The 2017 Pro Bowl rosters are set, as the AFC and NFC will face off in a tradition that started back in 1970. The coaches for that game were John Madden of the Oakland Raiders and Dick Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers. The contest, which the NFC won 27-6, had two Most Valuable Players ... Fred Carr of the Green Bay Packers and Mel Renfro of the Dallas Cowboys.
The game was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and each player from the winning team was rewarded $2,000. The winning players from the 2017 Pro Bowl will be awarded $64,000.
Had fantasy football been prominent in 1970, the fantasy Pro Bowl team would have included John Brodie, Fran Tarkenton, Ron A. Johnson, MacArthur Lane, Gene A. Washington and Dick Gordon. Brodie led the NFL with 2,941 passing yards, which isn't impressive compared to today's gaudy totals. Johnson's 1,514 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns would have earned him a top-10 finish among 2017 runners. Washington, who recorded 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns, was comparable to Adam Thielen's numbers.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the best of the best -- the 2017 fantasy Pro Bowl squad.
Quarterbacks
Starter: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks - The highest-scoring player in fantasy football, Wilson became the first player in NFL history to account for 100 percent of his team's passing yards and at least 30 percent of its rushing yards in a single season. He also scored 97.4 percent of Seattle's offensive touchdowns (37 of 38), which is the highest of any player in the Super Bowl era.
Reserves:Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers; Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Running backs
Starter: Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams - Gurley led all runners in fantasy points, experiencing a 164.1-point increase in production compared to his sophomore season. He also rushed for 420 more yards on just one more rushing attempt. Gurley led the NFL with 749 yards after the catch too, which accounted for 23 percent of his fantasy points. He'll be a top-three pick in all 2018 drafts.
Reserves:Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers; Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Wide receivers
Starters: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers; DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans - Brown was also the most consistent wide receiver in fantasy football, finishing in the top 10 in PPR scoring at the position nine times in his 13 full games (69 percent). That includes six games where he ranked in the top three. He'll be the top wideout drafted next season. Hopkins finished second behind Brown, despite the fact that he had to deal with a virtual carousel of quarterbacks in Houston after Deshaun Watson was lost to an injured knee. He was the lone wideout in the league who finished with 1,000-plus receiving yards and double-digit touchdown catches.
Reserves:Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers; Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Tight ends
Starter: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs - Kelce led all tight ends in PPR points for the second straight season, scoring 231.5 points on 83 catches, 1,038 yards and a career-high eight touchdown grabs. He'll be one of the dwindling number of tight ends who's still worth a top-50 overall selection in all 2018 drafts, along with New England's Rob Gronkowski and Philadelphia's Zach Ertz.
Reserve:Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Kicker
Starter: Greg Zuerlein, Los Angeles Rams - Zuerlein's 170 fantasy points were more than Devonta Freeman, DeMarco Murray, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, A.J. Green, Mike Evans, Kelce and Gronkowski scored in standard formats. Had he not missed the final two games, Legatron would have projected to finish as the No. 8 running back, the No. 3 receiver and the No. 1 tight end based on points.
Linebackers
Starters: C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens; Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks - Mosley was the highest-scoring individual defensive player in fantasy football this season, as he averaged more than 15 points per game. He was eighth in total tackles among linebackers with one touchdown and four takeaways, and Mosley also recorded 14-plus points in 10 of 16 games. Wagner, who ranked second in points and seventh in total tackles at the position, put up 14 or more fantasy points eight times including two with 20 or more. Wagner might have been the top player at the position had he not had a bad finish with fewer than 10 points in each of his last four games.
Reserves:Blake Martinez, Green Bay Packers; Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Safeties
Starters: Reshad Jones, Miami Dolphins; Keanu Neal, Atlanta Falcons - Jones was the best safety in fantasy football in 2017, scoring over 220 points while averaging almost 14 points per game. He was the lone safety with 200-plus points. He led his position in total tackles (122), and tied for first in both touchdowns (two) and fumble recoveries (three). Neal had a solid season of his own, scoring 192.3 points while posting double digits in 11 of his final 12 games. He scored double digits once in his first four contests. Overall, Neal was second among safeties with 116 total tackles and tied for second in forced fumbles (three) and third in fumble recoveries.
Reserves:Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans, Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills
Cornerbacks
Starters: Darius Slay, Detroit Lions; Tre'Davious White, Buffalo Bills - Slay was an IDP monster in the stat sheets, leading all cornerbacks in fantasy points (170.5) this season. While he was tied for just 25th in total tackles, Slay's league-leading eight interceptions put him atop the position. Slay also scored double digits eight times. White broke out in his rookie campaign, recording 69 total tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one touchdown. He also finished in a tie for sixth among cornerbacks with four interceptions. While he did hit somewhat of a statistical lull in the middle, White still put up a solid 10.2 points per game.
Reserves:Desmond King, Los Angeles Chargers; Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals
Defensive ends
Starters: Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints; Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers - Jordan was a huge part of the Saints defensive resurgence this season, as he led all defensive ends in fantasy points. His 62 total tackles ranked tied for sixth at the position, and only DeMarcus Lawrence had more sacks than Jordan's career-high 13 this season. Bosa finished a close second in fantasy points among defensive ends, as he ranked third in total tackles (70), tied for second in forced fumbles (four) and alone at fifth in sacks (12.5). Bosa, who has now recorded 23 total sacks in his first 28 NFL games, scored double-digit fantasy points in eight of 16 contests in 2017.
Reserves:Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys
Defensive tackles
Starters: Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars; Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams - Campbell's first season in Jacksonville was a very successful one, as he forced three fumbles, scored one touchdown and ranked first in both sacks (14.5) and fantasy points among defensive tackles. Furthermore, his 182 points were 43.7 more than the second-best player at the position. Donald ranked first in forced fumbles (five) and third in sacks (11) at the position, and he did it despite the fact that he missed two games this season. The veteran, who has recorded nine or more sacks in three of his first four NFL seasons, also averaged a solid 8.6 fantasy points a game.
Reserves:Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers; Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
