Fantasy Football: Finding 2021's breakout wide receiver

Identifying and drafting the right breakout wide receiver can be the difference between winning your fantasy football league or suffering the ridicule of your league mates.

Sometimes receivers can break out later in their career, but most often the jump happens in their second year. Almost every season you can find a top fantasy receiver outside of the top 15 taken in fantasy football drafts, and many have been second-year breakouts, such as JuJu Smith-Schuster (2018), Tyreek Hill (2017), Allen Robinson II (2015), Josh Gordon (2013), Hakeem Nicks (2010), DeSean Jackson (2009), Calvin Johnson (2008) and Greg Jennings (2007).

Ahead of the 2021 fantasy football season, PFF  will look at the breakout potential for second-year wide receivers, comparing them to hundreds of others drafted since 2006 and projecting the likelihood of their breakout based on those who had the most similar size, college production, draft position and rookie metrics.

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• Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas Raiders

• Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

• CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

• Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Eagles

• Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

• Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

• Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

• Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

• Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

• K.J. Hamler, Denver Broncos

• Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers

• Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams

• Denzel Mims, New York Jets

• Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders

• Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills