Fantasy Football 2018: Ranking Bounce-Back Potential for Returning Injured Stars

Projecting skill-position players' production based on last year's numbers is often the way to go when preparing for the upcoming Fantasy Football season, but there are other factors to consider—particularly when the subject is players who were injured and did not play a full season in 2017.

It's one thing for an injured player to return to action, but how will that player will perform is the key question. In this piece we rank injured players who are attempting to return to action in 2018 after suffering injuries last year or in prior seasons.

Most Productive Bounce-Back Players in 2018

1. RB David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
2. WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears
3. RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
4. WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
5. QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
6. WR Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
7. QB DeShaun Watson, Houston Texans
8. WR Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers
9. WR Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets
10. QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

RB David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

Johnson suffered a dislocated left wrist in Week 1 a year ago and missed the rest of the season. He is fully recovered and he should be in top form for 2018.

Johnson rushed for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016, and he also caught 80 passes for 879 yards and four more scores. He should be the key offensive performer for the Cardinals this season, and there's no reason he can't reach the 1,000-yard mark as a rusher and a receiver.

If he can reach those figures for rookie head coach Steve Wilks, Johnson should have a legitimate chance to win the league's Most Valuable Player award.

WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears

Robinson tore his left ACL in Week 1 last year while playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he appears to be in excellent shape in training camp for the bears. If that is the case and he starts the season at full speed, Robinson should be Chicago's No. 1 receiver.

Robinson caught 73 passes for 883 yards and six touchdowns in 2016, and he was even better the year before when he caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. Robinson excels at breaking away from coverage and picking up yards after the catch as long as he is healthy.

We expect a huge year from Robinson, but much of that will be dependent on second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. While the Bears expect big things from Trubisky, he is largely unproven to his point.

RB Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

Cook played like a coming superstar during the first four games of his rookie season when he rushed for 354 yards on 74 carries and also caught 11 passes for 90 yards.

Cook tore his left ACL in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions, but he is in excellent shape in this point and he can become an elite running back this year. He should be able to run for 1,200 yards or more, and that's a conservative estimate. Cook combines excellent athleticism, speed and quickness with tremendous instincts.

The Vikings will welcome Cook back with open arms and he will provide an upgrade for their offense.

WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Beckham is clearly one of the most talented players at any position, and he is a game-changing wide receiver when he is healthy and focused. He broke his ankle in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers last year.

Beckham is playing for a new coach in Pat Shurmur, and it would be wise if the receiver focuses on getting better and helping the team win. He is also about promoting himself, but he needs to stop drawing attention to himself for non-football reasons.

The Giants' No. 1 receiver caught 101 passes for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016, and he is healthy enough to reach or exceed those figures this season.

QB Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Luck's right shoulder has been the issue since he first injured it in the 2015. He played in 2016 but he was in quite a bit of pain throughout the year and he missed all of 2017.

When it comes to physical talent, Luck has as much as any quarterback in the league. He is throwing the ball in training camp and he is going to play in the Colts first preseason game.

As long as Luck is able to remain in the Colts lineup, we see at least 3,500 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions or fewer.