Injured Players Who Could Bounce Back

John DiBari Posted On May 19, 2019

It’s inevitable that during the course of every NFL season we lose hundreds of players to injury. If it seems like things are getting worse each season, you’re not wrong. Over the last four seasons, the total of players placed on injured reserve has steadily climbed, from 468 in 2015, to 496 in 2016, to 551 in 2017, and finally, 536 last year. That’s a staggering number.

In redraft, losing an early draft pick can put an end to your season before the bye weeks. Luckily for dynasty owners, we have the ability to place a player on our injured reserve list and move on and wait to get the player back next season. We saw several high-profile fantasy contributors miss time due to injury in 2018 and will take a look at some of the more notable names we can expect big things from in 2019.

Quarterback

Fantasy owners got pretty lucky last year. Alex Smith and Andy Dalton both finished the season on injured reserve, but for the most part, the position was relatively injury free at the top fantasy hierarchy. The only fantasy-relevant quarterback to miss time was the San Francisco 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jimmy Garoppolo, SF

Garoppolo closed out the 2017 season on a high note after being traded from the Patriots mid-season and earned himself a new, lucrative contract heading into 2018. With that contract came expectations for the next great fantasy quarterback. Unfortunately, Jimmy G tore his left ACL in the third game of the season. Garoppolo is expected to be back to 100% to start the 2019 season, and many are still expecting big things from him under Kyle Shanahan going forward.

If you extrapolated season-long numbers from the nine-game sample size with San Francisco, we would expect to see over 4,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns from Garoppolo in 2019. The team did add a few weapons for him via the draft and free agency, plus they can look forward to the return of the injured Jerick McKinnon as well (more on him later). With so many elite quarterbacks in the league today, it may be difficult for Garoppolo to crack the top-12 QB1 barrier, but he’s a QB2 with low-end QB1 upside if everything falls into place.

Running Back

Every season, running back is a bloodbath due to the nature of the position. Last year was no different with nearly 50 backs placed on injured reserve. Most were not fantasy relevant, but many were.

Jerick McKinnon, SF

One of the more significant free agent signings at running back last year was Jerick McKinnon signing with the 49ers. He was lost to an ACL injury before the regular season kicked off. I have my concerns that he is even a member of the 49ers this season, as his contract is not favorable to the team at this point. However, if he remains with the team, the upside from any running back in the Kyle Shanahan system is huge. It is a little concerning that the team also signed Tevin Coleman in the off-season, so there is a chance we see McKinnon’s breakout in another team’s uniform.

D’Onta Foreman, HOU

The Houston Texans were rumored to be in the running back market this off-season, but they didn’t address the position at all via the draft or free agency. Their lack of activity bodes well for third-year back Foreman. Foreman was a third-round selection in 2017 and was behind Alfred Blue in the pecking order since then. With Blue out of the picture, and Foreman reportedly healthy after Achilles surgery, we might be able to tentatively pencil him in for 150 carries and around 500 yards on the ground and another 20 receptions for another 150 yards.

Derrius Guice, WAS

Possibly the most notable injury at the position last year was the Redskins’ loss of rookie running back Derrius Guice during the preseason. Guice was the much-hyped RB2 in last year’s draft class behind Saquon Barkley. We never got a true taste of him on the field after getting hurt in his first pre-season game, so he’s essentially a rookie in 2019. There is a lot of untapped potential here, and the team primary attacked the offensive side of the ball in the draft.

Although they brought in Bryce Love and retained Adrian Peterson, if 100% healthy, Guice should be the team’s primary ball carrier, and if he lives up to expectations, may start stealing carries from the competition early in the year. Washington was middle of the pack in both rushing yards and attempts last year. The emergence of a healthy Guice could push both the team towards higher rushing totals.

Wide Receiver

We only saw one significant name miss time in 2018, but several essential role players found themselves on injured reserve last year. Years ago, this may not have mattered as much, but in the PPR world we live in, even bottom of the barrel fantasy receivers can be fantasy-relevant during bye weeks.

AJ Green, CIN

The most notable name we lost in 2018 was Cincinnati Bengals’ star wideout AJ Green. Green is going to turn 31 this summer, and he missed six games two seasons ago, so there is a chance father time is catching up to him. Green has averaged double-digit fantasy points per game throughout his career, and there’s no reason to think he won’t come back in 2019 and provide fantasy owners with anything less than a 70-1,000-5 stat line.

Emmanuel Sanders, DEN

Someone who seems to be flying under the radar a bit is the Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders. Much like Green, Sanders is on the wrong side of 30, but he brings a veteran presence to the Denver receiving corps which is staggeringly devoid of experience. The team has no one – NO ONE – with more than one year of wide receiver playing experience in the NFL. New quarterback Joe Flacco will need an experienced weapon he can trust, and Sanders should bounce back nicely in 2019 as a result.

Will Fuller, HOU

Fuller has averaged a touchdown on every 8.23 receptions during his three-year career. Injuries have limited him each season, and they will probably creep up again at some point, but when healthy, he’s been a reliable weapon for Deshaun Watson and the Texans. If he can stay on the field, I don’t think 40 receptions on 80 targets for 600 yards and five touchdowns is out of reach and he’s a must own in best ball leagues.

Cooper Kupp, LAR

Kupp missed half of 2018, but the team expects him to be ready to go in week one of 2019. If he does suit up for all 16 this year, Kupp could amass 1,000 yards on 70 receptions placing him in WR2 territory. His return may mean more for quarterback Jared Goff who finished as a surprising QB1 last season.

Geronimo Allison, GB

Guess what? With the departure of long-time Packer Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison is currently Aaron Rodgers’ number two weapon in the passing game. Allison missed most of last year but can bounce back in a big way after the Packers let Cobb go and didn’t draft or sign anyone to replace him. Allison was on pace to last year to post 64 receptions, 969 yards, and six scores. This year, there is no reason those are not attainable numbers for the fourth year player with 84 targets vacated from last year’s roster.

Tight End

46 tight ends landed on injured reserve in 2018. In what was nothing short of a dumpster fire of production at the position last year. That shouldn’t be very surprising as we lost several notable fantasy producers throughout the season.

Tyler Eifert, CIN

Here we go again, Tyler Eifert. Here we go again. When healthy, Eifert is one of the best fantasy tight ends in football. The problem is, he’s never healthy. Like, literally, never. Over his six-year career, he’s never played a full 16 games, and he’s only played nine or more games twice. You’re really rolling the dice if you are banking on him to stay healthy, but if you can magically get 12-plus games out of him, you may be rewarded handsomely.

OJ Howard, TB

Even only playing in ten games last season, Howard finished the season as a top-ten fantasy tight end in standard leagues. This season, healthy, and with Bruce Arians in as his new head coach, we may see Howard transform into the perennial top-12 tight end many thought he would become when he was drafted two years ago. Arians has a shaky history with the position, and Howard is still competing with Cameron Brate for targets, but the possibility for sky-high upside is there.

Hunter Henry, LAC

Henry missed all of 2018 but looks to return in a big way in 2019. A healthy Henry led the team in touchdowns as a rookie in 2016, and quarterback Philip Rivers has a history of targeting his tight ends, especially in the end zone. If Henry gets on the field for 16 games, 50 receptions for 600 yards is attainable. If you like bold predictions, he may also flirt with double-digit touchdowns.

Injuries are a part of football, and unfortunately part of fantasy football. On the plus side, injuries can create great buy-low opportunities for savvy owners. If you can correctly target the right players returning from injury, you can gain an edge over your competition. Taking advantage of an injury discount on draft day can be the difference between wrapping up your season in week 13 or playing for a championship in week 16.

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John DiBari

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

Like a true degenerate, John has over 20 years of fantasy experience across all sports. Nowadays he primarily focuses on dynasty and redraft football, fantasy golf, and fantasy hockey and has written about each across multiple platforms for nearly 5 years. He loves rookie mock drafts and can always find a negative, pessimistic angle on all your favorite players.