We call love come-backs, so this time, let’s look at the top five players most likely to produce as they have in the past this coming NFL season.
Kyle Rudolph
Rudolph is set up to be one of the better value picks in this draft. Contrary to popular belief, The Viking tight end has top 5 potential yet is hardly in top 10 consideration in most early draft rankings. Owners from last year may be a little bitter because he was coming off of a season in which he received 131 targets. His total target count dropped to 81 in 2017 which is undeniably significant in total opportunity. Even though it would seem that Rudolph’s role in the offense is trending downward, that is simply not the case. It was clear the Vikes wanted to utilize his physical skill-set more exclusively in the red zone and let Stefon Diggs and Adam Theilen do most of the damage between the 20’s. You can expect this trend to continue in 2018 with Kirk Cousins at the helm. Cousins has consistently targeted the tight end position throughout his career and “The Red Zone Reindeer” is the best talent he has had since Jordan Reed. The only difference is that Kyle Rudolph can actually stay healthy.
Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon was one of the most controversial picks in the 2017 fantasy draft. The RB has all the talent in the world, 
but came with question marks with respect to his opportunity share. When the chance finally came, Mixon had a tough tie, averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry. A lot of people would be quick to fault the offensive line for his struggles yet that should quickly be debunked by the fact that fellow Bengals RB Giovanni Bernard was able to average nearly an entire yard more per attempt(4.4). The truth is Mixon was looking better towards the end of the season even averaging 5ypc through the final 4 games of the season. Most recently news came out that he shed 10 lbs this offseason and is looking to come back stronger than ever. You should always take note of any rusher who loses a significant amount of weight. It normally improves both quickness and elusiveness. Mixon is primed for a bounce back year and the Bengals plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed.
Jameis Winston
The best thing about this year’s fantasy draft is just how deep the QB position is. With players like Matt Ryan being drafted as QB17 and Derek Carr being drafted as QB21, there is absolutely no reason to draft a quarterback early. One of the biggest bounce-back candidates at the QB position is Jameis Winston. Highly regarded as a breakout candidate in 2017, he fought through early injuries and struggled with inconsistencies in the offense. This caused Winston to disappoint his owners based on the expectations everybody had entering the season. It’s hard to imagine Jameis was 100% healthy when on the field but even considering that he still finished the season extremely strong. Over his final five games when returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for an entire month he averaged 317 yards, 2 touchdowns to just 1 interception. Winston accomplished that while maintaining a 67% completion percentage. Is it more likely that Winston was incredibly lucky end to the season or is it more likely he was playing injured during the early part of the season? His draft price doesn’t require an early round investment and if he picks up where he left off in 2017, he would finish the season with over 5,000 yards and 29 TDs.
Randall Cobb
Nobody will be excited to draft Cobb this season. He has the stigma of a player who will be drafted not because he is targeted but because there wasn’t a better player available. It may not feel good but it is a very smart pick. Both Jimmy Graham and Davante Adams have been mainly red zone weapons as of late and this team is going to need someone to target between the 20’s. That is where Cobb will make up most of his production. This makes him much more valuable in PPR formats but that isn’t to say he should only be drafted in those formats. Cobb has had multiple seasons with 8 or more touchdowns. Unsurprisingly those seasons came in two of the three years he was targeted over 100 times. There is almost no doubt 100 targets are coming Cobb’s way. In Aaron Rodgers first game back from injury Cobb had 14 targets compared to Adam’s 7. Cobb isn’t a glamorous pick but it’s one that will undoubtedly return value.
Dalvin Cook
Dalvin Cook comes in as the second Viking on this list and has something to prove this year. The Vikings rusher averaged an incredible 111 all-purpose yards per game through the first four weeks. An ACL tear ended his season but that is no reason to fear owning him in 2018. Jerrick McKinnon is now a 49er which leaves a huge opportunity for Cook in the passing game. Clearly Dalvin Cook should not be given as much volume as he received in 2017 but that is where Latavius Murray comes in. The Vikings have a history of successfully using two backs but unlike the Asiata/ McKinnon duo, Cook will likely still receive early down and goal line work. Cook possesses incredible ball carrier vision and has the ability to bust out big plays every time he touches the ball. Had it have not been for the injury in 2017 he would likely be drafted ahead of Gordon and Fournette.
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