Pro Bowl 2017: AFC vs. NFC Rosters and Players to Watch

The NFL's annual Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, January 29, at 8 p.m ET, featuring many of the NFL's star athletes.

The game will be broadcast by ESPN featuring its Monday Night Football crew of Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters.

For the first time in the history of the event, the Pro Bowl will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida—a rare step away from a longstanding tradition of Honolulu, Hawaii hosting the event. Dating back to 1979, this will be just the third Pro Bowl played outside of Hawaii. 

After a three-year experimentation with a fantasy draft style format, the Pro Bowl returns to the traditional AFC versus NFC format this year's showdown.

Here's a look at the rosters for the event, followed by a breakdown of a few players who are candidates to post MVP-type numbers in the game.   

AFC

Head Coach: Andy Reid (Chiefs)

QB: Alex Smith (Chiefs), Philip Rivers (Chargers) and Andy Dalton (Bengals)

RB: DeMarco Murray (Titans), Melvin Gordon (Chargers) and Jay Ajayi (Dolphins)

FB: Kyle Juszczyk (Ravens)

WR: T.Y. Hilton (Colts), Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos), Jarvis Landry (Dolphins) and Demaryius Thomas (Broncos).

OL: Tackles Joe Thomas (Browns), Taylor Lewan (Titans) and Andrew Whitworth (Bengals); guards Kelechi Osemele (Raiders), Richie Incognito (Bills) and David DeCastro (Steelers); centers Rodney Hudson (Raiders) and Jeremy Zuttah (Ravens)

TE: Travis Kelce (Chiefs) and Delanie Walker (Titans)

DL: Ends Cameron Wake (Dolphins), Carlos Dunlap (Bengals) and Leonard Williams (Jets); tackles Geno Atkins (Bengals), Ndamukong Suh (Dolphins) and Jurrell Casey (Titans)

LB: Lorenzo Alexander (Bills), Von Miller (Broncos), Brian Orakpo (Titans), Ryan Shazier (Steelers) and Zach Brown (Bills)

DB: Cornerbacks Marcus Peters (Chiefs), Aqib Talib (Broncos), Casey Hayward (Chargers) and Chris Harris (Broncos); free safeties Reggie Nelson (Raiders) and Eric Weddle (Ravens); strong safety Darian Stewart (Broncos)

ST: Punter Dustin Colquitt (Chiefs), kicker Justin Tucker (Ravens), long snapper Morgan Cox (Ravens), returner Tyreek Hill (Chiefs), special teamer D.J. Alexander (Chiefs) 

NFC

Head Coach: Jason Garrett (Cowboys)

QB: Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Drew Brees (Saints) and Kirk Cousins (Redskins)

RB: Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys), Darren Sproles (Eagles) and Jordan Howard (Bears)

FB: Mike Tolbert (Panthers)

WR: Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), Doug Baldwin (Seahawks) and Dez Bryant (Cowboys)

OL: Tackles Tyron Smith (Cowboys), Trent Williams (Redskins) and David Bakhtiari (Packers); guards Zack Martin (Cowboys), Josh Sitton (Bears) and Trai Turner (Panthers); centers Travis Frederick (Cowboys) and Jason Kelce (Eagles)

TE: Greg Olsen (Panthers)

DL: Ends Everson Griffen (Minnesota Vikings), Cliff Avril (Seattle Seahawks) and Michael Bennett (Seahawks); tackles Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers), Fletcher Cox (Eagles) and Linval Joseph (Vikings)

LB: Bobby Wagner (Seahawks), Sean Lee (Cowboys), Thomas Davis (Panthers), Anthony Barr (Vikings) and K.J. Wright (Seahawks)

DB: Cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins (Giants), Patrick Peterson (Cardinals), Richard Sherman (Seahawks) and Xavier Rhodes (Vikings); free safeties Harrison Smith (Vikings) and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix; strong safety Landon Collins (Giants)

ST: Punter Johnny Hekker (Rams), kicker Matt Prater (Lions), long snapper Jake McQuaide (Rams), returner Cordarrelle Patterson (Vikings) and special teamer Dwayne Harris (Giants)

Note: Players listed are only those expected to participate in the game. Selected players who have dropped out are not listed.

Players to Watch

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Not every player takes the Pro Bowl seriously, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has reportedly found some motivation, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times: 

Evans' style of play also lends itself to this type of unstructured game and should help make up for a lack of rapport with his NFC quarterbacks. As a big, physical receiver, Evans excels at competing for the jump ball, which will make him a easy red-zone target. 

Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall, both receivers with a similar skill set to Evans, have won the Pro Bowl MVP in recent years. 

Evans is a good bet to snag a touchdown or two in this typically high-scoring game, which could make him a strong MVP candidate. 

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Travis Kelce will be making his second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl and this time will have the benefit of playing alongside his quarterback Alex Smith. 

Kelce was one of the stars of last year's Pro Bowl, leading all receivers with five receptions and two touchdowns. 

In 2016, Kelce was Smith's go-to receiver, accounting for 21.9 percent of Smith's total targets, according to Pro Football Reference. Given their familiarity, it's likely Smith will look Kelce's way multiple times during the Pro Bowl as well. 

Kelce will also have the opportunity to catch passes from Philip Rivers, who has built a career out of finding his tight end Antonio Gates near the red zone. Making the transition to targeting Kelce should be an easy one for Rivers.

Assuming the AFC's game plan is to air it out in the Pro Bowl, the circumstances appear to shape up perfectly for Kelce to be a big part of the action. 

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott will be the youngest participant in the Pro Bowl, but he could play a significant role in the game plan. 

Elliott benefits from getting an opportunity to play with his quarterback, Dak Prescott, and the Cowboys coaching staff. 

If the NFC team gets near the goal line, it's a safe bet head coach Jason Garrett will give his star running back some touches in an effort to get him a touchdown in the Pro Bowl. 

According to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com, Elliott seems to be having a blast preparing for the game in Orlando and has been lobbying his coaching staff to involve him on a fake punt. 

Given the loose atmosphere of the game, trick plays are often a part of the Pro Bowl experience and Elliott just may get his wish from his coaching staff on Sunday.