Fantasy football can be very unpredictable. In that way, it is a great metaphor for life. I found out this past week that a short story collection I wrote 13 years ago was politely mocked on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this past May. Jovial Jimmy mentioned my book, Ten Tales To Make Your Head Explode, during his popular “Do Not Read” segment, a segment devoted to books that Jimmy feels people should not read for various reasons. Luckily for me he did not want the public reading my book for fear it would make people’s heads literally explode and not because he thought the content or writing was subpar.

Here is the video proof: the mention of my book starts at around the 2:05 minute mark, so be sure to check that out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPluGotWk5s

Now that I made Jimmy Fallon’s head explode, I just cannot stop! I need to make the heads of fantasy football owners explode, too! So here are 10 fantasy football predictions for 2017 that will make your head explode!

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

10 Head-Busting Predictions (Not Literally)

Devonta Freeman will be surpassed by Tevin Coleman on Atlanta’s depth chart

Freeman and his agent seem more concentrated on his playing time, his next contract, and the Super Bowl outcome than they do on him performing well in 2017. Well, he better not forget that the speedy, multi-talented Coleman is one of the best backup RB in the league. Coleman racked up 941 combined yards and 11 total touchdowns in just 13 games last season and would be a starter on many NFL teams. Look for Atlanta to feature Coleman more and more as the season goes on, especially if and when the Falcons decide they cannot pay what Freeman is asking for.

 

LeGarrette Blount will score one-third of the touchdowns in 2017 that he did in 2016

Blount had an amazing 2016 campaign for the New England Patriots, serving as the one-yard plunger near the end zone (18 rushing TD) after Tom Brady and company drove the offense to the goal line countless times every week. Unfortunately, Blount switched from New England to Philadelphia in the offseason, which also means he goes from Brady to Carson Wentz at quarterback and from Bill Belichick to Doug Pederson at head coach, not to mention the humongous difference between the receiving corps. Blount had only rushed for more than a half-dozen touchdowns once in six seasons before last year’s blowout performance, so it is hard to expect double-digit scores out of him this season when the offense he is now part of will not get him as many scoring opportunities.

 

Drew Brees will have his worst season since 2009

Brees may have gained a weapon in an aging Adrian Peterson, but he lost a bigger one when New Orleans traded Brandin Cooks to New England for a first-round pick. The Saints have been more interested in beefing up their defense than improving Brees’ supporting cast on offense (Ted Ginn?). Brees might have led the league with 5.208 passing yards last season, but I believe head coach Sean Payton will be focusing more on the running game when calling plays this year and less on letting his 38-year-old quarterback air it out as often as he has in recent seasons.

 

Allen Robinson will bounce back and be better in 2017 than he was in 2015

Jacksonville’s Robinson was one of the biggest fantasy disappointments last season when he only gave fantasy owners 883 receiving yards and six touchdowns compared to the 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns he supplied a year prior. It was not entirely his fault. Quarterback Blake Bortles played like he graduated from the Tim Tebow School For Throwing Terrible Passes, and running mate Allen Hurns went from a 1,000-yard receiver to a paltry pass catcher who ranked 104^th in receiving yards. Bortles should turn things around now that Doug Marrone is the head coach, and a better running attack spearheaded by first-rounder Leonard Fourcette should open up opportunities for Robinson downfield. I have Robinson pegged for 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns.

 

Isaiah Crowell will be a top-10 fantasy RB

Cleveland’s Crowell proved he can be a fantasy asset last season when he rushed for 952 yards at a 4.8 yards-per-carry clip and scored seven touchdowns. He also added a career-high 40 receptions for 319 yards on top of it. Crowell has improved in each of his first three seasons and does not have a lot of wear and tear on his body since Duke Johnson Jr. gets a decent amount of reps as the third-down back. Cleveland upgraded its offensive line during the offseason (ranked second by Pro Football Focus) and defenses might not be able to stack the box anymore if rookie DeShone Kizer turns out to not be a Tim Couch-like bust. Look for Crowell to set new career bests across the board and be a fantasy supertstar.

 

Stephen Gostkowski will not be New England’s kicker by the time the 2017 season ends

Gostkowski is still one of the best kickers to own in fantasy football because he is the kicker on one of the top two offenses in professional football. He started showing some signs of sliding last year, though, when he faltered on three extra points and only connected on 84.4 percent of his field goal attempts, his lowest since 2012. New England will replace a player quicker than a car salesman will sell you a service plan, so I believe Bill Belichick will have little patience when Gostkowski is erratic this season. Giving Gostkowski his walking papers would open up some salary cap space for the Pats as well.

 

Joe Flacco will be equally as unfantasy-friendly in 2017 as he was in 2016

The quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens offense did fantasy owners no favors last season. While he threw for a career-high 4.317 yards and played a full season after tearing his ACL in 2015, Flacco’s 20-to-15 touchdown-to-interception ratio was as helpful as kryptonite is for Superman. Baltimore acquired veterans Jeremy Maclin and Danny Woodhead in the offseason to boost the passing attack, but the Ravens have more injured tight ends than healthy ones, a below-average running game and a top target in Mike Wallace who is primed for a down year. None of this sounds promising for Flacco.

 

The Seattle Seahawks will not have a top-15 fantasy defense

Seattle had another banner year on defense in 2016 as Pete Carroll’s charges finished third in scoring defense, fifth in total defense and third in sacks. There were some signs of wear and tear on the aging unit, though. The ‘Hawks were ranked at the bottom half in fumble recoveries and interceptions. “Legion of Boom” backbones Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Cam Chancellor are all approaching 30, while pass rushers Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are over 30.  Seattle’s schedule is loaded with high-powered offenses (Atlanta, Green Bay, Dallas, Washington, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Arizona twice), so it will be hard for fantasy owners to even use the Seahawks’ defense for half the season.

 

Colin Kaepernick will have more fantasy value than Tony Romo

Romo has retired and is scheduled to be part of the top tandem for CBS’ NFL telecasts this season. Kaepernick is unemployed as all NFL organizations are acting like he has contagious conjunctivitis. Neither has any fantasy value now, but that could/should change by the start of the season. Once some quarterbacks get injured or discovered to be scattershot with their throws, the league will be mining the free-agent and retired lists for veteran arms.

While Romo has always been the bigger fantasy factor, I think he will enjoy his stay in the broadcast booth as much as Jon Gruden has and stay put. Kaepernick is still a capable QB coming off a bounce-back season where he tossed 16 touchdown passes and was only picked off four times. He has still has a cannon arm and greyhound legs, so if and when the furor over his kneeling during the National Anthem dies down and a team has a quarterback slot that needs to be filled, look for Kaepernick to get signed and brought into some NFL squad’s fold.

 

Conor McGregor will have a better fantasy football value than Josh McCown

McCown is an aging, injury-prone quarterback who can never stay healthy for four games in a row and might not be able to beat out average-at-best Bryce Petty for the starting signal caller job with the New York Jets. McGregor is a loudmouthed UFC fighter who thinks he can stick his rock-hard hands and his Irish flag into any sport and dominate it. After McGregor defeats or loses to Floyd Mayweather in their August boxing match, he will probably wait on returning to the cage that made him famous and opt instead to try his hand at another sport. That sport could be football, and there is no doubt that while on the small side he is an elite athlete. Bank on McCown suffering a season-ending injury on his first snap as a Jet, while McGregor hooks up with the Oakland Raiders and suits up for one game and gets a late one-yard touchdown in a blowout win. Hey, you think it can’t happen?  I didn’t think my book would end up in Jimmy Fallon’s hands in front of millions, either!

 

More Bold Predictions for NFL 2017