Fantasy: 3 draft busts you should trust this year

There's nothing worse than drafting a player in the early rounds, only to have them turn out to be a complete bust. It happens every year in fantasy baseball, but you have to let bygones be bygones and move on. If you believe in second chances, it could be the difference between being a contender and pretender in your league this time around.

Here are three high-profile players poised for big bounce-back campaigns this year:

Joey Votto

The Cincinnati Reds first baseman crushed his fantasy owners last year by not taking the field after July 5 due to a pair of quad injuries. The 2010 National League MVP hit a career-low .255 in 62 games, but said he's out to prove his critics wrong in 2015.

Votto, 31, is still in his prime, and although he may no longer be considered a fantasy stud, he'll probably be undervalued in drafts this year, especially if on-base percentage is one of your stat categories. We gave Votto a 13.5 composite ranking in our first baseman rankings, which may be a little low in retrospect.

Chris Davis

The Baltimore Orioles slugger's season ended on Sept. 12 last year after Major League Baseball suspended him 25 games for the use of Adderall without an exemption. Davis also missed some time with an oblique strain, and didn't even come close to replicating his massive production (53 home runs and 138 RBIs) from 2013.

Davis will serve the final game of his suspension on Opening Day and will take a more prominent role in Buck Showalter's lineup this year with the departure of Nelson Cruz. Don't expect him to hit over .250, but there's no denying his power potential. He's one of the few players you can draft with 40-plus homer potential, if you can tolerate his low average and on-base percentage. We gave Davis a composite ranking of 21 among first baseman this year for that reason. He truly is one of the most high-risk, high-reward players in fantasy. 

Carl Crawford

Crawford showed signs of life for the first time since 2010 late last season. The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder hit a smoking .333 after the All-Star break and a blistering .448 with three homers and 16 RBIs in September. Remember, Crawford was a four-time All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays until injuries sidetracked his career.

The 33-year-old is healthy again, though, and the logjam in the Dodgers' outfield has finally been resolved with the departure of Matt Kemp to San Diego. Left field belongs solely to Crawford this year and he should move up in Don Mattingly's batting order to as high as No. 2. He hit mostly from the No. 5 and No. 6 spots a year ago. Crawford's Steamer projections may seem a little low, but don't let that scare you from drafting him as a sleeper option late in your draft.