One key to enjoying a successful fantasy football draft is finding value. Oftentimes, the best place to look is at players who disappointed the season before. Which players are poised to bounce back in 2020?
The ESPN Fantasy Football virtual summit highlighted many key storylines as we look forward to 2020 fantasy football drafts. Our composite rankings, which will be updated throughout the offseason, are always a great starting point as you prepare for draft day. But in order to give you a peek behind the curtain for some of our best discussions, we introduce our fantasy football roundtable series.
Each entry will feature members of our ESPN Fantasy team offering their analysis on the hottest topics that came out of this year's summit, which will hopefully get you thinking about how you want to approach your drafts in the months ahead.
Who is your favorite bounce-back candidate this season?
Stephania Bell: WR Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
This category is hard for me, because I'm always rooting for the guy who's coming back from a big injury. In that regard, I am rooting for A.J. Green, and if he and Joe Burrow can mesh quickly, that's a possibility. But ... I think it more likely goes to Odell Beckham Jr. with a better season from Baker Mayfield under the guidance of new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Matthew Berry: RB Le'Veon Bell, New York Jets
I expect the Jets' offense to be a lot better this season with a healthy Sam Darnold, and despite Bell's inefficiency, he has very little competition and should once again see a massive workload. The Jets overhauled their offensive line this offseason, signing three linemen prior to the draft and then selecting truck-pushing Mekhi Becton 11th overall. Remember, even in a lost season, Bell posted six top-10 weekly finishes at the position in 2019.
Matt Bowen: QB Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Mayfield finished as QB20 in fantasy scoring last season. But under new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, I see Mayfield making a jump forward in a heavily schemed passing game that leans on play-action throws. With the addition of tight end Austin Hooper and scripted deep balls to open windows, Mayfield can post lower-tier QB1 numbers in deeper leagues.
Mike Clay: WR Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Thielen was a top-10 fantasy WR in both 2017 and 2018, and sat in ninth prior to his Week 7 injury last season. He turns 30 this year and missed six games in 2019, but durability isn't a big concern for a player who missed zero games during his first five seasons. He's positioned for a massive target share with Stefon Diggs no longer in the picture and feels like a near-lock for a bounce-back season.
Tristan H. Cockcroft: TE Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
This is mainly because of how much the Colts' new quarterback. Philip Rivers, relies on his tight ends. Rivers' career 1.1 end zone targets per game to tight ends is third most among active quarterbacks, and let's not forget that Doyle was one of the most productive at his position in fantasy the last time he worked with a TE-reliant quarterback in Andrew Luck (1.2 career average).
Daniel Dopp: WR Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
Even in my wildest dreams of spectacular failure, it would've been hard to imagine OBJ finishing outside the top 10 in 2019, but it happened. Those who put their faith in Odell watched him finish as WR25, with career lows in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns (not including the 2017 season, in which he played four games). I can't see a way that happens again. OBJ and the Browns are too talented to repeat last season's abysmal performance. Beckham will return to form as a WR1 in 2020.
Eric Karabell: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
While I do question how generously so many ranked him a year ago, I go with the Steelers' star wideout, who had no chance for statistical success once starting QB Ben Roethlisberger went down with an injury. This duo is together again and should be productive, with Smith-Schuster acting as a WR2 choice as he sails past 1,000 yards and approaches double-digit touchdowns.
Field Yates: RB David Johnson, Houston Texans
While many have questioned the trade of Johnson to Houston, I see the value in a player who can play on any down, more than hold his own in the passing game and be a high-volume asset. I expect a mammoth season from D.J.