Week 17 has no business being part of a fantasy season.

A whole mess of scrubs play, a mess of studs rest, and we don’t always know beforehand who those guys will be.

This week last season, Josh McCown out-passed Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis as the Colts beat the Cardinals by three. The Patriots were led in passing, rushing and receiving yardage by, respectively, Matt Cassel, Patrick Pass and Andre’ Davis. Seneca Wallace threw twice as many passes as Matt Hasselbeck after the Seahawks clinched home-field advantage. Quinn "I’ve never even heard of me" Gray and Matt "Proud to rank among the top five QBs named Matt" Mauck each attempted 14 throws, with Gray actually completing two for touchdowns.

It’s a goofy week in an already tricky league that makes luck an even greater factor than usual. It is because I feel that way that I refuse to spend the final island trip of the year discussing Week 17.

Instead, I’m going to take this opportunity to take a very early look at some prospects for next season.

On the rookie level, 2006 has inarguably been the year of the running back. Maurice Jones-Drew has been awesome. Joseph Addai has been as good as we could have hoped for a guy who didn’t start the opener and shared carries with Dominic Rhodes. Laurence Maroney and DeAngelo Williams produced some fantasy value despite committee setups. Reggie Bush overcame a slower start to put up some big numbers late. Leon Washington gave us several usable games. Mike Bell provided some valuable touchdowns. Even Jerious Norwood popped up occasionally to at least give us hope for his near future.

The top three quarterbacks taken ended up having some impressive numbers as well, but it was the runners’ season.

Next April’s draft, however, appears to be a bit thin in the backfield, with a couple of underclassmen, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, leading the way if they declare. Auburn’s Kenny Irons could have some impact as well, but that appears to be pretty much it for redraft leagues. Where the 2007 class should affect our fantasy leagues, though, is at receiver.

I’ll go ahead and nominate Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson as the favorite for 2007 offensive rookie of the year, barring injury or getting drafted into a terrible situation (I’m looking at you, Oakland). This beast has been underused in college and played his games with a shaky (to be kind) quarterback in Reggie Ball, yet he still managed 1,016 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior in 2006. It will surprise many if he doesn’t enter the draft, as he possesses fantastic size, speed, hands and athleticism and could even be the top pick. He should be at least the second rookie to go in fantasy drafts next summer.

Behind Johnson sits another junior, Dwayne Jarrett, who has rushed for 2,896 yards and 39 touchdowns in his three years at USC. Sure, at least some of his success can be attributed to playing in one of the greatest college offenses of all time in 2004 and 2005, but his 6-foot-5 frame looks NFL-ready. Additionally, he had 810 yards and 10 touchdowns this season despite playing with a new quarterback and new running backs and overcoming an early-season shoulder injury that forced him to miss a game.[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Ohio State’s Ted Ginn Jr. looks like more of an athlete than a dependable receiver, but his tremendous speed and ability on kick returns could make him an occasional fantasy starter as a rookie. He won’t catch a ton of passes, but a first season like Donte’ Stallworth’s in 2002, when he caught 42 passes in 13 games and scored eight times, could be a reasonable expectation.

Beyond those three, a couple more big receivers "" a junior and a senior "" could turn into steady red-zone threats with the right pro teams. I don’t expect Notre Dame’s Jeff Samardzija to approach his college numbers in the NFL (at least not early on), but at 6-5, 218 pounds, he’d certainly be a guy I’d look for in the end zone.

Although Tennessee’s Robert Meachem is a bit shorter, at 6-3, his 105.4 yards per game and 11 touchdowns as a junior in 2006 have gained him some acclaim. I wouldn’t be surprised if he (along with South Carolina’s Sidney Rice) returns for another year in college and waits for a less-stacked receiver class, but if he goes pro, he could be worth a late fantasy pick and a bench spot. One benefit for us if he does come out, though, is that he and Samardzija would likely end up on better teams by sticking around until the later portion of Round 1.

Obviously, there will be plenty of time to learn the players and draw out a strategy for next year, but I just wanted to help get you started. After all, that’s the kind of thing we should be doing in this goofy final week.

Out on an Island: In case you are leading your league up to Week 17, go ahead and take a chance on the Titans at home against the Patriots if you need a defense.

I know what you’re thinking: Against Tom Brady’s offense? No thanks. I’ll be shocked, though, if any significant starter goes for New England this week. All the Pats have to play for is whether they face the AFC’s fifth or sixth seed in the first round. Bill Belichick rested his starters in the same situation last year.

Tennessee, on the other hand, still has a shot at a wild card, and its defense had five interceptions and eight sacks over the past two weeks. Those 29 points the Titans yielded in Buffalo would be unwelcome this time around, but the turnover potential (especially against Matt Cassel) plus the return ability of Pacman Jones makes it worth the risk.

Last week: Matt Jones "" 4 catches, 69 yards, TD.

Matt Schauf writes a weekly fantasy football column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at mschauf63@hotmail.com.