Sometimes, players will have a down campaign. Determining if the underwhelming season was a cliff year or a lousy season is critical for getting every edge possible in fantasy football. The following young quarterback, veteran running back and veteran wide receiver are intriguing bounce-back candidates for 2025.
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Bounce-Back Players for 2025 Fantasy Football
Justin Herbert (QB – LAC)
Among quarterbacks with more than five games started in the seasons in question, Justin Herbert was the QB7 in points per game (22.9) in 2020, the QB2 (23.3) in 2021, the QB15 (17.0) in 2022 and the QB10 (18.5) in 2023. He is currently the QB22 (15.2) through 15 weeks of the 2024 season. Herbert was a QB1 in 12-team leagues in three of his first five seasons. This year’s ranking is the worst of his young career.
However, Jim Harbaugh has things pointed in the right direction, and veteran offensive coordinator Greg Roman has shown a willingness to open up the passing attack. According to RotoViz’s pace app, in Week 1 through Week 4, the Chargers were tied for the NFL’s sixth-lowest situation-neutral pass rate (48%). After self-scouting during their Week 5 bue, the club opened up the passing attack. From Week 6 through Week 15, Los Angeles was tied for the third-highest situation-neutral pass rate (60%).
Roman has opened up the offense despite an underwhelming collection of pass-catching weapons behind rookie Ladd McConkey. The Chargers hit a home run with McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but adding more weapons to the passing attack should help Herbert return to top-12 fantasy quarterback status in 2025. A slow start to the year has suppressed Herbert’s full-season marks, but Roman’s willingness to air it out more, coupled with Herbert playing better after his sluggish start, are encouraging signs for Herbert’s 2025 outlook and fantasy football average draft position (ADP).
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
Injuries and a hefty workload might have finally caught up to Christian McCaffrey. However, what if they haven’t? He has previously bounced back from injury-marred seasons in Carolina. Injuries derailed San Francisco’s entire offense. For instance, Trent Williams was active for only two of McCaffrey’s four games this season.
According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, among 62 running backs with at least 50 rush attempts this year, McCaffrey was tied for ninth in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.22). The do-it-all running back’s evasiveness suggests he still had wiggle while shaking off the rust of opening the year on the injured reserve (IR).
And, of course, McCaffrey was still involved in the passing attack. Look at his stats in four games:
- 61.9% route participation rate
- 3.1-yard average depth of target (aDOT)
- 17.1% target share
- 0.23 targets per route run
- 13.8% first-read percentage
- 15 receptions (3.75 per game)
- 146 receiving yards (36.5 per game)
- 1.80 yards per route run
McCaffrey’s receiving prowess should help his fantasy value age well, even if he must forfeit some of his early-down work. McCaffrey would be an acceptable dice roll in the middle to the late second round of fantasy drafts in 2025 if injury updates in the offseason are positive. He’s a no-brainer pick in the third round or later if his fantasy ADP creeps that low if the injury news is positive.
Amari Cooper (WR – BUF)
A player’s context is critical for analyzing their season, and Amari Cooper’s was dreadful. First, he began the season with the Browns. Deshaun Watson, saying nothing of his disgusting off-field behavior, was an unmitigated disaster on the gridiron. Among 34 quarterbacks with at least 200 dropbacks through Week 15, Watson was 29th in Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) passing grade and 32nd in the NFL’s traditional QB Rating.
Cooper was traded to the Bills in Week 7 and played after being acquired during the week. He was inactive in Week 9 and Week 10 with a wrist injury. Not only did Cooper not have the offseason to build a rapport with Josh Allen, but he was hampered by a wrist injury.
Cooper’s efficiency has waned this year, evidenced by his 1.49 yards per route run. Nevertheless, the veteran wideout has been a target earner. Cooper has tallied 0.25 targets per route run (TPRR) through 12 games. To put that number in perspective, it would rank tied for 20th among 99 wideouts with at least 200 routes through Week 15.
Cooper is unlikely to return to his peak production. Still, he showed he had plenty of gas in the tank when Joe Flacco was throwing him YOLO balls down the stretch in 2023, and he’s flashed his ability with Allen in Buffalo. Cooper is a free agent. A return to the Bills would be stellar for his outlook, allowing him to build more chemistry with Allen in the offseason. Yet, even an entire offseason of absorbing another playbook and getting on the same page with a non-Watson quarterback should allow him to rebound in 2025. Cooper’s best years are behind him, but he should bounce back to an extent next year.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.