Take a look into our 2017 crystal ball

Hopefully, you’re reading this column after winning a fantasy championship or two. The football season begins and ends in the blink of an eye. Now, it’s time to look toward next season. It’s never too early to think about next year’s draft and wonder who the breakout players will be. Perhaps you play in a keeper or dynasty league and need to make decisions in short order. Fantasy football never ends. If you’re playing in Week 17, please think about changing your rules since luck becomes a bigger part of the process. As always, good luck.

1. DAK PRESCOTT, DALLAS COWBOYS

This not only applies to Prescott but also several other quarterbacks. We all know the big-name quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck and Drew Brees, but several other young signal callers are also ready to make that jump to QB1 status. Marcus Mariota, Derek Carr, Jameis Winston and Kirk Cousins are all ready to be fantasy starters. If there is one piece of advice that you should take away from me this season, it’s that you won’t need to draft a quarterback early next year unless you play in a league in which you can start more than one. You can be patient, wait, and load up on your running backs and wide receivers.

2. TYLER BOYD, CINCINNATI BENGALS

While it’s true that Boyd has only caught 52 receptions for 564 yards and one score this season, his arrow is pointing up. A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert will be back next season and that’s where a major part of the defensive focus will be. Brandon Lafell may not be back, which will likely mean Boyd (55th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft) will be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. While the Bengals’ offense is not explosive, it does have playmakers, and Boyd should reap the benefits of all that talent around him.

3. TERRELLE PRYOR, CLEVELAND BROWNS

Where Pryor ends up will determine just where he fits on your fantasy team next season. Think about this. Even though the Browns started the likes of Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, and Cody Kessler at quarterback, Pryor still racked up 70 receptions for 913 yards and four touchdowns. How good can he be if he goes to a team with a legitimate passing offense? The reverse is true, however, if the Browns draft a quarterback in the first-round next year.

4. JORDAN HOWARD, CHICAGO BEARS

Do you remember Jeremy Langford? He actually began the season as the Bears’ No. 1 running back. It took an injury to Langford for the Bears to see exactly what they had in Howard. He will be a low-end RB1 next season. Think about his numbers: 1,178 rushing yards, 298 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. This was for a team that played most of the season without Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Zach Miller, Kevin White and Alshon Jeffery.

5. STERLING SHEPARD, GIANTS

Yes, it’s true this offense will flow through Odell Beckham, but someone has to pick up the scraps. Unless the Giants upgrade the running game during the offseason, this will once again be a pass-first team. Victor Cruz is unlikely to return, which should leave Shepard all alone as the second choice for Eli Manning’s targets.

1. ROB GRONKOWSKI, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

I love Gronk. He’s my favorite player to watch. We should all have as much fun as he does but the fact still remains, he gets hurt an awful lot. Over his last five seasons he has missed 24 games. That’s almost five a season. I’m not saying don’t draft him. I’d love to have him on my team, but not in the first or second round anymore. Let someone else take that risk. I need certainty with my early picks.

2. ADRIAN PETERSON, MINNESOTA VIKINGS

There are a few things to remember about Peterson. First, even before he suffered the knee injury, he wasn’t very good. Second, he will be 32 before the start of next season. That’s ancient for a running back. Third, we don’t know what team he will be playing for, but it’s not likely to be Minnesota. Proceed with caution; don’t draft the name here.

3. RANDALL COBB, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Most assumed that the reason for Cobb’s poor numbers in 2015 was due to the absence of Jordy Nelson, who was out for the season due to a knee injury, so defenses made Cobb a priority and were able to shut him down. Well, Nelson was healthy this year and put up big numbers, but Cobb still was a big disappointment. Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery were a bigger part of the offense than Cobb down the stretch.

4. SPENCER WARE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Ware received a lot of love this season, but you might want to ask yourself why. He only rushed for more than 82 yards in a game once, and only had three rushing touchdowns. It is highly unlikely that Ware will go into next season without legitimate competition at running back. This won’t change even if Jamaal Charles returns to K.C. Charles, by the way, is another player I would avoid. Just like AP, don’t draft the name.

5. BRANDON MARSHALL, JETS

Quite a few Jets could be on this list, but no one was hurt more by the change at quarterback than Marshall. He entered this season as a low end WR1 (second-round pick) in Fantasy but finished as a must-bench. Does that change next season? We don’t know. Maybe Bryce Petty is the starter or maybe it’s Christian Hackenberg, or they might acquire a veteran outside the organization. No matter which road they travel, I won’t be spending any early draft picks on Marshall.

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