- WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals: Harrison maintained poor per-route efficiency when healthy in Weeks 1-10.
- TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: Bowers’ season-long results fall short of expectations, though his per-route efficiency remains promising.
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Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
Second-year NFL players frequently confirm or disconfirm the play quality shown late in their rookie season. The article below breaks down four second-year players who delivered varying, negative on-field and fantasy football results during the 2025 NFL season.
QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
A fully torn meniscus sidelined McCarthy in his 2024 rookie season. In his second NFL season, he was sidelined by a high-ankle sprain in Weeks 3-8, a concussion in Week 13 and a right-throwing hand fracture in Week 17. Additionally, he played through a right-throwing hand injury suffered in Week 10. He finished as the fantasy football QB31, banked QB1 finishes in three-of-nine games among Weeks 1-17 games and scored 19.9-plus points and sub-10.0 points four times apiece. McCarthy’s 63.0 PFF offense grade ranks 22nd among 29 second-year NFL quarterbacks and skill position players with at least 400 offensive snaps in 2025.
McCarthy’s inefficient passing productivity starkly contrasts with his aggressive and intriguing downfield passing tactics. His rushing ability offers high-end upside.
McCarthy’s passing data among 33 NFL quarterbacks with at least 285 dropbacks and his rushing data among 27 NFL quarterbacks with at least 35 rushing attempts.
| NFL QB Passing & Rushing | J.J. McCarthy |
| PFF Passing Grade | 60.1 (No. 30) |
| Yards Per Pass Att. | 6.7 (No. 25) |
| Adjusted Completion Rate | 71.0% (No. 30) |
| Average Depth Of Target | 9.5 (No. 4) |
| Average Time To Throw | 3.01 (No. 27) |
| Big-Time Throw Rate | 7.3% (No. 2) |
| Turnover-Worthy Play Rate | 4.8% (No. 32) |
| PFF Rushing Grade | 71.6 (T-No. 15) |
| Missed Tackles Forced Per Rush Att. | 0.27 (No. 2) |
| Yards After Contact Per Rush Att. | 3.4 (T-No. 5) |
| Yards Per Rush Att. | 4.9 (No. 10) |
| 1st-Down &/Or TD Conversion Rate | 32.4% (No. 18) |
McCarthy profiles as a high-upside, volatile fantasy football quarterback. Although his second-year results make him difficult to trust in starting lineups, fantasy managers must consider drafting him as a high-upside bench stash in 2026.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals
Harrison was sidelined by appendicitis in Weeks 11-12, a heel injury in Weeks 14-15 and a separate injury in his other foot in Week 18, allowing No. 2 wide receiver Michael Wilson to shine while operating as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver in the season’s second half. Harrison’s healthy Weeks 1-10 per-play efficiency worryingly stagnated or regressed from his 2024 rookie season marks. He earned a 68.4 PFF offense grade in 2025 after earning a 77.8 PFF offense grade as a rookie. Wilson promisingly earned a career-high 76.4 PFF offense grade this season.
Harrison finished as the half-points-per-reception (half-PPR) WR45 in Weeks 1-17, while earning targets at an 18.8% rate and averaging 1.58 yards per route run (YPRR). He was the 2024 NFL draft’s No. 4 overall pick.
Harrison’s healthy Weeks 1-10 receiving data to his 2024 rookie season.
| Marvin Harrison Jr. Receiving | Weeks 1-10, 2025 | 2024 |
| PFF Receiving Grade | 67.0 | 77.2 |
| Target Rate | 18.9% | 21.0% |
| Deep-Target Rate | 19.7% | 24.6% |
| Slot-Target Rate | 2.8% | 5.2% |
| Yards Per Route Run | 1.63 | 1.63 |
| Catch Rate | 55.7% | 54.4% |
| Yards After Catch Per Reception | 3.2 | 2.4 |
Harrison’s decreased target-earning ability and literally stagnant per-route yardage efficiency pre-injury are extremely concerning for his 2026 outlook. Harrison enters his third NFL season, warranting only WR4/flex treatment.
WR Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills
Coleman was a healthy game-day inactive four times this season. Disciplinary reasons were specifically cited for two such deactivations. He begins 2026 with team owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane distancing themselves from his selection, countered by an endorsement from new Bills head coach Joe Brady, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator over the last two seasons. Coleman earned a 65.6 PFF offense grade in 2025 after earning a 69.2 PFF offense grade as a rookie.
Coleman logged snaps in 15 games this season, after playing in 16 last year.
Coelaman’s 2025 receiving data to his 2024 rookie season.
| Keon Coleman Receiving | 2025 | 2024 |
| PFF Receiving Grade | 64.0 | 68.8 |
| Targets | 64 | 64 |
| Target Rate | 18.0% | 17.2% |
| Deep-Target Rate | 23.4% | 34.4% |
| Slot-Target Rate | 2.5% | 1.9% |
| Yards Per Route Run | 1.26 | 1.55 |
| Catch Rate | 62.5% | 50.0% |
| Average Depth Of Target | 12.6 | 15.4 |
| Yards After Catch Per Reception | 2.8 | 7.1 |
Coleman’s post-catch skillset was his rookie season’s most positive marker. The substantial post-catch per-play productivity via identical 64-target samples cannot be explained away by a moderate target-depth decrease.
Coleman’s second NFL season results bode poorly for his career outlook.
TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers finished as the half-PPR Weeks 1-17, 2024 overall TE2 in his rookie season. He finished as the half-PPR Weeks 1-17, 2025 overall TE8 in his second NFL season despite playing through a PCL sprain suffered in Week 1, which eventually led to his placement on injured reserve in Week 17. Bowers also sat out in Weeks 5-7, in an unsuccessful attempt to let the injured ligament heal. He earned a 78.8 PFF offense grade this year after earning an 85.4 PFF offense grade as a rookie.
Bowers caught 64-of-83 targets for 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Bowers’ 2025 receiving data among 32 NFL tight ends with at least 50 targets.
| NFL TE Receiving | Brock Bowers |
| PFF Receiving Grade | 82.2 (No. 5) |
| Target Rate | 20.8% (No. 10) |
| Deep-Target Rate | 7.2% (No. 15) |
| Slot-Target Rate | 9.8% (No. 8) |
| Yards Per Route Run | 1.70 (No. 7) |
| Catch Rate | 77.1% (No. 10) |
| Average Depth Of Target | 7.5 (No. 12) |
| Missed Tackles Forced | 4 (T-No. 21) |
| Yards After Catch Per Reception | 4.6 (T-No. 17) |
| Explosive Pass Plays | 17 (No. 10) |
Bowers impressively maintains multiple top-12 per-play efficiency metrics despite playing through a knee injury. His season-long results fall short of expectations, but his overall play bodes positively for his 2026 prospects as an elite fantasy football TE1.
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