2024 Bounce Back Players

Josh Jacobs, RB

Here’s a guy who I really think suffered from some burnout in Las Vegas. The team wasn’t playing up to the level they had hoped to achieve, he was banged up, the offense was disjointed, and he dealt with a coaching carousel which we know always affects players’ production. Now he heads to greener pastures (see what I did there), and I think he will find a breath of fresh air and some fresh legs to go with it. Jacobs is a heavy runner who will fit well in the style of past Packer greats, but he’s also a guy with explosive play ability, like the guy they just lost in Aaron Jones. He comes in as a prototype, at least on paper, for what the Packers want out of their RB. A secure ball carrier who can make the right read, hit an open hole, run over a defender, and explode to the endzone. Jacobs will end the year flirting with the top 8 RBs on the season, leaving his RB27 finish from 2023 as a distant memory. (Cory Dows)

Kyler Murray, QB

This one seems easy because he is now heading into the season fully healthy, but I still feel he is being drafted too low. I feel like there is a cloud over Kyler from the last two seasons with him being injured and not playing football and people are already chalking him up as a bust in the NFL. Let us not forget how dominant Kyler is in fantasy when he is fully healthy. He was a QB1 in all of his first three seasons in the NFL before his injuries the past two years. Kyler came back last year and looked great and had 20 plus point games in half the games he played at the end of last season. He was doing this with a depleted WR core and really only Trey McBride. He now enters this season fully healthy with no limitations and also with the best rookie WR in Marvin Harrison Jr. The sky’s the limit for Kyler this season. (Scott Miln)

Cooper Kupp, WR

I know people are hot on Puka Nacua right now, and that’s leaving my boy Kupp in the dust! But here’s the thing, when Kupp was actually on the field last year, he was still effective. A WR41 finish last year is certainly sticking in some people’s minds, surely those who drafted him to be a stud for their teams, but my advice is to put the past aside and look forward to this season, where Kupp likely proves he can still play the WR position at a very high level. I expect him to finish in the backend WR1 to early WR2 range, and I think this is a very attainable outcome for him. He and Stafford continue to be on the same page, Puka is there drawing some coverage off of him, and Kyren Williams is coming into his own in the rushing game, giving the Rams some balance they’ve sorely lacked in recent memory. Everything is pointing towards a good season for Cooper Kupp in 2024. (Cory Dows)

Diontae Johnson, WR

I did take Diontae Johnson last year as my bounce back, but he started the season with an injury and he missed too many weeks, so might as well use him again. I am a massive Johnson fan and I assume you know that if you listen to our podcasts. He gets a new look with the Panthers this season and although it may not be an upgrade going from the Steelers to the Panthers, he is now the clear WR1 on the offense and no longer has to compete against George Pickens for targets. The Panthers did a lot of work this offseason to improve their offensive line and wanted Johnson to come in to be their top option. This team is still towards the bottom in the NFL, so we figure they will need to put the ball in the air more often than not. We need to remember that Johnson is one the best route runners in the NFL and usually always knows where to be. If he can get his TDs up from prior years, I do not see how he does not finish as a solid WR3. (Scott Miln)