Projecting the first round of your 2017 fantasy draft

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The 2016 NFL season is offically into the second half. At this point, some fantasy owners are completely out of it, some are hanging on, and the rest are well-positioned for the playoffs. But regardless of their current standing, all fantasy owners now have a legitimate sample size of work that they can work with to help shape next year's first round.

This year, receivers were the talk of the draft; Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and Odell Beckham were the consensus 1-2-3. Don't expect that in 2017.

Ezekiel Elliott, Le'Veon Bell, and David Johnson have shown the kind of dominance that should make them locks for the top three spots. And don't be surprised to see them lead a reversion back to the running back-heavy early rounds of years past.

Below is a projection of what a standard 12-team first round could look like next year, and the reasoning behind the selections:

Kudos to those who bought into the Elliott hype. He has paid off handsomely, racking up 1,005 rushing yards and nine scores in his first nine NFL games. Johnson isn't too far behind with 760 rushing yards and nine TDs. In PPR formats, however, Bell and Johnson would likely supplant Elliott, as both are heavily entrenched in the passing games of their respective teams.

Moving onto the wide receivers, the duo of Brown and Jones should remain the WR1 and WR2. Jones is averaging over 100 yards per game during Matt Ryan's successful 2016 campaign, while Brown has a line of 69-831-7 through nine games. Don't expect either to fall out of the top five.

The biggest surprise on the WR end of things is the emergence of Evans. In just his third year, the Buccaneers wideout has become an elite fantasy WR, leading the NFL in targets (108) and touchdowns (eight) through Week 10. Consider him ahead of Beckham (but only slightly).

The 7-8-9 picks could easily interchange depending on how the second half of this season wraps up. Beckham hasn't been as electric this season as he was last year, but his talent level remains in the elite tier. His eight remaining games of 2016 will be monumental in determining his value next season.

Murray experiences one of the biggest jumps in ADP relative to last season. Even with RB Derrick Henry in the mix, Murray has had at least 16 fantasy points in nine of 10 games this year. His inclusion in Tennessee's passing game bolsters his appeal in both standard and PPR formats. It's a 40- to 50-spot jump from last season, but he should be drafted with confidence.

Green and McCoy remain the holdovers from last year's first- and second-round considerations. Though Green has just four scores so far, he has four 100+ yard games. Reliability is hard to come by, and Green continues to provide it.

The final two selections are where things get rough. You don't want these spots. While Cooper will continue to progress into the top tier of receivers, the presence of Michael Crabtree limits his dominance in Oakland. Jordy Nelson could be considered here.

Ajayi is a risky selection in the first round, but if he finishes 2016 they way he has dominated the middle portion of the year, he will have a complete stranglehold over Miami's backfield - making him a no-doubt RB1.

Where's Gronk?

2017 could be the year where Rob Gronkowski falls out of the first round. Though no tight end has the ability to post touchdowns and 100-yard games like him, the play of Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed, Delanie Walker, Tyler Eifert and Jimmy Graham have either brought Gronkowski down closer to their level or elevated each of them up near Gronk's stratosphere.

With the depth available at the tight end position, Gronk should fall into the second round of 2017 drafts.