Can 2019's Breakouts Keep It Going In 2020?

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The 2019 season is far behind us but while you are preparing for the 2020 fantasy season you should always look back at the players who "broke out" and look to see if they will keep that same value. Most of these breakout players will not produce what you expected them to after you take them on draft day because the value you will be getting them at is far greater than their breakout year. 

In this article I'm looking back at 8 players that broke out in 2019 and we're going to see if those seasons were a fluke or if you can expect that same level of play in 2020. A breakout in this exercise was someone who completely out-preformed his ADP (average draft position). I left out Ravens QB Lamar Jackson because he wasn't a guy who slipped through the cracks and ended up on top. There was a ton of buzz around Jackson last season and he delivered more than people were expecting. I do still believe he is the QB2 this season but his ADP will be too rich for me. 

*All Stats based off of full PPR scoring

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill signed a 1 year backup deal with the Titans last off-season with hopes to gain the starting role from Marcus Mariota. In week 7 he got his opportunity and he didn't look back. Since taking the starting role he was The QB2 only behind Lamar Jackson. It's no secret that the Titans want to run the ball close to 30 times a game so with that in mind it's hard to see Tannehill keep the same momentum. In a 1QB league he's a mid QB2 who could give you some top 12 weeks if you have a bye week or injury to your top QB but don't draft him as your number 1 guy. I have him ranked as my QB16. 

Wide Receivers

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins

Parker was the 78th(!) receiver off the board this season and finished all the way up at WR11. Parker was the main beneficiary of Ryan Fitzpatrick's careless throws raking up 72 catches 1202 yards and 9 TDs. If you can tell me that Parker will have Fitzpatrick for all 16 games I'm hopping on that bandwagon this year. Miami drafted Tua Tagovailoa with the 5th overall selection in the NFL draft. Tua might be the best long term option but for 2020 there's just to much uncertainty for me to spend a top 40 pick on him. Preseason and Training Camp will tell more.

A.J Brown, Tennessee Titans

Brown was the 51st overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft and while I don't usually count rookies as breakouts I think the year he had was one we didn't see coming. Like I said before with Tannehill the Titans want to run the ball a lot and while that could seriously cap his upside, there really isn't anyone there that could take targets away from Brown. I'm projecting over 100 targets for Brown this season which should be great for him as he turned only 84 targets into 52 catches for 1051 yards and 8 TDs in 2019. A.J Brown is a fine WR2 and I wouldn't be surprised if were back here talking about Brown being a top 10 Receiver in 2020. 

D.J Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

Maybe the biggest breakout wide receiver of the 2019 season, Chark was drafted as the WR101 and finished as the WR17. The top Wide out in Jacksonville comes into 2020 with almost the same wide receiver room from a season ago with only Laviska Shenault (2nd round pick) added to the mix. Chark had great chemistry with Quarterback Gardner Minshew and ended the season with line of 73 catches 1008 yards and 8 TDs. Chark's current value is around WR20. With Jacksonville projected to be playing from behind a good amount Minshew could be throwing the ball a ton and with no real competition Chark could be peppered with Targets. I personally think Chark hasn't even truly broken out yet. 90 Catches and 1200 yards is totally in the realm of possibilities and wouldn't surprise me one bit. D.J Chark is officially one of my Fantasy crushes in 2020.

Running Backs

Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals

Drake was drafted as the RB32 and finished as the RB17. Drake was rarely used in Miami and was traded to Arizona in Week 9. He took over the Starting role immediately and rushed 123 times for 643 yards and 8TDs while catching 28 balls for an additional 171 yards. If it wasn't for the trade (and David Johnson's terrible season) we wouldn't be talking about Drake like we are now. With David Johnson out and DeAndre Hopkins in, it opens up a ton of carries and targets for Drake. He's currently being drafted as a top 12 Running back and that shouldn't change since there's no competition for carries. I like Drake in Arizona's much improved offense and could easily see him being a top 10 back if the Cardinals are willing to feature him. The price tag for him is a little high for me at the moment (In May) but he's definitely a guy I'll be looking at closely throughout the Preseason and Training Camp.

Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers

Mostert came out of no where to lead the crowded 49ers backfield with a combined 10 TDs and 952 yards. Mostert was a practice squad body for the entirety of his career before last season and really put the whole league on notice after taking the lead back role for a Super Bowl contending team. The 49ers want to run the ball every chance they get so even if Tevin Coleman is still in the mix I believe that Raheem Mostert can still do damage with a “limited” workload. The 49ers should be winning a lot of games  and that could mean that they will lean on the run heavily in 4th quarters (or earlier) this season. If SF gives Mostert that feature roll fantasy players want he has top 15 upside with a price range of a Late RB2. I’ll for sure be owning Mostert in all my leagues this year as I have him at 1200 total yards and 8 TDs. 

Tight End

Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders 

The Raiders had high hopes for their offense last season which quickly turned around after the whole Antonio Brown debacle and Darren Waller stepped up in a huge way. Waller was the 25th Tight End off the board and finished as the TE3 after being Derek Carr's top pass catching target. Waller racked up 90 catches on 117 targets and 1145 yards but had trouble getting into the end-zone last season notching only 3 house calls and two of those came in week 7. Raiders did all they could by upgrading the wide receiving core this season by adding 3 rookies in the draft and adding depth pieces through free agency. As much as I love Darren Waller I don't think you can expect the numbers he got last season. Gruden will feature Henry Ruggs lll and his new toys on offense which could eat into Waller's upside. I do believe Waller will get more than 3 TDs though, as I'm projecting Waller to be around the 70/900/6+ mark, which still holds great value in an offense that should be better this season. 

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

I was going back and fourth about putting Andrews in this article because he was nabbed by a ton of people as the seasons huge Breakout. Andrews didn't disappoint those who got him at the TE15  tag as he turned that into a top 5 season. The Ravens offense was a sight to see last year with Lamar Jackson throwing for 36 Touchdowns with 10 of those going to Andrews. I like the spot for Andrews to produce but I don't see Jackson throwing that many touchdowns. With Marquise Brown healthy and two rookies drafted I see Andrews touchdowns coming down from 10 to 6 which isn't a huge 

difference but one that can make you over pay for what you can get a few rounds later with Jared Cook or Hunter Henry. 

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