5 Players Primed for a breakout season in 2013
In under 100 days the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens will kick off the NFL regular season in Denver Colorado. If you want to break it up even more the first training camps usually open in late July(2 months), the first preseason game is between the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game on August 4th(little over 2 months) and Madden NFL 25 is released on August 27th. Considering all this information I figured it was about time to start with a few prediction articles and why not start with predicting a few breakout players for the upcoming season?
David Wilson – He was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft to one day be the starter for the Giants. With the departure of Ahmad Bradshaw and only Andre Brown to compete with, the stage is set for the speedy Wilson to shine. Bradshaw was let go in part due to the confidence the club has in Wilson after he showed glimpses of the talent that made him worthy of a 1st round pick. Wilson’s season was highlighted by his 13 rush 100 yard performance he had against the Saints in week 14. It will be interesting to see if the Giants continue to use Wilson as a returner where he was very productive. Wilson was much more sure handed after his 1st game scare against the Cowboys where he lost the rock and found the Tom Coughlin doghouse.
Sept. 16, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller (26) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Lamar Miller – All the talk in the recent weeks has been about Reggie Bush and the Detroit Lions and rightfully so as Bush finds himself in a high octane offense that could be scary good. But I wouldn’t overlook Lamar Miller stepping into the role left by Bush in Miami. Miller is another speedster who is more of a north south type of runner. With 51 carries in 2012 he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and he is said to be aiming for 1,500 yards this season at a 5 yard per carry clip.
Emmanuel Sanders – This isn’t a shot in the dark, this is about as close to a sure thing as you will find when it comes to guys stepping into a new starting role and shining. Sanders is stepping into the vacancy left by Mike Wallace in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. He will be the number 2 receiver behind Antonio Brown in a productive offense led by playmaking Big Ben. As a restricted free agent he was
rumored to be offered by numerous teams
including the New England Patriots (could you imagine Sanders in that offense?). By the end of the season Emmanuel Sanders should be a household name for NFL fans.
December 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (88) reacts after making pass reception for a first down against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Cincinnati Bengals won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Dobson, WR, New England Patriots – Danny Amendola has fantasy geeks everywhere drooling over his potential in the pass happy New England offense, but the guy starting opposite Amendola is the guy with the highest ceiling. With speed to burn and the size to fight off the growing corners across the league he is set to see an insane amount of targets from Tom Brady. The
has him slotted as the starting X receiver and if you want to know what that means in terms of targets just look at what Brandon Lloyd received last year in the same spot.
September 4, 2011; Morgantown,WV, USA: Marshall Thundering Herd wide receiver Aaron Dobson (3) runs the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second quarter at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE
Ben Tate, RB, Houston Texans – This is my long shot. I know Arian Foster is there and he is a pro-bowler. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time thinking of the Texans without thinking of Foster. Being a star at running back in the NFL comes with the ware and tare of the carries of multiple seasons. Over the last 3 seasons Foster has averaged over 300 carries and has seen his yards per game average steadily drop from 101 to a low of 88 last season. Foster has been a stud but any running back not named Adrian Peterson is bound to eventually slow down and/or get hurt from that type of mileage. Ben Tate is waiting in the wings to take over for Foster and has the ability to breakout and become the marquee back in Houston. With Houston you have to keep in mind that they run the same zone running scheme made popular by Mike Shanahan. Kubiak is a Shanahan disciple and has had great success with this scheme in Houston.
Dec 16, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Ben Tate (44) runs the ball against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
So there you go, a few potential breakout players for the upcoming season. I did my best to not use the obvious rookies like Tavon Austin or Montee Ball. I wanted to hit on a few players that might have been forgotten or overlooked. What player on your favorite team is primed for a breakout?