It is almost July, which means fantasy owners are back to prepping for another season. With training camp still a month away, now is a good time to take a look at some players who had a good 2017, but struggled in 2018, and are now expected to bounce back in 2019. Here are the top bounce-back candidates for the 2019 season
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Top Fantasy Bounce Back Candidates
Leonard Fournette
Coming off a great rookie campaign, Fournette’s sophomore season was plagued by injuries and suspension. He ended the season as the RB40 according to Fantasy Pros. There is a reason to believe that Fournette should bounce back in a big way next season, however. Fournette averaged over 15 fantasy points per game, which made him a top 15 running back in points per game. The potential for points is still there, especially after Jacksonville upgraded their offensive line and quarterback. They also did not resign T.J. Yeldon, Carlos Hyde, or Corey Grant. Fournette should be in line for 20+ touches per game. As long as he stays healthy, a top 10 season could be in line for the LSU alum.
David Johnson
Johnson is probably the most obvious bounce-back candidate. He was still RB9 last year playing with a terrible offense and a coaching staff that misused him completely. Now, he gets offensive guru Kliff Kingsbury and a new mobile quarterback in Kyler Murray. Johnson has said that his goal is still to have a 1,000/1,000 season, and in this new look Arizona offense, that is entirely possible. Johnson has the potential to be a top five running back in 2019.
Allen Robinson
After a relatively quiet season, Robinson is poised to skyrocket back into fantasy glory. Another year in Matt Nagy’s system will only do good things for both him and pro bowl quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Robinson finished last season as WR40 and only appeared in 13 games. A fully healthy season could put Robinson into the top 20 of fantasy wideouts this coming season.
O.J. Howard
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end was on his way to fantasy stardom last year, but injuries forced him to play only 10 games. Howard still finished as TE14 and was TE6 in points per game. He gets a full off-season to recover and also gets Bruce Arians as his head coach. Arians is a large addition to help get the best out of Howard’s quarterback, Jameis Winston. A top-five tight end season could be on the way from Howard, assuming he stays healthy.
Cam Newton
Newton finished as QB12 last season after playing just 14 games. It seemed as if none of those games were fully healthy games for Newton either. Now, after a full off-season of rehab and getting his body right, Newton should be in store for a large comeback. He gets another year of Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Greg Olsen, plus the Panthers added Chris Hogan in free agency. Newton’s rushing is always what appeals fantasy owners the most, but his passing should improve this year as well. Expect a top 10 season from Newton in 2019.
