Most disappointing athletes of 2017

A frontrunner for the Wooden Award last season, Allen's points per game averaged dropped by more than seven points while he also faced a brief suspension for tripping an opponent. With his on-court shenanigans, Allen could be the most hated Blue Devil since Christian Laettner.

OBJ's year started on the wrong photo with the boat photo before New York's playoff game. After losing the game, Beckham got more bad press for a temper tantrum. The bad breaks didn't stop for Beckham this football season, as he suffered an ankle injury during the preseason and then a broken ankle in Week 5 that required season-ending surgery.

Hoping for a huge contract last offseason, Bautista had to settle for a one-year, $18.5 million contract to return to Toronto. His age-36 season was a disaster, hitting just .203-23-65 in 157 games.

After winning a Super Bowl in New England, Bennett moved on to Green Bay. Unfortunately, Bennett never got going and was released due to a shoulder injury. The Patriots added him back to their roster, but got almost nothing from Bennett before shutting him down. He's expected to retire.

Bradford looked like a potential MVP candidate after a huge Week 1 game against the Saints, but a bizarre knee injury sidelined him following that game. He was able to make an appearance about a month later against the Bears but had to exit early. Bradford had knee surgery, and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season.

Coming off a year-long suspension, Bryant showed huge upside as Pittsburgh's deep threat. However, he fell out of favor early, as rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster became Pittsburgh's No. 2 wideout, and Bryant was eventually benched for expressing his discontent publicly. While Bryant has returned to the field, his contribution has been limited.

Cabrera's contribution in Detroit has been as sure as death and taxes. That changed in 2017 when he struggled through a back injury and hit just .249-16-60 with a career-worst .728 OPS in 130 games. He will turn 35 in April with six years of his eight-year, $240 contract remaining on the books for the Tigers.

Oakland were one of the Super Bowl favorites heading into 2017, but they've sputtered on both sides of the ball. One of the biggest culprits has been Carr, who has more interceptions than last season through only 10 games.

Cooper showed flashes of stardom through his first two seasons, but his third year has been a major struggle. He had issues with drops early in the year, and has just 42 receptions for 499 yards and five scores through 11 games. A concussion and ankle injury are threatening his late season.

Cueto was terrific in the first year of a six-year, $130 million contract in 2016, but he reversed course this year. The former ace finished the year 8-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 25 starts, and decided not to opt out of his contract following the season, as a result.

Maybe it's the public's fault that Darnold's 2017 season has been considered a disappointment. He was considered the No. 1 NFL prospect in college football coming into the season, and that status hasn't really changed, but he's had more struggles this season with a less impressive supporting cast at USC. Darnold had just 24/12 TD/INT heading into the Pac-12 Conference Championship game, though he finished the year strong (17-of-24 for 325 yards and 2 TDs) in leading the Trojans over Stanford for the Pac-12 title.

Suspended six games for domestic violence, Elliott appealed the suspension in nearly every avenue available before finally beginning the suspension late in the year. The Cowboys have struggled without their starting running back, though he averaged only 4.1 yards per carry before the suspension.

Florida State had legitimate National Championship hopes when they opened the season against Alabama. However, Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Crimson Tide, dooming Florida State's season. 

Fultz was the top pick in the draft despite being a one-and-done on a bad Washington team. The start of his NBA career has been less than stellar, fighting through a shoulder injury that limited him to only four games through November.

The Patriots were called geniuses for "stealing" Gilmore from the rival Bills in the offseason, signing the cornerback to a five-year, $65 million contract in the offseason. Gilmore has turned out to be one of the offseason's biggest busts, though the Patriots have still managed to have another great year.

Chicago's weird offseason included a three-year, $45 million contract for Glennon, a former backup in Tampa Bay. Following the signing, Chicago traded up to draft North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky second overall. Glennon played only four games before getting benched for the rookie.

Gordon's four-year, $72 million contract signed after the Royals 2015 World Series win looked like a bargain at the time, but it's turned into an albatross. He was very bad in 2016 but arguably the worst player in baseball in 2017, hitting .208-9-45 with a .608 OPS. To Gordon's credit, he still did win a Gold Glove.

Griffin missed significant time for the third straight season in 2016-17. After Chris Paul was traded, Griffin was expected to step up as the Clippers team leader. Unfortunately, an MCL sprain could make 2017-18 a lost year.

Coming off a down year and surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, Harvey's 2017 season was far worse. Over an identical 92.2 innings, Harvey posted a 6.70 ERA as he struggled to throw strikes and missed more time with arm problems.

Boston won the Hayward free agent sweepstakes during the offseason, only for him to suffer a gruesome leg injury only five minutes into his first regular season game with the Celtics. He will miss the remainder of the season.

The hopes of the Cardinals and fantasy football owners rested on Johnson, but his season ended after Week 1 due to a wrist injury. Arizona's offense has sputtered without him.

Suspended from Korea's WBC roster after crashing his car with allegations that he was under the influence, Kang was also never cleared to return to the States this season. As a result, the Pirates were left in a hole without their starting third baseman.

Returning from a disappointing and injury-plagued 2016 season in Green Bay, Lacy signed in Seattle during the offseason to provide a boost as their new power back. The Seahawks have needed to search for other answers, with Lacy averaging only 2.6 yards per carry.

Offseason shoulder surgery wasn't supposed to keep Luck out for much of the 2017 season, but one setback after another made it a lost year. While there is confidence that he will return next year, there is also some degree of nervousness in Indy.

Lucroy finished hot with the Rangers in 2016, and looked prime for a huge season in his walk year. That was far from the case, as he had a terrible .635 OPS with the Rangers before getting traded to Colorado. Lucroy was able to revitalize his stats at Coors Field, but he still had a mediocre year going into free agency.

Lundqvist has shown shown signs of age over the last year-plus. He failed to make an All-Star appearance for the first time last season, allowing 2.74 goals against, and that rate has been identical this season at age 35.

Considered the quarterback of the future in Denver after being drafted in the first round last year, Lynch has been a huge disappointment. He struggled when he found the field last season and was beat out by Trevor Siemian in the offseason before suffering a shoulder injury. He did find the field once this year, only to suffer an ankle injury.

That could be all she wrote for Manning in New York, if not his NFL career, after getting benched for Geno Smith in Week 13. He posted a 84.1 Quarterback Rating without much help from his supporting cast.

Marshall's failure to reach the playoffs is now at 12 straight seasons, and there is speculation that he will call it quits after struggling in five games this season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

Melancon cashed in on a four-year, $62 million contract with the Giants last offseason, but he was a huge bust due to injury. He managed to make only 32 appearances, posting a 4.50 ERA and 11 saves.

Murray rushed for 1,287 yards in his first season with Tennessee, but he hasn't been as effective this year while fighting through nagging leg injuries. He's rushed for 452 yards and just 3.5 yards per carry in 11 games, while teammate Derrick Henry has shown more burst.

The end is near for Nowitzki at age 39. He played only 54 games last season and has averaged less than 25 minutes per game early this year, with only 11.0 points per game through 22 contests. The Mavericks are in clear rebuilding mode as he approaches the end.

Parsons signed a four-year, $94 million contract before the 2016-17 season, and it's looking like the worst contract in the league. He played only 34 games last season due to injury, and has been used mostly off the bench for the Grizzlies this season.

Odor developed into a star for the Rangers in 2016, but he couldn't overcome his slump in his follow-up. While he hit 30 home runs for the second straight year, Odor hit just .204 with a .252 on-base percentage.

Parise struggled in 2016-17 for the Wild, accumulating only 42 points. He has yet to play this season due to back surgery.

Returning from an injury-plagued final season in Minnesota, Peterson signed with the Saints in the offseason. He ended up playing third fiddle to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara before getting traded to Arizona. Peterson has been a workhorse in six games with the Cardinals, but he's averaged only 3.5 yards per carry.

A candidate for the Heisman entering the year, Pettway has been hounded by multiple injuries in his sophomore season. Pettway had 1,224 rushing yards in only nine games last season, but he's had just 305 yards in five games this year.

Porcello won the AL Cy Young in 2016, but he saw extreme regression this season. He went 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA, leading the AL in both hits and home runs allowed.

The top college basketball recruit in the country, Porter injured his hip during warmups of Mizzou's first regular season game. The injury turned out to be worse than anticipated, and Porter could finish his much-anticipated freshman season having played only two minutes on the court.

Pryor settled for a one-year deal with Washington in the offseason despite finishing last season with 77 receptions for 1,007 yards and four scores. He never got going with his new team, accumulating 20 receptions for 240 in nine games before going on injured reserve with an ankle injury in November.

Ross set a new record in the 40 during the NFL Combine, and his crown as the fastest player in football resulted in him going ninth overall in the 2017 Draft to Cincinnati. The speedster has gone through knee problems and has yet to make his first career NFL reception while only being active for three games.

Scarbrough emerged for the Crimson Tide late last season, and was in the Heisman conversation entering this year. However, he's regressed significantly, while Damien Harris has outshined him in the Alabama offense. Scarbrough finished the regular season with only 108 carries for 549 yards and eight scores.

Story's rookie season ended with a thumb injury, but there were high hopes in his follow-up after he hit .272-27-72 in only 97 games. This year marked a sophomore slump for the Rockies shortstop, who hit .239-24-82 in 48 more games than his rookie campaign and led the NL with 191 strikeouts.

The first overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Swanson had plenty of hype and performed well with the Braves late in 2016. That success didn't continue this year, as he hit just .232-6-51 with a .636 OPS in 144 games.

Trumbo led the AL with 47 home runs in 2016, helping him earn a three-year deal last offseason. He regressed after signing his new contract in Baltimore, hitting only .234-23-65 in 146 games.

Watt had high expectations after playing only three games last year with a back injury. Injuries continued to hinder him this year, playing only five games before suffering a season-ending leg injury.

The seventh overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, White has been constantly injured during his three-year career. That continued this year, suffering a broken shoulder blade in the first game of the season. He's now played only five games over three seasons.

Tampa Bay gave Winston more tools to succeed during the offseason by signing DeSean Jackson and drafting O.J. Howard in the first round. Winston has failed to progress this season and missed time with a shoulder injury. He's also had another off-field accusation of sexual misconduct.

Woods has spent most of the year away from the course, rehabbing from more back trouble. He was also arrested in late May after being found asleep at the wheel. He pled guilty to reckless driving and received a year of probation. Woods did get back on the course in the final month of the year at the Hero World Challenge.

Zimmermann's five-year, $110 million contract signed with Detroit before 2016 looked like a disaster in Year 1. That was solidified this year when he pitched worse, posting a 6.08 ERA in 29 starts for Detroit. He has three years left in his contract with the rebuilding Tigers, but he might not last with the team until the end.