Three Injured Players Primed For A 2025 Bounce Back

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Hims:

Last season, the Injury Gods did not play nice with a lot of our key fantasy football contributors. While some running backs went down in 2024, it was hard not to notice how many talented wide receivers' seasons were cut short. We won't go through all the names because I don't want you all to start crying over your morning coffee, but let's just say it was BAD.

Now that we're another week closer to training camp and fantasy drafts are starting to ramp up, a big question that many drafters will face is whether the outlook for certain players looks good enough to draft at cost.

I know this will shock many of you, but I'm not a doctor (GASP). It's critical before going into drafts to really have a sense of where certain players are in their rehab process and then ask yourself if you're willing to "risk" a draft pick on a player whose timeline may not put them on track for Week 1 production.

Now, not all players are on the same trajectory, so today we're going through a few key players who went down with injuries in 2024 and not only breaking down their ADP, but also giving an update on their potential returns. Should we draft them? Will it be risky? Let's find out …

Brandon Aiyuk: Now, since I am an Arizona State Sun Devil, I will need to put my bias aside when it comes to Aiyuk. He tore his right ACL and MCL last October and had surgery in November. The 49ers and Aiyuk's surgeons have given drafters hope about his progress in rehab, but there's still no clear timeline for return. He's going off the board as WR46 and is Fantasy Life's consensus WR43. With Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall in the mix, there's no reason to rush Aiyuk back. Be cautious when targeting him this offseason, as there's a chance he starts the season on the PUP list.

Stefon Diggs: Last season with the Texans, Diggs was on pace for a pretty solid fantasy season before tearing his ACL in October. He has told reporters before that he is ahead of schedule in the rehab process, but what does his fantasy season look like now that he's a New England Patriot? Diggs will be 32 in November, but he should be the clear WR1 in this offense with (hopefully) an even better version of Drake Maye. I think we should temper expectations, but at his current WR44 price tag, I'm in on sprinkling him onto some of my fantasy teams—that price has his age and injury history fully baked in.

Dak Prescott: Do NOT roll your eyes here, we have to talk about Dak Prescott! Yes, 2024 was bad, and he went down in Week 9 after he tore his hamstring, but taking his injury into account and the fact that he has a new weapon in George Pickens, maybe not all is lost? He has a ceiling projection from Dwain McFarland of 283 passing yards and 18.9 rushing yards per game. He's a little too expensive on Underdog for me (QB14), but there is a path to fantasy success for Prescott in 2025.

How A Mint Can Help With Your Hair Loss

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We all love stats here, so let me share a couple you may enjoy: 72% of “chew” customers have noticed reduced balding since starting treatment through Hims.* And 71% of chew customers have noticed “thicker, fuller looking hair” since starting treatment through Hims.*

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Give Love Another Shot

We’re talking about Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love, for the record—but hey, we support whatever quest for love you decide to embark on. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Anyways, Love’s price is the lowest we’ve seen in over a year in both redraft and dynasty drafts, and Jonathan Fuller says there’s no better time to buy …

“It’s easy to forget that we’ve only had two years of Jordan Love as a starting QB in the NFL because he spent his first two seasons as a backup. Fantasy managers also seem to have collective amnesia for just how great Love was in his first season as a starter, throwing for 4,158 yards and 32 TDs to finish as the QB6 in fantasy points per game.

Last year was definitely a step back in terms of his headline stats, but Love suffered an MCL sprain in Week 1 that caused him to miss the next two games and seemed to limit his mobility for the rest of the season. The Green Bay offense was also extremely run-heavy last year, ranking 30th in pass rate over expectation for the season. As a result, 2024 was close to the worst possible scenario for Love's fantasy value, and he still finished as the QB16 in fantasy points per game.

Love is currently being valued as a fringe QB1 in most dynasty startups, where he is generally selected in the QB11-QB14 range. This puts him towards the end of a tier with other young QBs who have flashed upside but aren't established stars yet (think Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix). Being one of the cheapest options of that tier makes Love a priority target for me in startup drafts and a great option for dynasty managers who prioritize other positions in the early rounds.”

So, trust Jonathan. Give love another shot.

Who else should you be targeting in dynasty startups? ⬇️

WHICH TWO WR TEAMMATES ARE TARGETS?

Can Bryce Young Rise To Greater Heights?

It was one of the great turnarounds in recent memory. Bryce Young was benched after two games of uneven play, then got the job back five weeks later and didn’t let it go. He looked different—in a good way—and didn’t give the job back. He even finished the season with a 5-TD performance in Week 18. Sign of things to come? Could he now be a play in superflex leagues?

Ian Hartitz keeps on keeping on with his team preview series featuring the Panthers, highlighting Young’s chances of continuing his great finish into this year, and how it could impact Tetairoa McMillan’s rookie year. Chuba Hubbard is back and appears healthy, ready to try and hold off newcomer Rico Dowdle for the bell cow role in this rising offense. Find out more below. ⬇️

YOUNG CAN HELP THE OFFENSE REACH A NEW LEVEL

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds.

👀 Opportunity is knocking, and these pass-catching rooms have a ton of it.

📺 Buy, Sell, or Hold? 10 players to consider.

🤔 Why is Alvin Kamara so cheap? Have drafters not learned??

📝 The landscape of late-round stacks is changing. The top four to target.

🚀 More shootouts in Cincy? You bet.

🐻 Who could be the 2025 version of the 2024 Bears? Candidates for Most Dysfunctional Team.

🤣 Eight seconds of your day you won’t get back. Worth it, though.

👋 Hey there, neighbor. Or is it Naber?

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