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Every year, players picked in the later rounds (or not at all) in fantasy football drafts outperform others taken early.

Such was the case in 2016, as running backs Jordan Howard and Jay Ajayi did better than Todd Gurley, who was one of the most touted fantasy football players prior to the season.

The roles have now reversed for those three backs, as Howard and Ajayi are being touted more than Gurley, who could end up being a nice sleeper himself.

Here's a look at some sleepers who could outperform their current expectations. Also, we'll take a look at others who may not meet their current preseason rankings. Commentary will focus on three players from each side.

Sleepers

Quarterback: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles and Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

Running Back: Bilal Powell, New York Jets and Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks

Wide Receiver: Cameron Meredith, Chicago Bears and Kenny Britt, Cleveland Browns

Tight End: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles and Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders

After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz is on a re-tooled Eagles team that looks like it will contend for the NFC East crown. In particular, the receiving corps has been revamped, as Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery have joined the mix.

The Eagles will hope their arrivals alleviate the primary issue the Philly receivers had last year, which Pro Football Focus noted:

If Wentz finds a good rapport with his two new teammates, he could be in for a breakout season.

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is being drafted too low in leagues right now. He finished tied for seventh in touchdown passes last year (28), and the team just added running back Marshawn Lynch and tight end Jared Cook to the offense, who should prove to be upgrades to each position unit from last year.

Therefore, Carr and the Raiders could be in line for an even better offensive year, and last season wasn't so bad considering they were seventh in points scored.

Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls had four games of 100 yards or more during the 2015 season, including 209 against the San Francisco 49ers, but a broken ankle prematurely ended his campaign.

After an injury-riddled 2016, Rawls looks ready to roll and could even be the man in the Seahawks backfield despite the introduction of former Green Bay Packer Eddie Lacy. Here's an interesting note from Evan Silva of Rotoworld:

If Rawls can return to 2015 form and start every game, he could be in for a monster season.

Busts

Quarterback: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys and Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions

Running Back: Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers and Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins

Wide Receiver: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys and Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots

Tight End: David Njoku, Cleveland Browns and Evan Engram, New York Giants

The Dak Prescott pick is not about his skill set, which isn't in any question after a fantastic rookie year. It's more in relation to the Dallas Cowboys' prospects, as the six-game suspension handed down to running back Ezekiel Elliott could be the team's house of cards.

Elliot is a dynamic runner who changed the entire Cowboys offense and meshed well with the offensive line in his rookie season. However, that O-line underwent some changes in the offseason, with left guard Jonathan Cooper and right tackle La'El Collins replacing Ronald Leary and Doug Free, respectively.

If backup Darren McFadden can't shoulder the load, the entire Cowboys offense could sputter.

The two running backs on this list had monster 2016 seasons but could see steps back for different reasons.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon scored 12 touchdowns last year, including three at the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons, but he only amassed 3.9 yards per carry.

Although he'll continue to get goal-line touches, one can't help but wonder if touchdown luck was on his side a little bit. It certainly wasn't in 2015, when Gordon had zero scores. Expect his final 2017 score total to fall somewhere in the middle.

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi's breakout sophomore campaign was the catalyst to the Miami Dolphins making the playoffs last year. However, 735 of Ajayi's 1,242 yards came within four games, well over half his season total.

In fairness, Ajayi missed the season opener and was in a timeshare for a few weeks in the beginning portion of the year. However, he's not a big threat in the pass game (27 receptions) and the season-ending ACL injury to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill could potentially be damaging to this offense.