From the NFL to college to high school to fantasy football managers, everyone is looking for the next breakout star. Despite the reason, there are players that seem to come out of nowhere and become all the rage. In this article, I have three safeties heading into their 2nd year of the NFL, who I believe are the next breakout stars. Let's take a look at these three players and the impact they will have.
Andre Cisco, Jacksonville Jaguars
My first 2nd-year breakout safety is free safety Andre Cisco for the Jacksonville Jaguars. As a rookie Cisco played in all 17 games, making three starts on the year. He would only play 245 defensive snaps (22%) and 302 special teams snaps (69%) but would register 26 tackles, 19 being solos, with two PBUs and two forced fumbles on the season. Cisco is a ballhawk who plays aggressively and isn’t afraid to lay the wood when given the opportunity. Speaking of opportunity, Jacksonville has been one of the worst teams in the NFL the past few seasons and need to upgrade at several positions and safety is one of those.
Last season the Jaguars rolled with Rayshawn Jenkins and Andrew Wingard as their starting safeties. While both were solid plays for the Jaguars, neither of them really stood out or were difference makers. Cisco can be the impact player that Jacksonville needs in their secondary, whether it’s in coverage or against the run. In 24 career games at Syracuse, Cisco tallied 136 tackles and 13 interceptions, leading the NCAA with seven as a true freshman. He has the size, speed, and skill set to play either of the safety spots. Cisco is just too talented to not be on the field. At the very least I see him being involved in a heavy rotation if he doesn’t start.
Caden Sterns, Denver Broncos
My next 2nd-year breakout safety is Denver Broncos free safety Caden Sterns. In his rookie year, Sterns played in 15 games while making two starts. He played just 311 defensive snaps (32%) and 121 special teams snaps (34%) but I expect those totals to go way up this year for a couple of reasons. First, look at how productive he was with a limited snap count. Sterns produced 28 tackles, with 22 being solos, two TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, 2 interceptions, and five PBUs. He may not have been on the field much but when he was, he made an impact. This is the same type of play we saw from him at Texas where he had 173 tackles, 120 being solos, five interceptions, eight PBUs, 8½ TFLs, and two sacks.
The second reason I expect Sterns to break out is that Denver has to get younger at safety. They have veterans Kareem Jackson (33) and Justin Simmons (28) who have a lot of mileage on their tires. They were the Broncos' top two leading tacklers last season with both having 80 or more stops. Jackson played 897 snaps while Simmons played 1000+, so I have to imagine that Denver wants to dial back those numbers a little. That gives Sterns an opportunity to really take his game to the next level while helping the Broncos give their starters some relief. My final reason for the Sterns outbreak is that eleven in a limited role, he was much more impactful than Jackson last year and Denver will want to capitalize on that going forward.
Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco 49ers
My final 2nd-year breakout safety is San Francisco 49ers' strong safety Talanoa Hufunga. Unlike Cisco and Sterns above, Hufanga is set to be the clear-cut starter for San Francisco. Incumbent Jaquiski Tart is no longer with the team which immediately opened up a spot for a starter. Hufanga will be given every opportunity to take over this role and run with it. He played in 16 games last season while making three starts as a rookie. Hufanga received 395 snaps (41%) on defense and 237 snaps (59%) on special teams, which resulted in 32 tackles, 24 being solos, with one TFL, two PBUs, and one blocked punt.
Take those numbers and put them in the starting role that Tart had, and Hufanga clearly would outproduce him. Then when you factor in that Hufanga is seven years younger, it’s a no-brainer for San Francisco to reward him with this opportunity to be an impact player that they desperately need defensively. In 24 games at USC, Hufanga made an impact all over the field, as he finished his career with 203 tackles, 129 being solos, 16½ TFLs, 6½ sacks, four forced fumbles, four INTs, and eight PBUs. He is a balanced defender in both pass coverage and versus the run. He is the upgrade that San Francisco needed in their secondary.
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy.
