One of the most interesting debates heading in to the 2016-17 NBA season will be which players have the potential to surprise as bounce back candidates from a fantasy perspective. We took the time to break down everything from numbers to situation and we came up with the following list of players to make sure do not get overlooked. Here is a look at the top fantasy bounce back candidates at the guard positions.
Eric Bledsoe
Phoenix Suns
Bledsoe played in only 31 games a year ago when his season came to an abrupt end following a torn meniscus in his left knee. Bledsoe opted to repair his torn meniscus rather than having it removed and that should help prolong his career. The 26-year-old has the potential to bounce back this season if he can stay healthy and we are projecting even better numbers than he registered before he was hurt. There was a short period of time where it looked like things would work well for him in the Jeff Hornacek era and then the team abruptly fell off. A change on the sidelines should really help him out.
Even in a down year, Bledsoe still averaged 20.4 points, 6.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 three-point shots per game. If he can even duplicate that level of production over the course of a full season, he should be a top fantasy bounce back candidate.
Mike Conley
Memphis Grizzlies
Conley has dealt with pretty much every injury a basketball player can suffer a year ago but he is back at full strength this offseason and working hard to make sure his body holds up for the full 82-game season in 2016-17. Conley still managed to average 15.2 points, 6.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.4 three-point shots in 56 appearances for Memphis last season and the potential is clearly there for him to produce better numbers this coming year. Conley is still just 28-years-old and it won’t surprise anybody if he reemerges as a complete point guard that can contribute across the board as a fantasy asset this season.
Darren Collison
Sacramento Kings
Sacramento’s decision not to bring back Rajon Rondo means they will have to turn to Collison as their starting point guard in 2016-17. That is certainly a risk but the Kings are banking on Collison staying healthy after he was limited to 74 games after dealing with nagging injuries a year ago. Collison averaged 14.0 points, 4.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 three-point shots in 30.0 minutes per game as the backup behind Rondo last season and he should improve his numbers across the board as the starting point guard in Sacramento. The Kings likely looked at his splits as a starter and figured that they could save a boatload of money by handing him the starting job. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 threes, 2.7 free throw and 1.5 steals per game in 15 outings as a starter last year. He managed to handle 37 minutes per game in those starts. He’s still just 29 years old, so he could be a fantasy surprise next season.
Wesley Matthews
Dallas Mavericks
Matthews bounced back from a torn Achilles to average 12.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.4 three-point shots per game for the Mavericks last season. After another full offseason to build up his strength, he should have no problem topping those averages this coming year. Remember that Achilles injuries aren’t nearly as bad as something like a torn patellar tendon or a blown ACL. He’s mostly back to his pre-injury form already.
Dallas is banking on the veteran guard producing strong numbers across the board this coming season and at 29-years-old he should be another strong bounce back candidate now two years removed from the devastating injury. Keep in mind that Dallas’ roster has thinned out over the last couple of seasons and now they really don’t have many quality options outside of Matthews. We’re looking at a team that iwll have a projected starting lineup of Deron Williams, Matthews, Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut. It’ll mostly be on Matthews and Barnes to get the job done as the rest of the lineup consists of past-their-prime players.
