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Pro Football Focus runs a series every year about who each team's 'Secret Superstar" is. Such players are "underutilized up-and-comers, the vets who’ve toiled away and finally had something of a breakthrough, and the rest of the non-household names who might deserve a shot at more snaps in the coming year."
They ran their piece on the Arizona Cardinals and selected running back Andre Ellington, entering his second year.
Arizona Cardinals fans don't think he is any secret anymore. After being underutilized early in the season, he became a dual threat running back/receiver.
As a running back, he was second in the league at yards per carry after contact and had the fifth best elusive rating, according to PFF grades.
As a receiver, he has the 11th-highest receiving grade among running backs and was targeted about half the time while lined up as a receiver.
In 2014, he becomes more of a focus. He will be the starting running back and head coach Bruce Arians has quipped about giving him 30 touches a game (that is clearly hyperbole).
The reality is that he will probably be utilized in the same manner as he was in the second half of 2013 -- he will get between 10-15 carries as a back and targeted five or so times as a receiver. The addition of running back Jonathan Dwyer screams "Rashard Mendenhall carries."
Ellington is a good pick because he will be much more prominent in 2014, but that doesn't make him any sort of secret. The cat has been out of the bag for a while.
Of course, PFF has had more misses than hits when predicting such stars. They were right about Dan Williams, but when they dubbed David Carter and Bobby Massie as their secret superstars, only to see them sit on the bench.
What so you expect from Ellington in 2014? Will he really be used more? Will it be the same as the last part of last season? Will he be better, the same or will his production drop off a little bit as teams now know who he is?