Second-Year Players: Sam LaPorta, DeMario Douglas, Michael Wilson (Fantasy Football)

When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Here we break down all second-year fantasy football players to consider in your upcoming drafts. Let’s dive into a few notable second-year fantasy football players below.

Fantasy Football Second-Year Players: Draft Advice

DeMario Douglas (NE)

Demario Douglas emerged as a surprise contributor for the Patriots in 2023, showcasing his playmaking ability despite failing to find the end zone. Leading the team with 561 receiving yards without a touchdown, he demonstrated consistent involvement in the passing game with an 18% target share. From Week 7 onwards, Douglas maintained a significant role, posting a 21% target share and earning praise for his performance. However, the Patriots’ decision to draft two wide receivers this year introduces competition, potentially impacting Douglas’s role in the offense moving forward.
– Andrew Erickson

Michael Wilson (ARI)

The highlight of Week 18? Rookie Michael Wilson. Six targets (21% target share) and 6 receptions for 95 yards. 68 air yards and 40% air yards share. The rookie posted a very under-the-radar campaign as a highly involved Cardinals WR. He ran a route on 80% of the dropbacks (35th among all WRs) which locks him into a full-time role in this offense next season, as long as he can fend off Zay Jones. Wilson also finished his season on a high note, averaging 15.5 points per game after his last two contests with Marquise Brown out.
– Andrew Erickson

Sam LaPorta (DET)

Sam LaPorta was a revelation as a rookie, catching 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns to finish as the overall TE1. What can LaPorta do for an encore in Year 2? It might be hard for Sammy Ballgame to improve upon or even equal his 2023 touchdown total, but it’s reasonable to think he could improve upon his average of 52.3 receiving yards per game and his 7.4 yards per target. LaPorta’s age-22 season was a triumph, and he could be one of the top tight ends in the league — and in fantasy football — for years to come. Based on the splash he made at such a tender age, there’s a strong case to be made that LaPorta should be the first TE selected in 2024 fantasy drafts.
– Pat Fitzmaurice