Fantasy Football 2023: Bounce-Back Players and Sleepers to Target in Mock Drafts

While there are myriad ways in which you can have a successful fantasy football draft, the ultimate aim is maximizing the value of each selection.

In short, you're looking for players who can out perform their draft costs.

How do you do that? Well, some luck is inevitably involved, but identifying players with bounce-back potential or sleeper appeal could help make it happen. Luckily (for you), we've rounded up three of those candidates here.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

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BALTIMORE, MD - JANUARY 01: Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (27) carries a Pittsburgh Steelers defender during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens on January 1, 2023 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A healthy J.K. Dobbins can be a game-changer for the Ravens. He just hasn't stayed healthy long enough to fill that role very often.

After an impressive rookie effort in 2020 (6.0 yards per carry, nine touchdowns on 152 touches), he saw his 2021 campaign wiped out by an ACL tear and his 2022 season impacted by more knee trouble. He has only played 23 games through three seasons, so the potential red flags are too numerous to count.

But if you're willing to absorb some risk, the reward could be spectacular.

Baltimore plays a run-heavy style, and a healthy Dobbins should feature prominently in it. Over his final five outings last season, he was basically back to being his old self, turning 70 carries into 459 yards (6.6 per attempt). Give him a similar workload—or, fingers crossed, an expanded one—for an entire season, and the production could be enormous.

Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 19: Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass during the first half of a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Last year, the Broncos paid a fortune to pluck Russell Wilson away from the Seattle Seahawks in hopes of solving their quarterback problems.

That's, of course, not at all how things played out. Wilson wound up playing perhaps the least productive season of his career, posting a slew of personal-worsts, including a 60.5 completion percentage, an 84.4 quarterback rating, 16 touchdown passes and 55 sacks.

So, why would we suggest buying back in? Because Denver's change at head coach (from Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton) was among this offseason's most significant upgrades. Plus, the Broncos still have a boatload of playmakers around Wilson, including Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, a healthy Javonte Williams and newcomers Marvin Mims Jr. and Samaje Perine.

If Payton's play-calling opens up this offense, and Wilson nudges closer to his normal completion rate (64.6 percent for his career), then the numbers Broncos fans hoped to see last season could still materialize—just a year behind schedule.

Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 19: Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is introduced prior to a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Diontae Johnson's 2022 season was remarkable—and not in a good way.

He had 147 passes thrown his way and not a single one produced a touchdown. That's right, all 86 of his receptions, which spanned 882 yards, stopped short of the goal line.

The math alone says he's due for positive regression. His first three seasons saw similar production in the other categories (on average, 135 targets, 84.7 catches, 921.3 yards), but he totaled 20 touchdowns in 47 games.

What should help him get back on track with his scoring is the potential improvement of this passing game. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett is a popular breakout pick, and if he proves to be far more dynamic than he was as a rookie (2,404 yards in 13 games with nine interceptions to seven touchdowns), that will elevate this entire aerial attack, but Johnson, who has topped 140 targets each of the past three seasons, might be the biggest beneficiary.