2009 NFL Comeback Players

You’ve undoubtedly heard it before—Americans love comebacks.

Britney Spears, Mickey Rourke, Michael Jackson. Okay, so maybe Jackson hasn’t quite moonwalked his way back into the good graces of the American people just yet, but the point remains, it’s possible.

However, celebrity comebacks don’t rule the platform. There are also those which make fantasy football owners quite blithe - comebacks on the playing field. These are the type of players who can help win fantasy championships because their performance will likely outweigh their draft position.

Let’s take a look at some players with great comeback potential heading into 2009.

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Roy Williams, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Roy Williams started 2008 with dreams of a championship, a reverie which eventually came to fruition. Except that particular Roy Williams was the one who was the head coach of the North Carolina men’s basketball team.

The Williams who suited up for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, had a miserable year, one in which he caught 36 passes for 430 yards and just two scores.

The truth is, in terms of production, Williams has always been a bit overrated by fantasy owners and NFL fans alike (and clearly by Jerry Jones). In fact, he’s had just one season—2006—in which he’s caught more than 65 passes and accumulated more than 850 receiving yards.

That was also the only campaign in which he played 16 games. And outside of that season, he’s amassed just seven 100-receiving-yard games in his career, and none since Week 11 of the 2007 season.

Still, Williams retains exceptional physical skills, and with no Terrell Owens and a group of receivers in Dallas that is untested outside of the marginal Patrick Crayton, Williams will be the only legitimate receiving option outside of tight end Jason Witten for quarterback Tony Romo to throw to in offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s pass-happy offense.

Steven Jackson, RB, St. Louis Rams

What’s this? A guy who ran for 1,042 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 40 passes for 379 yards and another score making a comeback? I understand your initial skepticism, but bear with me.

Jackson played 12 games in 2008. He played 12 games in 2007. In both seasons he played behind an offensive line utilizing more spare parts than a re-built Volkswagen and no discernable fullback.

But things changed this offseason—a seemingly competent coaching staff was brought in, fullback Mike Karney was signed to be a lead-blocking sledgehammer, Jason Brown was signed to a big contract to be the team’s newest center, and Jason Smith was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick to man one of the offensive tackle positions, and he brings his nasty run-blocking skills with him.

All you need to know about him lies in this quote from before the draft: “I take a lot of pride in physically assaulting somebody when I’m on the field.” With those new parts in place, and if Jackson can stay healthy, a potential monster year awaits.

Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland Browns

Medusa must have been following Edwards around from game-to-game last year staring intently at his hands, because they frequently turned to stone, and his league-leading 16 drops were proof of that.

And though the Browns do not know who their quarterback will be, Edwards is—by far—their best receiving option.

Former “soldier” Kellen Winslow will be moving his military base to Florida next year because he was traded to Tampa, Joe Jurevicius was released, and the team’s other top wideouts figure to be some combination of vets Joshua Cribbs and Mike Furrey, and draft picks Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi.

Donte Stallworth is likely out of the mix, as he is dealing with legal problems stemming from his recent alleged drunk driving incident in which he hit and killed a man.

So whether Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, or even Brett Ratliff is under center, Edwards can rest assured he’ll get the majority of the passes thrown his way. Now all he has to do is catch them.

Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Addai was a nightmare for fantasy football owners last season who had every reason to project him as a top back and upper first-round pick. Needless to say, it didn’t happen.

As we enter the 2009 season, there is more reason to be skeptical of Addai than just his poor statistical output, as the Colts spent a first-round pick on running back Donald Brown. But it would be foolish to overlook the fact that Addai is used to sharing the load.

In 2006, Addai ran for over 1,000 yards and caught 40 passes while scoring a total of eight times, but Dominic Rhodes also contributed, running for nearly 650 yards while catching 36 passes and scoring five times.

In 2007, when Addai also ran for over 1,000 yards while catching 41 passes and accumulating 15 total touchdowns, Rhodes was injured much of the time, but Kenton Keith ran for 533 yards and three scores.

Addai certainly had a rough go of it last season, but it was one in which he battled nagging injuries and missed four games.

While Brown will undoubtedly get his touches, it would be unrealistic to expect him to do more than Rhodes did in 2006. This means that Addai may not be an elite fantasy back next season, but he will be a week-to-week starter.

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