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 7 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).
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans haven’t won two consecutive games since Weeks 10 and 11 of the 2022 season, and that start — which currently ties the all-time streak held by the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2018 — will continue after the Titans’ 27-24 loss to the Browns on Sunday. The Titans have some talent for a team that is short on the ball in a winning spirit. Jeffrey Simmons is the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman, or he’s on the very short list. And while their offense is problematic (Cam Ward’s development is… um… ongoing), running back Tony Pollard is doing his best to improve things.
Against the Browns, Pollard rushed the ball 25 times for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad against a Cleveland defense that ranks 11th in run defense DVOA, and Pollard now has 478 rushing yards on the season. That means he’s well on his way to maintaining his own personal record — from 2022 to 2025, he and Derrick Henry were the only NFL backs to gain more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons.
It was a complete game from Pollard, who ran around Cleveland’s defense, forcing five fumbles and adding four runs of 10 or more yards.
“We’re going to rely on our O-line to come out physical after the inning, run early, lean on those guys, block those guys up front,” Pollard said after the game.
Unfortunately for the Titans, it wasn’t enough — as most things aren’t. That’s how you go 1-6 after two consecutive 3-14 seasons.
Pollard is in the final year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract he signed through 2024, and the Titans could move him for a draft pick before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. If so, Pollard has boosted his value with his recent performances.
Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins
Speaking of teams that need the Hubble Space Telescope to see the postseason…
That wasn’t exactly a secret In the year The 2026 Miami Dolphins have taken a “tank year” to exorcise the personnel sins of previous administrations.And that it will not be beautiful in the near future. That put first-year GM John-Eric Sullivan and rookie coach Jeff Hafley in an awkward position, but all they could do was get as much talent as possible in the draft — Because they have $186,861,179 in dead cap on the booksThere isn’t much room for major free agency moves. You just have to take your medicine and move.
The results are predictable. The Dolphins enter Sunday’s game with an 0-5 record, and only one of those losses — a 15-10 Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings — was less than a touchdown. But after Week 6, these Dolphins came back and got their first win over the New York Jets 28-25.
The good news beyond the wins and losses is Miami’s 2026 draft class prospects. Offensive lineman Cadin Proctor, cornerback Chris Johnson, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, safety Michael Taaffe — there are difference makers on that team. Against the Jets, it was Texas Tech receiver Caleb Douglas, selected with the 75th overall pick in the third round. An ankle injury slowed Douglas’ NFL transition — he’d been out since Week 3 — but compared to the Jets, Douglas had the longest tenured receiver in the league. Douglas caught his first two NFL touchdown passes, and had it not been for a route misunderstanding with quarterback Malik Willis, Douglas would have caught more than 70 yards.
On his first touchdown, Douglas put cornerback Azareyeh Thomas through the middle of the Jets defense for seven yards and a 63-yarder.
“I think it’s good for our defense to get a chance to do that and give it some juice,” Willis said postgame of Douglas’ performance. “They always give us the juice. They gave us a lot of juice in this game. They made a couple of turnovers. Just to go out there and drive the field. . . . All these guys made plays from the run game to the pass game. And then I ended up having my son return for a touchdown. . . . He’s been gone for two weeks. I think it’s been great.”
As for Douglas, he’s just happy to be back in the fold.
“It’s just about keeping the team very calm and very calm. Knowing that we have a team – it’s just us
To clear small things and continue stacking and assume that victory will come. Now look, we got it
one.”
It will be a long journey back to true competitiveness for these Dolphins, but Sunday was arguably the beginning.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns
When the Browns selected Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with the 67th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 draft, Fannin was considered one of the new “big receiver” tight ends — ie. Blocking was not a big part of the package — and that was okay, because in his final collegiate season, Fannin caught 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns on 150 targets. The tape showed a player who could line up anywhere in the formation, and big plays soon followed.
Fannin was able to outperform his draft position in his rookie season. He had a Browns rookie record with 72 catches (Kevin Johnson held the record with 66) on 103 targets for 731 yards and six touchdowns. He was a key figure in Cleveland’s offense, despite his offense. Dead last in the NFL in offensive DVOA..
Things are looking much better for Fannin and the Browns in the new season — they’re up to 25th in offensive DVOA (hey, baby steps) following their 27-24 win over the aforementioned Tennessee Titans. That win moved them to 5-2 on the season and atop the AFC North.
Although the Browns scored on the ground in that game (two by Quinshawn Judkins and one by Deshaun Watson), Fannin was once again a key part of the score. Not only did he catch 6 passes for 91 yards on seven targets, but his blocking clearly showed his work. Several times in the game, Fannin made impressive blocks to open up gaps for Cleveland’s running backs, including a rushing touchdown from Watson and two from Judkins.
A 36-yard catch that set up Andre Smith’s game-winning field goal with 28 seconds left.Yes, we know that right tackle Dawn Jones had an obvious false start on the play), and Fannin makes a compelling case that he has become a complete tight end.
With all the explosive tight ends in the NFL these days, it’s good when any of them graduate to a multi-faceted role, and that’s what Fannin — now 25 on 35 targets for 257 yards and three touchdowns — did. And it’s good to see him rewarded for his work with more production. Following the one-game win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6, head coach Todd Monken explained to Fanny why he doesn’t get the ball as much as anyone would like.
“We tried to get a screen on him and he blew it, so we took care of it,” Monken said on Oct. 19. “That was early in the game, and that puts us on second-and-10. And sometimes the matchup isn’t good, like when they go dime and that’s (Ravens do-all-safety) Kyle Hamilton, we can make the play that he designed. And Sometimes the ball goes the wrong way and when we ask Harold if he’s done a good job, he’s a tool to try to get the ball.
Everyone knows Fanny’s game has improved, and you can expect more production as the season goes on — as long as opposing defenses don’t focus on him. as well a lot of.
