When you are talking about potential, it may be helpful to clarify if you mean the short term or the long term.
In either instance, I would suggest doing some basic fundamental analysis. Who is the team, what is the problem, what is the technology, are there other teams working to solve a similar problem. Etc. This is an incredibly important step that many people do not take.
This is a good resource to get started because it will explain the top 100 or so coins in simple English. I use it because I can sort by category too. I have been really getting into platform and social coins recently.