Fantasy: 5 bounce-back candidates

Winning a fantasy baseball league can come down to drafting good players coming off a bad year due to underperformance or injuries. Take advantage of the devalued draft position, because these big leaguers will probably give you a good return on investment. Here are five players who could deliver bounce-back campaigns in 2024.

Average draft positions are from FantasyPros as of March 13.

Manny Machado, Padres - 3B (ADP: 52)

Machado's fantasy numbers slipped last season after entering the year 13th overall in ADP following a 2022 NL MVP runner-up campaign. He still went deep 30 times with 91 RBIs over 138 games, but his runs scored (75), batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.319), slugging percentage (.462), and stolen bases (three) were way down year-over-year. He's still one of the best third basemen in baseball, so there should be plenty left in the tank for his age-31 season, especially with Fernando Tatis Jr. hitting in front of Machado.

Mike Trout, Angels - OF (ADP: 56)

Seeing Trout available in the fifth round of a 10-team league would be shocking. However, that's where he's projected to go after a third straight injury-plagued season. The three-time AL MVP finished with his worst slash line (.263/.367/.490) since he entered the league in 2011. Yet, the 32-year-old is just a year removed from a 40-homer campaign with a .999 OPS over 119 contests. The 11-time All-Star could be a massive steal if he can stay on the field in 2024.

Nolan Arenado, Cardinals - 3B (ADP: 82)

Arenado is another star third baseman who saw a big dip in fantasy production after being named a 2022 NL MVP finalist. His 26 homers and 93 RBIs were his lowest totals across a full season since 2014. The eight-time All-Star's on-base percentage (.315) and slugging percentage (.459) were also significantly lower than his career averages. The good news is that Arenado is still fully in his prime at age 32 and will hit in the middle of a deep Cardinals lineup with a ton of power. The odds are good that his value will be much better than his projected ADP.

Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers - OF (ADP: 110)

Hernández, who's in a contract year again after signing a one-year deal with Los Angeles, could be a huge beneficiary of hitting in front of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers' offense is primed to be one of the best in baseball, which means Hernández will likely have a chance to score and drive in a bunch of runs. The 2021 All-Star still recorded 26 round-trippers with 93 RBIs last season but struck out 211 times with a .305 on-base percentage while suiting up for the Mariners.

Eloy Jiménez, White Sox - OF (ADP: 179)

Fantasy managers have been waiting for a bounce-back campaign from Jiménez since a terrific 2019 rookie year in which he went deep 31 times with 79 RBIs and an .828 OPS over 122 games. The 27-year-old slugger just hasn't been able to stay healthy, amassing a combined 259 contests over the last three seasons due to bad luck with injuries. However, he's slashing .432/.447/.622 with one homer and 12 RBIs over 12 games this spring. Jiménez is worth taking a flyer on late in drafts with his potential to put up big power numbers if he can finally stay on the field.