Each year in the NFL, a few veteran players rise to the top and surprise with unexpected breakout seasons. On the other side of the coin are standout players who have put up big numbers in the past who will fail to repeat this upcoming season.
The following players proved to be golden last year, but they will be fool’s gold in 2016.
Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals
Fitzgerald is entering 2016 after posting a career-high 109 receptions resulting in 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. He was completely in sync with quarterback Carson Palmer and commendably caught 75 percent of his targeted passes.
When it came to owning Fitzgerald in fantasy football, he wound up being quite the late-round gem. Though, it would be a stretch to expect a repeat season out of the 32 year-old veteran. The Cardinals have many young mouths to feed, including pass-catching second-year running back David Johnson.
Plus there is the Palmer factor. Palmer passed for a career-high 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns, but we must take into account that he is 36 and has a history of injuries.
Also noteworthy is the fact that Fitzgerald’s production last year declined down the home stretch. During Weeks 11-17 he failed to surpass 100 receiving yards in any of his games and scored only two touchdowns. More of the same is to be expected in 2016, especially considering the rising talent at the receiver position in Arizona.
Josh Norman, cornerback, Washington Redskins
After recording four interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, Norman became a household name last year.
For his efforts, Norman commanded more money than what the Carolina Panthers wanted to shell out for a new contract. This eventually led to Carolina rescinding its franchise tag — a puzzling move. Norman ended up signing a lucrative five-year contract worth $75 million with Washington.
In 2016, Norman will be put to the test to top last year’s performance and prove to Washington he is worth the big bucks. Playing in a different environment and new scheme could be challenging as he transitions from a system he knew for four years.
Therefore, it won’t be surprising to see Norman come back to down to earth while other cornerbacks bask in the spotlight this season.
Carlos Hyde, running back, San Francisco 49ers
Hyde was hyped as the next big thing when he assumed the 49ers’ lead running back role in 2015.
After an illustrious 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, Hyde pretty much stumbled the rest of the way. A lingering foot injury got the better of him and he wound up sidelined for the season after Week 7.
Unfortunately, health has been a concern since his college days. Hyde’s weight has also been under scrutiny. That said, he has been dropping some extra pounds and says his foot “feels great.”
#49ers RB Carlos Hyde says surgically repaired foot feels great, could play on it today. He's slimmed to 225 lbs pic.twitter.com/p4Mnkv6wC3
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 6, 2016
This is fine and dandy, and hopefully the weight he shed will help him avoid Eddie Lacy syndrome.
Hyde will likely come out of the gate running. But it is anybody’s guess as to how long he remains in one piece playing for a quarterback-challenged 49ers.
Malik Jackson, defensive end, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars signed Jackson in free agency and are obviously expecting a major return for their money considering he was a major force on the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl-clinching defense.
Jackson recorded 5.5 sacks, 46 combined tackles and one safety in his final season with the Broncos. After the Jaguars lobbed a five-year, $85.5 million deal his way, Jackson ditched his snow boots for his flip flops and bolted to Florida.
Jackson will certainly attempt to top last season’s production as he hauls in a paycheck nearly six times as the one he had in Denver.
This might be a difficult accomplishment considering some of Jackson’s career-highs were actually recorded in 2013. We’ll find out soon enough if he’s a superstar or just a product of Denver’s outstanding system.
Brock Osweiler, quarterback, Houston Texans
After seven career starts and four years of backing up Peyton Manning, Osweiler landed with the Houston Texans, who gave up the farm to secure him in free agency.
Believing they have a solid No. 1 at quarterback, the Texans signed Osweiler to a whopping four-year, $72 million deal. Now, it will be up to Osweiler to live up to the high expectations he will face in his first starting season.
In the seven games Osweiler was under center in Denver last season, he completed 61.8 percent of his passes for a total of 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Broncos won five of those games.
Considering Osweiler will be feeling the pressure while on a learning curve, he might not exactly reward with “elite” results worthy of his rich paycheck.
Reggie Nelson, safety, Oakland Raiders
At the age of 32, Nelson posted a career- and league-high eight interceptions in his final year with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also registered 72 tackles as well as two fumble recoveries.
Apparently, this was not enough for the Bengals to want to keep him around in the end. Nelson will now suit up with Raiders and presumably fill the role vacated by future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson.
Expecting Nelson to repeat or beat last year’s numbers would be a bit presumptuous. He could prove to be an effective part of the Raiders’ secondary, but another eight picks are likely not on Nelson’s to-do list. It’s more likely that he’ll end up disappointing the Raiders and Raider Nation.
Brandon Marshall, wide receiver, New York Jets
Marshall lit up the field in his first season with the Jets catching passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick. But it is starting to look like Fitz could be one-and-done with Gang Green (read more about that here).
The spectacular 109 receptions for 1,502 yards and career-high 14 touchdowns Marshall accomplished will not come so easy with Geno Smith under center. Since the contract standoff between Fitzpatrick and the Jets began, Marshall has showered team Fitz with support.
From suggesting a fundraiser to pay Fitpatrick’s salary to suggesting a Donald Trump book could finally do the trick, Marshall is doing everything he can to get his quarterback back.
The Jets’ quarterback saga will be one to monitor over the upcoming months, and in particular as it relates to Marshall’s fantasy football projection.
Janoris Jenkins, cornerback, New York Giants
Jenkins didn’t exactly get Josh Norman rich, but he did manage to sign a sweet five-year, $62.5 million deal with his new team, the Giants.
New York clearly has some high expectations for its new cornerback. During his four-year tenure with the Rams, Jenkins recorded a total of 10 interceptions, five touchdowns and 229 solo tackles. That said, he also allowed 22 touchdowns during this period.
The Giants are banking on Jenkins to pick up where he left off in 2015, otherwise they would not have made him the third-highest paid cornerback in the league.
Positioned at right corner, Jenkins will have the tall task of helping reduce the league-high 4,783 passing yards the Giants defense surrendered last year.