4 Second-Year Players to Avoid (2026 Fantasy Football)

Second-year breakouts are worth seeking out in drafts, but not every player is going to pop for a big sophomore leap. Sometimes we’ll remember a few rookie-year flashes while bored in June, and start talking ourselves into players who have no business going where they are in fantasy football drafts.

These players may have some name value or theoretical upside, but I’m not banking on it at their average draft position (ADP). With that in mind, here are four sophomore players I’m avoiding in 2026.

Second-Year Fantasy Football Players to Avoid

Matthew Golden (WR – GB)

It was a rookie campaign to forget for first-rounder Matthew Golden. He totaled just 361 receiving yards on a measly 29 receptions and didn’t score his first NFL touchdown until the postseason.

Still, the Packers are banking on a Year 2 leap, letting Romeo Doubs walk in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles. I’m just not sure Golden showed much to suggest he can take that next step. About the only thing he did well in his first pro season was prove he could gain a step on defenders, ranking ninth among all wideouts in target separation (2.07).

The rest of the advanced metrics were pretty gnarly, though:

Expected points added: +28.4 (WR49)
First downs per route run: 0.068 (WR60)
Yards per route run: 1.45 (WR62)
Quarterback rating per target: 81.7 (WR70)
Fantasy points per route run: 0.28 (WR74)

This is a big season for Golden. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to flourish in a condensed receiver room, but if he doesn’t take advantage of them and show some improvement from his rookie season, then the “bust” word will start getting thrown around.

I wasn’t a fan of Golden’s profile when he was coming into the league, and nothing he put on tape has made me optimistic a year later. I’d much rather take Jayden Reed or Christian Watson — both of whom just got contract extensions — several rounds earlier if I want pieces of this Packers’ passing game in 2026.

RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)

On the surface, RJ Harvey’s numbers as a rookie look satisfactory. He racked up 896 total yards, and his 12 touchdowns led all first-year players. His 12.2 fantasy points per game ranked 23rd among running backs. Not too shabby.

Dig deeper, though, and you start to see some major flaws. With J.K. Dobbins as the lead back, Harvey topped a 30% snap share only twice, with a high of 38.5%. Also, he saw more than eight touches just once over that span. Until Dobbins was out of the picture with an injury, Harvey was basically stuck in neutral.

Well, guess what? Dobbins is back. On top of that, Denver added Jonah Coleman, a compact tailback who can do a little bit of everything, in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Harvey also just wasn’t effective as a rusher. He averaged a paltry 3.7 yards per carry, while ranking 41st in both juke rate (19.2%) and breakaway runs (four).

Looking ahead to 2026, Harvey absolutely has a role in his offense. But it may look more like the first half of his rookie season than the second half. Expect him to play on passing downs and get sprinkled in for a few carries here and there. This Denver backfield looks like it will be a three-way split, and unless Harvey’s current ADP (RB31) drops, I won’t be drafting him this year.

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Isaac TeSlaa (WR – DET)

Fantasy managers might see six touchdowns from his rookie campaign and think, “Hmm, maybe I need to take a shot on this Isaac TeSlaa kid.”

Don’t chase those touchdowns. They’re nice — don’t get me wrong — but TeSlaa had just 27 targets. He ranked 122nd in snap share (39.9%) and averaged less than a catch per game.

Maybe the Lions give him some more looks in Year 2, but how many can we realistically expect in an offense that features Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs? Maybe four per game, tops?

That’s not going to lead to any type of consistent fantasy success. Let others draft him as a dart throw at the end of drafts, while you load up on higher-upside players. Unless Detroit’s receiver room gets decimated with injuries, I just don’t see a path where TeSlaa matters in fantasy this season.

Travis Hunter (WR – JAX)

Cue the crying Tom Cruise “No” gif from Mission Impossible III. There is no need to subject yourself to this kind of frustration during the season. Stay clear of Travis Hunter, despite his theoretical upside.

We have trouble getting usable fantasy production from players like Josh Downs and Jayden Reed, even with their 60-65% snap shares. If reports are accurate and Hunter plays mostly on defense, then how will anyone ever be comfortable plugging him into their lineup if he’s only playing 30-50% of the snaps on offense? News flash: You won’t. It’s just not enough opportunities.

Hunter’s final game before injuring his knee was a thing of beauty: 14 targets, eight receptions, 101 yards and a touchdown. But with Brian Thomas Jr. looking to rebound after a down year, Jakobi Meyers locked in on a long-term deal and Parker Washington looking to build off last season’s phenomenal finish, those standout performances from Hunter may only come once or twice this season. Good luck guessing when they happen.

Hunter is an awesome talent, a unicorn in this modern game. That doesn’t make him a good fantasy pick, sadly. Until the Jaguars stop treating him like a part-time weapon, he’s dead for fantasy purposes outside of individual defensive player (IDP) leagues.