Who will be the fantasy comeback player of the year?
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- Michael Fabiano NFL.com Senior Fantasy Editor
Golden Griffin
There are a lot of potential options for this award in 2014, but I'm going with Robert Griffin III. Not only is he more than a full year removed from reconstructive knee surgery, but he's also shed his brace and won't be limited physically or mentally in 2014. The Redskins hiring of new coach Jay Gruden is also a real positive. In Cincinnati, his offensive system turned Andy Dalton into a top-five fantasy quarterback in 2013. While Dalton is a nice field general, he isn't nearly as dynamic as RGIII. The addition of DeSean Jackson is another reason to like Griffin III, who now has a major arsenal of weapons in the pass attack. When you also consider the depth at his position, it's likely that fantasy owners won't need to spend more than a fifth- or sixth-round pick to acquire RGIII in drafts. He could be the steal of 2014.
I like the potential of Percy Harvin to take home the fantasy Comeback Player of the Year award. Of course, this is assuming he stays healthy for all or most of the season. After all, Harvin has only played in all 16 games once in his five year career. Yet with the departure of Golden Tate, those touches are going need to be spread around, and Harvin is the most likely target. He flashed his game-breaking potential once again in the Super Bowl, and if the Seahawks have any designs of repeating as champions, Harvin will need to be a big part of the equation on offense. Before injuries derailed his 2012 season, Harvin was one of the top scorers at his position. It's not too hard to imagine his name appearing at the top of the list once again in 2014.
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- Marcas Grant NFL.com Fantasy Editor
Foster a fantasy return
There has been plenty of consternation surrounding Arian Foster's potential for 2014. After missing much of last season with an injury -- and not playing particularly well when he was healthy -- the Texans' star should be back rested and ready to go for a new campaign. By the way ... have you seen Houston's cluster of quarterbacks? Yeah. Until Bill O'Brien finds a signal caller he can be comfortable with, expect to see heavy dose of Foster in the offense. He'll likely fall to the second round in a lot of drafts, but could potentially return RB1 production.
Robert Griffin III is going to have a monster return this season. Maybe it's selective amnesia, but folks seem awfully quick to forget how amazing RGIII was during his rookie season. His second season was miserable. But I put the blame and Shanahanigans. (And don't worry, I'll forgo any Bobby the Brain Heenan-type of gloating like he did moments after Hulk Hogan turned heel.) However, RGIII is going to be the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in both reality and fantasy.
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- Jason Smith NFL.com Fantasy Analyst
Griffin edges out Jones
It was hard to distinguish a winner between Robert Griffin III and Julio Jones, but I'm going with RGIII. Jones was on pace for a huge statistical season with over 125 catches and nearly 2,000 yards before he got hurt in October. But that's not going to stop fantasy owners from drafting him as high as they should -- an early No. 1 fantasy WR. RGIII is going to fall in a lot of drafts because the QB position is so deep. In some leagues he may even go as a backup. Take a look, there could be as many as ten quarterbacks that will be drafted before him. You'll be getting him in his fresh start with a chip on his shoulder and new weapons to attack. Last year he went through injury issues and had to endure open questions from teammates past and present about how elite he was. He absolutely needs this year to silence the doubters and will be a top five fantasy QB overall.
