More than a mere creation of the drama machine at HBO, Waller was on the radar of
fantasy football‘s dynasty league owners long before the summer 2019 edition of
Hard Knocks captured him rattling off the list of drugs he abused while wasting the first few years of a promising pro career. Not long before the
Raiders signed him off the
Ravens‘ practice squad last November, Waller conceded he had
given up hope and felt like he was going to die at his lowest point while serving out a second lengthy NFL suspension. A year later, Waller is a
newly minted multi-millionaire and a breakout star for Jon Gruden’s surprising 6-4
Raiders. The great-grandson of New Orleans jazz legend
Fats Waller, this converted wideout is on pace for 90 receptions, 1,066 yards and a well-deserved
Pro Bowl appearance as
Derek Carr‘s go-to receiver.

The reports were astonishing. By the time the season started, Kupp was said to be running faster and cutting quicker than he ever did prior to the ACL tear that ultimately sabotaged a heretofore prolific
Rams offense back in November of 2018. Eight games into his comeback, Kupp was rampaging through opposing secondaries, on pace for 1,584 yards, 10 touchdowns and 116 receptions — single-season numbers matched by fewer than 10 receivers in NFL history. Those stats were admittedly bolstered by a 220-yard romp
in London, when Kupp and
Jared Goff took advantage of an overmatched, undisciplined, injury-depleted
Bengals defense. Kupp has come back to earth the past two weeks, shut out completely by the Minkah Fitzpatrick-led
Steelers
in Week 10 before managing just 53 yards on three receptions
against the Bears. He’s going to need help from his slumping quarterback to emerge from a strong field of non-traditional candidates the rest of the way.

Griffen’s nightmarish 2018 season was waylaid by a
serious mental health issue that forced the
Vikings to
ban him from the practice facility in late September. Although he returned at midseason, Griffen was a shadow of his former self down the stretch, managing just three sacks and 14 QB hurries in the final seven games. It would have been understandable had the
Vikings opted to release their oldest position player, using the savings to sign younger stars in need of new deals. Instead, they restructured Griffen’s contract and welcomed him back to the fold as
Danielle Hunter‘s bookend edge-rushing partner. Through 11 weeks this year, Pro Football Focus credits the 31-year-old Griffen with 58 disruptions (sacks, hits and hurries) — second only to Hunter’s 71 among all NFL pass rushers. At a time when
mental health awareness is gaining overdue support across the professional sports landscape, Griffen’s comeback story merits more attention.

One of the most prescient free-agent acquisitions of the past decade, Brooks was a key cog in the
Eagles‘
Super Bowl LII victory and earned back-to-back
Pro Bowl selections before rupturing his Achilles tendon in the playoff loss to the
Saints last January. It’s impressive enough that he rushed back to the lineup for the 2019 season opener, not missing a single start due to the injury. After 10 games with his repaired Achilles, Brooks looks stronger than ever. “I think he’s the best lineman in the NFL right now, if we’re being honest,”
Eagles right tackle
Lane Johnson
told The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month. Anchored by Brooks and Johnson, the right side of the
Eagles‘ line is keeping the otherwise desultory offense afloat this year (though Johnson is
currently dealing with a concussion that might make him miss time).

After trading for Garoppolo at the 2017 deadline, the
49ers became the first NFL team to start a season 1-10 and finish 5-0. The key to that historic turnaround, Garoppolo was expected to lead San Francisco’s return to glory last season, only to go down with a torn ACL in Week 3. Healthy once again this summer, he jumped out to a league-best 8-0 start with a chain-moving ground attack and a dominant defense doing the heavy lifting. The onus has been on his shoulders the past three weeks, with the running game stymied, record-breaking tight end
George Kittle banged-up and the defense starting to spring leaks. The results have been mixed, with a disappointing outing
versus the Seahawks sandwiched by
a pair
of spectacular performances in narrow victories over the plucky
Cardinals. Due to the position in which he plays, Garoppolo will fly up the voting list if the
49ers finish the season with the NFL’s best record.

At this time a year ago, no one knew if Frederick would ever play football again. Arguably the NFL’s premier center for a half-decade, Frederick had
contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which the immune system attacks the body’s nervous system in response to illness. Although Frederick has yet to recapture All-Pro form in his return to action this year, he’s the crucial pivot man for an offense that leads the league in Football Outsiders’
efficiency rankings. It’s amazing that he’s playing at all, much less contributing to
Dak Prescott‘s
surprising run at the MVP award.

Give Henry credit for a rare double comeback. After missing all of last season with an ACL injury, Henry caught four of five targets for 60 yards in the 2019 season opener only to be diagnosed with a tibia plateau fracture to his
other knee. To his credit, he raced through rehab to make it back into the lineup just a month later. Henry has been one of the most productive tight ends in the league ever since, averaging six receptions and 71 yards in six games. Those numbers project to more than 90 catches and 1,130 yards over a full 16-game season.

Brissett may have been banished to the bench during Andrew Luck’s 2018
Comeback Player of the Year campaign, but the
Colts still appreciated his value as
“the best backup quarterback in football.” Thrust into the starting role upon Luck’s shocking retirement, Brissett has survived a litany of injuries to his receiving corps, leading the
Colts to a first-place showdown with the 6-4
Texans on
Thursday Night Football. While Frank Reich’s offense has transitioned to a run-oriented attack this season, Brissett deserves praise for a host of fourth-quarter scoring drives in addition to a superb 15:4 TD-to-INT ratio.

Thomas’ final season in Seattle ended prematurely when he suffered a broken leg in late September. Signed along with
Mark Ingram in an impressive foray into free agency, Thomas got off to a slow start with Baltimore, chugging behind ball carriers as the secondary allowed too many yards after the catch in a disheartening September performance. Once the calendar flipped to October, those big plays disappeared. Now that Thomas has found his groove,
Marcus Peters has arrived from Los Angeles and
Jimmy Smith is back in the lineup, the
Ravens‘ secondary is once again among the deepest and stingiest in the league.

Timing is working against Teddy. Last year marked his true comeback from one of the most gruesome knee injuries in recent memory, yet he served as
Drew Brees‘ caddy leading up to an underwhelming performance in the meaningless regular-season finale. It wasn’t until Brees went down with a thumb injury this September that Bridgewater received a true audition, keeping a
Super Bowl contender on track as the practically perfect backup quarterback in five consecutive victories. If the season ended in late October, Bridgewater would have momentum in his favor. Barring another Brees absence, though, he might be an afterthought for this award by the time voting commences in January.