After nominating our favorite sleepers going into the biggest fantasy football draft weekend before the 2024 NFL season, our Fantasy Life staff thought it would be a good idea to dive into players who are good candidates to bounce back in the 2024 season.

This could be players who are coming off injuries or just didn’t have a very good season last year and are primed for a return to their past performance. All these players have been in the league several seasons, and have had good success in years prior. Will they reach those heights again? Let’s find out. 

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Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

As I noted in my piece breaking down my favorite season-long WR props, Higgins last year played only 12 games and was hampered with rib and hamstring injuries throughout the campaign. Additionally, QB Joe Burrow struggled with a calf strain in the first month of the season and then missed much of the second half with a wrist injury.

The result for Higgins was a subpar performance marked by career lows in targets (76) and receiving yards (656).

But in his three prior seasons, Higgins was a consistent and productive pass-catcher.

• 2020 (16 games): 108 targets | 908 yards
• 2021 (14 games): 110 targets | 1,091 yards
• 2022 (16 games): 109 targets | 1,029 yards

Given that Burrow and Higgins are both healthy entering the season, we should likely see the Bengals’ offense return to form, and that probably means around 110 targets and 1,000 yards receiving for Higgins with room for upside if teammate WR Ja'Marr Chase decides to sit out some games because of his displeasure with his current contract. –Matthew Freedman

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J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

Dobbins' injury history has been brutal.

• 2021: ACL tear, LCL tear, Hamstring tear
• 2023: Achilles tear

While that certainly impacts my confidence in Dobbins, he will only be 25 and was one of the most explosive backs in the league over his first two seasons.

• 10-plus yard attempts: 16% vs. NFL average of 10%
• Missed tackles forced: 20% vs. 16%
• Average yards after contact: 3.3 vs. 2.7

Offseason reports indicate Dobbins looks excellent. If he is even 70% of what he once was, he could smash in fantasy football playing behind an offensive line loaded with first-round NFL talent and a coaching staff committed to running the football. If he is near 100%, look out.

Dobbins is one of my favorite late picks in fantasy, and I prefer him over Gus Edwards. –Dwain McFarland

Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers

Johnson had a down year on his way out of Pittsburgh and now we have to factor in “the Panthers of it all.” So I get all the consternation.

But before you write off his upside, let’s not forget that dusty old Adam Thielen was the WR3 through the first six games of the 2023 season. Johnson’s not just significantly younger, he also fills the Panthers’ glaring need for an elite separator in their receiving corp.

Diontae should make life much easier for Bryce Young and I expect him to become the QB’s top target. 150 targets and borderline Top 12 production is very much on the table. Let’s just hope he’s hungry enough. –Jake Trowbridge

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you are looking for a darkhorse player to finish as a WR1 (top 12) and is going in the seventh round, Chris Godwin is your guy. Over the last three seasons, he's averaged:

• 133 targets
• 95 receptions
• 1,050 receiving yards

Yes, playing alongside Mike Evans means you may never be the No. 1 option in the passing game, but you also won't be the No. 1 priority for opposing defenses. Much of the hype surrounding Godwin this offseason has been his moving back to the slot.

Liam Coen comes over to Tampa Bay as the new OC. He most recently worked with Sean McVay and the Rams, and played a key role in the massive success Cooper Kupp has had in recent years.

Reports are that Godwin is already in midseason form. If there's even a chance he takes over the Kupp role this fall, the sky's the limit for the savvy, veteran wideout. –Sam Wallace

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Pollard will undoubtedly share work with Tyjae Spears, but I don’t necessarily see this as being a true 50/50 split. The former Cowboy is the bigger back (215 pounds to 195 pounds), which makes him the likely favorite to see more I5 (inside the 5) carries. He's also been an elite receiver for much of his career, posting yards per reception averages of 8.6 and 9.5 in 2021 and 2022. In the preseason, Pollard played four drives and recorded four receptions on four targets, for 38 yards (9.5 yards per catch). 

The Titans are a polarizing team, but they have a new offensive-minded head coach and an offense that could outperform if everything goes as planned. Pollard may have more competition for touches than he did last year in Dallas but his current 97.6 ADP on Underdog is also about 75-80 spots higher than it was at this time last year. Even if Pollard has just a slight edge in usage over Spears it could boost his numbers back into RB1 territory in a flash making him a prime bounce-back candidate for 2024, and a player who could return huge value from the middle rounds of drafts. –Geoff Ulrich

Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers

Let me be very clear—I love and respect Dwain. And I also love Dobbins this year. You can draft both! You don’t have to choose between us!

My case for Edwards is a little too simple—he thrived in the Greg Roman system. He would start seasons as No. 3 on the depth chart behind Justice Hill and Dobbins, and then suddenly emerge, put up a 5.3-ish YPC, and carry your fantasy team from Halloween to Christmas. Last year he lost about a yard per carry in the Monken system; the only thing different was Roman being gone. So then Roman gets named OC for the Chargers and he brings Edwards and Dobbins over with him. Bringing one I could understand, it happens all the time. Bringing two? Relatively unheard of. 

The beauty of it all is you draft Edwards as your RB2 in most setups. Dobbins shows up as you’re filling out your bench. This is a no-lose situation with two backs in a system they know and thrived in. Yes, there’s no Lamar Jackson but dial back Roman’s career as an OC and he has been top 5 in rush attempts more than he hasn’t. The guy runs. And you can get two of his favorite RBs at a massive discount. Get both, thank us later. –Ferdinando DiFino

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Well, this feels weird to say as a Puka Nacua lover girl, but I think Cooper Kupp is a bounceback candidate this season. It wasn’t long ago that he was looking down upon literally every other NFL receiver in the league from the top of the fantasy rankings. How quickly we forget. 

2019: 1,161 yards, 10 TDs

2020: 974 yards, 3 TDs

2021: 1,947 yards, 16 TDs

While he was inactive due to injuries for a large portion of 2022, Kupp still managed five top-10 finishes at the position in his nine games played. Similarly, in 2023 he finished top 5 in three of his 11 games played. Kupp still has the potential to put up elite performances … when he’s healthy. 

But that’s the catch, isn’t it? Will Kupp remain healthy? That, and how will things shake out with Nacua on the field? But there has been enough consistency in their targets/usage for one to argue both dawgs have room to succeed. Woof, woof!

For me, it comes down to this: Kupp has the potential for another 1,000+-yard, multiple-TD season. Currently going in the late fourth round, Kupp can be your WR3, with the potential to put up WR1 numbers some weeks. It’s bounceback season, baby! –Cooterdoodle

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

So I’m not exactly going out on a huge limb here. Taylor is coming off the board as the No. 5 RB in Underdog drafts, and he’s a borderline first-round pick in redraft leagues. However, I think Taylor has the potential to outperform all running backs not named Christian McCaffrey.

It was just three years ago when Taylor led the league with 2,171 scrimmage yards and 20 total touchdowns. That was before hooking up with Shane Steichen, who is an absolute genius when it comes to scheming the running game. Playing next to Anthony Richardson should also open up huge run lanes.

I get the appeal of drafting Bijan Robinson or Breece Hall—two young studs with excellent upside—but give me Taylor over both of them. –Matt LaMarca

Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

Tyler Bass had his worst fantasy football finish of his four-year career in 2023. It was also his worst field goal percentage since his rookie year, converting on just 81.6% of field goals. The Bills' entire offense took a step back in 2023, producing their lowest average points per game since Bass joined the team in 2020. 

I expect Buffalo’s offense to take a step forward and for Bass’ field goal percentage to regress to the mean, propelling him back into the top-12 kicker finish we’re used to. –Linda Godfrey

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos

Just two years ago, Williams was a second-round pick in fantasy drafts with a good number of fantasy analysts saying he had upside to finish as one of the top running backs in our game. Then a multi-ligament knee injury, including a torn ACL, ended Williams’ 2022 season early, and put a big damper on his 2023 prospects. Somehow, Williams played an entire season and handled 264 touches and lumbered to 1,002 scrimmage yards, but he didn’t look right. His yards after contact dropped from 694 his rookie year in 2021 to 588 last year. 

Here’s where the good news comes in. Williams finished the season healthy and had a full offseason to train for football instead of rehab from a major injury. Dr. Edwin Porras pointed out that NFL RBs in Year 2 coming off ACL surgery improve dramatically in missed tackles forced and receptions per game, two areas where Williams excelled in pre-injury. Porras and Dr. Matthew Betz recently talked about Williams as an RB2 target this year as he’s still young (24) and healthy nearly two years post-op. Williams is also the only RB in Denver who could handle a three-down role and has slimmed down during the offseason. Going off the board around pick 100 in Yahoo ADP, Williams is an RB2 target of mine and will smash his draft price with 250+ touches. –Jorge Martin

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