3 Second-Year Players to Avoid (2025 Fantasy Football)

Fantasy managers are eager to invest in young players with the upside to become long-term elite assets. These first- or second-year players can be acquired relatively cheaply as they’ve yet to fully prove themselves on an NFL field. These are often savvy investments to make. When a player flashes early potential, they can quickly ascend depth charts and earn the volume required to be among the league’s best.

That said, the fantasy community can sometimes overvalue youth. While different athletes develop at their own unique paces, it’s important to pinpoint the key red flags in a young player’s profile. A player who’s yet to show promising ability or is stuck towards the bottom of a crowded depth chart may not be worth a draft pick, especially in the earlier rounds.

Take Houston’s Dameon Pierce, for example. The running back showed promise throughout his rookie season, scoring five touchdowns and eclipsing 1,000 yards from scrimmage. However, the underlying metrics suggested his inefficiencies would eventually catch up to him. This lack of effectiveness, along with the signing of a couple of veteran running backs, eventually spelled the end of Pierce’s value as a reliable fantasy asset.

Second-Year Players to Avoid

In what follows, I’ll highlight the players who are unlikely to deliver a second-year breakout in 2025. At their current average draft position (ADP) cost, these players should be avoided in fantasy football drafts.

Jalen McMillan (WR – TB)

The Buccaneers’ somewhat surprising selection of wide receiver Emeka Egbuka in this year’s draft was particularly damaging for Jalen McMillan’s fantasy value. McMillan appeared to come into his own in the latter half of the 2024 season. He compiled 31 receptions and seven receiving touchdowns across the final five games of the regular season. In Chris Godwin‘s absence due to injury, McMillan stepped into a larger role and delivered solid surface-level statistics. That said, his efficiency metrics paint a different picture.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), McMillan averaged 1.18 yards per route run and earned a receiving grade of 63.2. Among receivers with a minimum of 50 targets, he ranked 51st in yards after catch per reception and 79th in contested catch percentage. He’ll need to drastically improve on his rookie performance to earn targets in this crowded pass-catching depth chart.

The Buccaneers continue to boast one of the most effective receiving duos in the NFL. For one, Mike Evans has been a pillar of consistency across his decorated career. Following an 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season, Evans figures to remain the team’s go-to No. 1 WR. On the other hand, Chris Godwin was in the midst of a career year before suffering a devastating ankle injury in 2024.

Per PFF, he set career highs in yards per route run and yards after catch per reception. The veteran signed a lucrative three-year, $66 million contract in the offseason and will continue to be among the team’s most important offensive players. After earning first-round draft capital, Egbuka is also likely to earn a considerable role in Tampa Bay’s offense in 2025.

All told, there are simply too many mouths to feed in the Buccaneers’ offense. McMillan will struggle to earn consistent volume during his sophomore season. His lack of per-touch efficiency casts further doubt on his ability to be a fantasy-viable asset next season.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB – NYG)

Tyrone Tracy is another player whose fantasy value was severely tarnished on draft weekend. The Giants invested fourth-round draft capital in running back Cam Skattebo. Across an extremely productive final season at Arizona State, Skattebo compiled 1,800 scrimmage yards and scored an additional 18 touchdowns. His 3.91 yards after contact per carry shed light on the prospect’s tackle-breaking ability as well, per PFF.

Perhaps Skattebo’s most enticing asset is his ability to withstand a workhorse role. He handled an impressive 283 touches as the Sun Devils’ key figure on offense. At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, he boasts the physical stature to be a true bell-cow in an NFL offense. The same cannot be said for Tracy.

Tracy, who transitioned from wide receiver to running back early in his collegiate career, has a more slender frame at 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds. To his credit, Tracy managed to usurp veteran back Devin Singletary as New York’s No. 1 RB in his rookie season. He struggled to maintain efficiency once thrust into a featured role, though. Among running backs with a minimum of 100 carries, Tracy ranked 34th in rush grade, 34th in yards after contact per carry and 28th in elusive rating. Much has also been said about Tracy’s ball security issues, as he coughed up four fumbles in 2024, per PFF.

All signs point towards Tracy ceding touches to Skattebo. He’s likely to inherit more of a third-down, change-of-pace role. Brian Daboll’s offense will remain among the league’s worst in 2025. With a porous offensive line and a quarterback room consisting of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart, this team will regularly struggle to sustain drives. As a bit-part contributor in an ineffective offense, Tracy should be avoided in most fantasy football contexts.

Xavier Legette (WR – CAR)

It’s generally safe practice to give players a second chance after struggling in their rookie seasons. For the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze, who both produced underwhelming stat lines in 2024, many assume the sophomore season will prove to be much more successful. That said, Xavier Legette’s situation is particularly concerning.

Legette struggled mightily throughout the entirety of his rookie season. After earning first-round draft capital, Legette immediately slotted in as the Panthers’ de facto No. 1 WR and paced the team in targets. Despite this, veteran wideout Adam Thielen compiled more receiving yards and touchdowns. Jalen Coker, who was a 2024 undrafted free agent, was a mere 19 receiving yards behind Legette, despite being targeted 36 times fewer.

The underlying efficiency metrics are just as discouraging. Among receivers with a minimum of 50 targets, he ranked 81st in receiving grade, 69th in yards per route run and 78th in yards after catch per reception, per PFF. Despite Bryce Young‘s emergence towards the latter half of the 2024 season, the two never established a solid rapport. Another offseason together will certainly improve their connection, but there is now much more competition for volume.

The Panthers’ first-round selection of Tetairoa McMillan certainly complicates Legette’s path to fantasy value. McMillan and Legette both have similar archetypes as prototypical, big-bodied boundary receivers. Their 2024 average depth of target (aDOT) metrics suggest the two players operate in similar parts of the field. In his final collegiate season, McMillan had an aDOT of 13.7 yards. Legette’s 2024 aDOT of 12.6 yards is quite akin. The alarming level of overlap between these two players casts further doubt on Legette’s capacity to earn significant volume in 2025.

The sophomore receiver’s analytical profile, along with the drastic increase in target competition in Carolina, has greatly depressed his fantasy football value. Legette will need to vastly improve on his efficiency to become a viable asset in the future. For the time being, managers should avoid drafting Legette.