During the offseason, every avenue that covers football tries to put together features to fill the news void during the down times. In spite of the site’s negative reputation among some people, one of these features that I’ve often found myself enjoying is Pro Football Focus’ “Secret Superstars” series of articles.
The premise of the Secret Superstar is identifying an under the radar player on each team that makes a larger impact on the team’s performance than is typically acknowledged, either in league circles or even amongst the team’s own fan base.
These are often role players that the site identifies as figuring to step into a larger role in the future, but sometimes it does end up being a somewhat more prominent player, such as a starter.