2016 NFL Predictions: 2nd-Year Players Set to Become Breakout Fantasy Stars

As fantasy football owners get set to draft their teams for the 2016 season, veterans are known commodities and rookies are measured gambles. 

But it's the second-year players who can be the greatest hidden assets in all of fantasy.

Unlike rookies, there's empirical NFL-level data out there to be studied for second-year players, but unlike veterans, they won't be on everyone's radar. 

Let's break down some of the players entering their sophomore seasons in the NFL who have major potential to break out and become workhorses for fantasy owners. 

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Cardinals' third-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft, rusher David Johnson is primed to build on an impressive rookie showing for a breakout second year—not only as far as second-year players go but among all running backs in general. 

In 16 games in 2015, Johnson earned five starts and racked up 581 yards on 125 attempts. He added another 457 yards receiving, and in addition to finding the end zone eight times on the ground, he hauled in four receiving touchdowns, as well. 

Though Johnson started out his rookie year with a bang, wowing with a 55-yard touchdown reception in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, it wasn't until Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson suffered injuries that Arizona gave him meaningful snaps. 

He rewarded the team's faith in him with his biggest game of the season in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling a whopping 187 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns. 

He averaged 6.4 yards per carry in that game, one of three on the season where he rushed for more than five yards per carry on average. 

If there's anywhere Johnson can improve in 2016, it's in ball security. He fumbled four times in 2015 and lost one. But let someone else make the mistake of hesitating on Johnson; he's worth a first-round look in 14-team leagues and an early second-round choice in leagues with 12 teams or fewer. 

Sammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh's Sammie Coates could turn in the most dramatic breakout season of any second-year player in the NFL. That's not hyperbole.

Coates had just one reception for 11 yards in the 2015 regular season, and he added two receptions for 61 yards in the playoffs against the Denver Broncos.

He didn't see much playing time in his rookie campaign, partly because the Steelers were so deep at his position, and partly because of his "poor conditioning and the steep learning curve he had coming from Auburn's spread offense," as NFL Media reporter Judy Battista explained in a recent column. 

But now, the Steelers and Coates both find themselves in different positions.

Pittsburgh has lost wideout Martavis Bryant for the entire season due to violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, and Coates will have had another full offseason and training camp to develop his conditioning and learn Pittsburgh's playbook in and out. 

Per Battista, Coates has dropped six pounds this offseason and is "noticeably faster and more confident." 

Yes, he's no longer playing in a spread offense, but Coates could approach or even surpass the numbers from his junior season at Auburn, when he had 34 receptions for 741 yards and four touchdowns.

In fact, Coates' production during his sophomore season in the NFL could more closely resemble his sophomore season at Auburn, when he had 902 yards and seven touchdowns. 

Kevin White, WR, Chicago Bears

Nam Huh/Associated Press

Bears wideout Kevin White's rookie season goes down as a redshirt year, as he missed the entire campaign with a shin injury.

And fantasy experts aren't exactly bullish on the second-year receiver, who has experienced a steep learning curve in learning the Bears' playbook, per receivers coach Curtis Johnson.

"He played in an offense (at West Virginia) that really wasn't quite as exact in the routes and the splits," Johnson said, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.

"It's a lot on his plate for a young player that didn't play much last year. But the one thing is he's determined to do it. He’s always up, he's always in his playbook."

White has also cultivated a collection of impressive catches during training camp, as Zach Zaidman of the Bears Radio Network pointed out: 

Even if White isn't polished yet, Chicago's No. 1 wideout, Alshon Jeffery, can't do it all alone. White has a prime opportunity to step up and carve out a spot in Chicago's offense, and while Jay Cutler is about as inconsistent as they come, there's no denying his arm strength. 

Under the guidance of Johnson, White could enjoy a successful sophomore year in the NFL. Owners would be wise to target him in the fourth or fifth round.