If there's one thing that everyone loves, it's a comeback. Okay, folks actually like to watch prominent people fail miserably and then stage a comeback, but hey, we aren't perfect as a species.
Far from it.
It's a little different with professional athletes, at least where fans of their teams or fantasy managers with shares of said players are concerned. There's no enjoyment to be had when a prominent player faceplants—just rage and disappointment. However, if that same player rebounds the following year, all that anger turns to joy. A player they once wanted to strangle, they now want to hug.
I mean, who can forget the saga of Shane Falco? After his miserable performance in the 1996 Sugar Bowl and a cup of coffee in the NFL, "Footsteps" was a laughingstock. A punchline. But when Falco led a ragtag band of Washington Sentinels past Dallas and into the playoffs a few years later, he became America's darling.
That's how heroes are made.
It's going to be the same story with these players in fantasy football. All were disappointments a year ago, whether due to injury or just poor performance. Some have let down fantasy managers for multiple seasons. But this year is going to be different, loyal reader. This year, the stars are going to align. These players are going to rebound like a Superball dropped from a fifth-floor window. And managers who catch that bounce-back on draft day will be happier than Jimmy McGinty.
2026 Fantasy Bounce-Back Candidates
QB Jaxson Dart, NY Giants
Dart looks the part of a quarterback from a Hollywood movie—his dual-threat ability and tough-as-nails attitude endeared him to Giants fans from the jump. But Dart's willingness to put his body in harm's way cost him three games, and at the end of his first season, Dart was just a so-so 17th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks.
Odds are good that new Giants head coach John Harbaugh has spent much of his first offseason attempting to convince Dart that discretion is the better part of valor. That's the key with the youngster—just keeping Dart on the field. If that happens, the sky's the limit for the former Ole-Miss standout—only Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills had more games with a passing and rushing touchdown last year than Dart.
QB Kyler Murray, Minnesota
We might as well just put it out there—Murray's last few seasons in Arizona were not ideal. The first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has missed 21 games over that span and won more games of Call of Duty than he did NFL starts. There's a reason why the 28-year-old is being paid over $35 million to play for another team in 2026.
But Murray landed in a best-case situation with the Vikings. We have already seen what Minnesota head coach Kevin O' Connell can do with a reclamation project under center. Murray will be playing on an offense that includes a plethora of passing-game weapons headlined by Justin Jefferson. And we have seen Murray post elite fantasy numbers before. All he has to do is beat out J.J. McCarthy—and even Shane Falco could do that.
RB Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland
Judkins was a second-round pick of the Browns a year ago, and playing on a woeful offense he had to fight for every yard—Judkins came close to 1,000 total yards, but he had just one 100-yard game and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Then the former Ohio State standout broke his leg and dislocated his ankle in a Week 16 loss to Buffalo, and just like that, his rookie year was over.
Judkins was on the field for Cleveland's first round of voluntary workouts, which is an encouraging sign regarding his health. The Browns took a buzzsaw to the offensive line this season, adding four new starters. The quarterback position in Cleveland remains a major question mark, but Judkins is going to be a focal point offensively. If Cleveland gets even competent play under center, Judkins will smash his asking price this year.
RB David Montgomery, Houston
To be fair, it's not like Montgomery was bad the past few years in Detroit—the 28-year-old has a whopping 33 rushing scores over that span, and Montgomery was a top-20 running back in PPR points as recently as two years ago. But last year Montgomery logged a career-low 158 carries as Jahmyr Gibbs' sidekick in Motown and finished outside the top-25 running backs in fantasy points.
There won't be any more of that Robin nonsense now, though—Montgomery is Batman again. The eighth-year veteran was traded to Houston in the offseason, where he will ostensibly be the lead back for a playoff contender in the Texans. His per-touch effectiveness isn't great (4.1 yards per carry for his career), but the last time that Montgomery saw over 200 carries, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and finished 17th in PPR points among running backs.
He'll best that mark in 2026. Book it.