Breakouts usually consist of two things in the NFL: opportunity and talent. All of these guys have the talent, some even had the opportunity last year and were just sidetracked by injury. The stars are aligning for them to be real values in drafts, and that’s what is the difference between good teams and bringing home a championship.
Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken recently announced that Godwin has earned the right to be a starter opposite of Mike Evans. That alone is enough to put him on anyone’s radar, but Godwin came on strong to finish last season. Even with a 18 yard dud in Week 15, Godwin averaged 74 yards over the last 4 games of 2017 (including a 7 catch, 111 yard, 1 TD Week 17). With injury-prone DeSean Jackson another year older, and Mike Evans drawing the toughest opposing CBs, the recipe is there for a Chris Godwin breakout in 2018.
Corey Davis – TenneseeÂ
Unfortunately, injury derailed what could have been a special season for Davis. He’s shown flashes of what he can do; 6 catches 69 yards Week 1, 6 catches 91 yards Week 16, and most impressively, a 5 catch 62 yard 2 TD game in the 2nd round of the playoffs against the Patriots. By far the highest ceiling of any 2nd-year wide receiver, many in the industry have compared him to recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Terrell Owens. Marcus Mariota has been searching his entire career for a true #1 wide receiver, and Davis is it. Mariota’s top target has been Delanie Walker, but he’s shown signs of slowing down and is getting up there in age. Never fully healthy last year, with a full off-season to get there, I’m getting every share of Davis I can before its too late. He’s got WR1 upside, especially in PPR.
Chad Williams – Arizona
Keep an eye on how the depth chart shakes out this off-season, but if Williams is able to take over one of the two open spots behind Larry Fitzgerald, there’s a huge opportunity. Williams was a third-round pick in 2017 who had trouble staying healthy but also had Jaron and John Brown to compete with. They’ve both left town, and although Fitzgerald and David Johnson will soak up a lot of targets, they will also get a lot of attention from opposing defenses. That leaves a huge hole in the offense that someone will have to fill. Williams will have competition from 2018 second round pick Christian Kirk, but has a year of experience under his belt. Even if it was an injury-plagued season, that could be the difference that pushes him ahead of Kirk and into a golden opportunity.
Dede Westbrook – JacksonvilleÂ
Starting his NFL career on the IR and missing the first 10 games, it started to look like a lost season for Westbrook. Although his production was up and down in the 7 weeks he was able to play, Westbrook only had 1 week where he had less than 6 targets. He had 3 games with over 70 yards, including a breakout 5 catch, 81 yards, 1 TD game in Week 14 against the Seahawks. Although this passing offense is limited with Blake Bortles at QB, both Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns are gone, again leaving a lot of targets unaccounted for. Jacksonville will be a run-first team, but Bortles has just enough arm to get solid fantasy production out of the passing game. If Westbrook is able to become Bortle’s top target, he could become a top 20 wide receiver rather easily.
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