"'Don't catch a falling knife' ... The idea of buying a former superstar stock at a discount price certainly has its attractions, but you've got to make sure you catch the haft -- not the blade."

So runs the thesis of my recurring Fool column " Get Ready for the Bounce," in which we search among the wreckage of Mr. Market's overturned cutlery drawer, hoping to find future winners in a pile of 52-week losers. But do we really need to sit around for a whole year, waiting for a potential bouncer?

I say nay. Sometimes, stocks fall far in far less time than a year -- and like a superball dropped from the balcony, the harder they fall, the higher they bounce. Today, we're going to look at a few equities that've suffered dramatic drops over the past week. With a little help from the 140,000 members of Motley Fool CAPS, we hope to find an opportunity or two for you:

 

Stock

How far from 52-week high?

Recent Price

CAPS Rating
(out of 5)

St. Jude Medical  (NYSE: STJ)

-19%

$34.10

****

AMAG Pharmaceuticals

-37%

$36.72

***

Ciena (Nasdaq: CIEN)

-23%

$12.84

***

MannKind  (Nasdaq: MNKD)

-46%

$6.62

**

MBIA (NYSE: MBI)

-42% Continued...