Fantasy Football 2024: Bounce-Back Players and Sleepers to Target in Mock Drafts

When an NFL star has a disappointing season, it's hard for fantasy football managers to feel anything other than...well, disappointment.

That's only true in the moment, though.

Move away from that initial letdown, and it's possible that one down season simply set the stage for a bounce-back effort. And since that underwhelming effort is almost always factored into a player's fantasy draft cost, there is real bargain potential if you're able to spot the bounce-back before it happens.

Speaking of which, let's look at three players who could be on track for their own redemption stories this season.

There are reasons to be skeptical of Kirk Cousins' outlook for the 2024 season. Namely, that he's a 36-year-old recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered midway through the 2023 campaign.

However, based on his average draft position (131st overall, 19th at quarterback, per FantasyPros), that skepticism is being overblown.

Prior to the injury, Cousins was perhaps en route to his best season set. He had thrown for 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns on 69.5 percent passing with only five interceptions. Only six players (five quarterbacks and Christian McCaffrey) had tallied more fantasy points.

Obviously, Cousins is gone from the Minnesota Vikings now and therefore away from Justin Jefferson, but the Falcons happen to have young, dynamic playmakers at every spot: Drake London at receiver, Bijan Robinson at running back and Kyle Pitts at tight end. If Cousins' health holds up, he just might pick up right where he left off.

Last season was rough for Tee Higgins, as he battled the injury bug and felt the absence of Joe Burrow.

This season could be a massive turnaround.

Burrow is back, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon are gone and there are real questions about who will emerge as the third option in the passing game. Higgins should be locked in as No. 2, though, and that has served him well before. Between 2020 and 2022, he never finished with fewer than 108 targets, 908 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was a top-20 fantasy receiver in both 2021 and 2022.

Yet, now he's barely being drafted as a top-60 player (57th overall) or top-30 receiver (28th). His draft cost feels like the kind of massive sale that's too good to ignore.

Javonte Williams admittedly underwhelmed last season, but it's important to remember that was his first year back from the ACL tear that cut short his 2022 campaign.

Would it shock anyone if he just needed a full season to find his legs?

Apparently so, as Williams isn't being drafted until 82nd overall (28th at running back). That could be a massive discount for someone with as good of a chance as any to lead Denver's backfield. Sure, Jaleel McLaughlin and fifth-round rookie Audric Estime could factor into the equation, too, but the Broncos leaned heavily on Williams last season (264 touches in 16 contests) despite his inefficiency.

What will they do if he winds up flashing the form he showed as a rookie in 2021? Because that season he managed 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven scores despite being stuck in a timeshare with Melvin Gordon. Now further removed from that ACL tear, Williams could be headed toward much bigger numbers than his draft cost would suggest.