, 2023

Furthermore, with the Broncos trading away receiver Jerry Jeudy, there are now 87 additional targets up for grabs in this offense. There have been rumors Denver also wants to move receiver Courtland Sutton. Dulcich could emerge as a preferred target in this offense if he can stay on the field.  Needless to say, there’s an opportunity waiting for Dulcich in 2024.

Coach Sean Payton has talked multiple times about Dulcich filling the “joker” role in Denver’s offense. Ultimately, if Dulcich can put his injury issues to bed, he can be this year’s surprise tight end breakout.

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