When it comes to success in the NFL, superstars may dominate the conversation, but more often than not, it’s the guys you don’t know who make the plays needed. when is They are needed. Such players can be rated low for all reasons. Perhaps they play in a small market, and the media is not properly reporting their exploits. Maybe they’re hidden deep in the chart behind big names that might not do that much. Or, maybe a coach never knew that someone needed height to get the best results for the team.
Whatever the reason, we at SB Nation always love to bring you the most underrated names. Offseason hidden gems and the then-Secret Superstars series. You can also find the AFC and NFC Secret Superstars for the 2026 season. Right here.
Here are our AFC Secret Superstars for Week 6 of the 2026 regular season. And if you haven’t already, Download the new SB Nation appSo read our stuff better and join the conversation wherever you are!
(According to all advanced parameters Next Gen statistics, Pro football focus, Sports information solutionsAnd Summer sports unless otherwise).
Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
“I think Jaylin with any receiver, guys that touch the football, when they touch it enough and make some big plays…that’s what Jaylin did a lot at Iowa State College. You saw him make a lot of big plays, and over the last two weeks, it makes you work and play in those spots and big plays, on those footballs, on those balls. The confidence I’ve seen from Jaylin Noel, I’ve seen the confidence grow and let him do it.” I saw him make the plays we expected.
Houston Texans head coach Demeco Ryans had this to say about second-year third-round pick Jaylin Noel out of Iowa State last Friday, when asked how Noel is faring in Nick Caley’s offense. Noel was coming off a three-catch, 85-yard game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 and a five-catch, 41-yard, one-touchdown game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
Still, and especially after the recent trade for former Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who expected Noel to be the most lauded receiver in the Texans’ 34-31 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense at Wembley Stadium? Noel caught four passes for 107 yards and a touchdown on four targets and was an explosive play machine all over the field. Not Harrison, who caught three passes for 34 yards on four targets, and No. 1 receiver Nico Collins, who caught three passes for 74 yards on five targets. Winning the day was Noel, who is a good No. 2 receiver in any offense because of his versatility in the formation.
After the game, Ryans was more convinced that Noel had more to contribute.
“Jaylin Noel continues to make big play after big play every week,” Ryans said. He’s made a lot of plays for our team every time he’s had a chance. He’s had a 100-plus-yard, 100-yard day in his career today. He’s making explosive plays.
The Texans have won two straight games after an 0-4 start, and if this particular receiver trio can put things together at a new level, perhaps the comeback can continue.
Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
(Note: Tucker was the winner of this week’s AFC Secret Superstars poll. in the NFL food(where you can vote for both the AFC and the NFC each week for the third Secret Superstar).
Something very unusual happened in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 33-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Tight end Brock Bowers, who has set the NFL on fire through the first five weeks, caught just four passes for 70 yards on nine targets. These were all season lows for Bowers, in part because the Bills held him, and cornerback Christian Benford was dragging Bowers as much as possible from the start of the road. That allowed others to step up in Clint Kubiak’s passing game. Fellow quarterback Michael Myers had seven catches on nine targets for 95 yards, but the Raiders’ secret weapon here was receiver Trey Tucker, who caught five passes on seven targets for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn’t enough to slip by the Bills and Josh Allen’s recent superman performance, but it was the perfect performance for Cincinnati’s 2023 third-round pick, who in the eyes of some has been mistaken for a 5’9 slot receiver and about 185 pounds.
Turns out, Tucker can do a lot more than that. He had 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns on 90 targets in the Raiders offense during the 2025 season.
And it’s showing even more with Kubiak’s offense.
“I mean, it was great at first,” Kirk Cousins said of his post game when asked about his relationship with Tucker. “Great design by our coaches to get him in that open position. The second is he just can roll. I’ve played with DeSean Jackson, I’ve played with Aldrick Robinson, so I’ve played with 4.2 guys, he can roll. And I came off the field, ‘I think he’s faster than I thought.’ And there are times when I need to initiate, and he gets her. So, he showed me that again today, and when he finished it, I would go and get it.
“When a guy goes and makes a play like that, it starts to build trust and respect.”
Tucker is feeling the difference in his own play this season.
“I feel like every year, I’ve been pushed into something,” he said. “But that sudden change — I think my mindset coming into the season this year was different. I’m older. I’m a year older. I’ve been working on everything since the offseason, and every time I step on the field, I’ve had a different mindset. That comes with the whole year of preparation and the people on the field, and the people on the field that I want to play with, and obviously the confidence that the staff has in me.”
Well, faith is well earned. Especially when defenses decide to back up others in the Raiders offense. Tre Tucker is here to make you pay for that.
Jamel Dean, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
For a long time, Jamel Din was great (If it is permanently low) cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 2019 third-round pick out of Auburn was generally the same power multiplier as he was in the 2025 season, allowing 25 on 54 targets for 311 yards, 105 yards after a catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, five pass breakups and an opponent passer rating of 47.0% against teams’ defenses.
Apparently, that wasn’t enough for the Bucs, who decided to let Dean test the free agent market. The Steelers signed him to a three-year contract worth $36.75 million, including $12 million guaranteed. For such a player, Dean’s age (30) and injury history (he played 631 of 1,001 snaps last season) offered an understandable bargain for his overall value.
Still, the Steelers need veteran leadership and on-field knowledge at the cornerback position, and with Dean, they got both. Dean missed Week 4 and Week 5 with an ankle injury, but it’s safe to say he was excited for last Sunday’s game between the Steelers and the Bucs.
In his first game against his former team, Dean was tested – a lot. The Bucs have targeted quarterback Jalon Daniels 11 times on 43 pass attempts and Dean has allowed four catches for 48 yards, five yards after a catch, no touchdowns, one interception, six pass breakups and an opponent passer rating of 12.7. Those six pass deflections were the most in a single game in recorded Steelers history..
Daniel repeatedly tries to tempt the veteran, and Dean repeatedly says, “No soup for you!” he said. Dean was mostly on Emeka Egbuka, but whoever covered him, the results would have been less than favorable for the Buccaneers overall…
… Who should have known better.
To his credit, after the Steelers’ 26-19 victory, Dean was all class. He spoke highly of Tampa Bay head coach Todd Boles, who was Dean’s defensive coordinator from 2019-2021 and the head coach after that.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” Dean said of the entanglement. via Fox Sports’ Greg Ohman. “For the first time, I could be on the opposite side to see what that experience was like. At the same time, I was like, ‘I guess I have to go against the guy who taught me the game of football.’
“I don’t want his lessons to go to waste, he knows that everything he taught me has translated to another organization, so I am proud of him.
One can imagine that Bowles would be proud of his former student… mixed with a bit of sad regret. Dean may not be an all-around player at this point in his career, but the Steelers could do a lot worse with a cornerback who needs to be on the pitch count. And when he is 100%, look at the negligence.
