Individual statistics can be a bit misleading when it comes to determining a team’s success – Alabama did not have a player among the SEC’s top 10 rushing leaders – but they can help us identify some talented players on underachieving teams.

With that in mind, now is as good a time as any to project which players have a good shot at leading the SEC in a given category in 2017.

The leaders often change from year to year — especially rushing leaders — but there are certain proven players who seem like decent bets to make a run at the top spot. Some players are returning to defend their statistical title, but other categories have no reigning leader coming back in 2017.

Below, we will list a given statistic that should be familiar to most football fans as well as the three players who seem most likely to lead the conference in said category.

Let’s get to it.

Rushing yards – Individual

Derrius Guice, LSU: The SEC’s returning leader in rushing yardage in 2016 enters this fall as the front-runner to repeat. In Guice’s favor is the departure of Leonard Fournette, making him the featured back this season. History is not on his side, however, as the last player to repeat as the rushing champion was Arkansas’ Darren McFadden in 2006 and 2007.

Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi State: It’s rare but not unheard of for a quarterback to lead the SEC in rushing yards — Johnny Manziel and Cam Newton did it in 2012 and 2010, respectively — and Fitzgerald came oh-so-close in 2016. The Bulldogs’ quarterback finished 13 yards shy of topping Guice’s output, falling 1,387 to 1,375.

Nick Chubb, Georgia: Chubb’s sensational freshman season seems like a distant memory, but he’s one of the country’s best players when healthy, which he should be in 2017. Georgia’s offensive line will play a factor in Chubb making a run at the rushing title, but he’s back for one final year and looks like a man on a mission.

Honorable mention: Ralph Webb (Vanderbilt), Kamryn Pettway (Auburn), Trayveon Williams (Texas A&M), Damarea Crockett (Missouri), Benny Snell (Kentucky)

Passing yards – Individual

Austin Allen, Arkansas: Like Guice, Allen returns in 2017 to defend his crown. He will have a much tougher time accomplishing this feat, however, as his receiving corps is getting an extreme makeover. Still, Allen threw for 3,430 yards last season and Drew Lock was the only other quarterback to top 3,000 yards. Speaking of Lock …

Drew Lock, Missouri: For those looking to place bets, Lock should garner serious consideration. He has nearly all of his receivers returning, one of the best offensive lines in the conference and a defense that should allow for several shootouts. Lock looks ready to take the next step as a junior, and he was already pretty darn good.

Shea Patterson, Ole Miss: Hugh Freeze’s offense has always allowed quarterbacks to put up big numbers, and Patterson is the next beneficiary. Patterson averaged more than 290 yards passing in his three starts last season — which projects to 3,500 yards in a 12-game season. One disadvantage? Patterson won’t have a 13th game after Ole Miss self-imposed a bowl ban.

Honorable mention: Jacob Eason (UGA), Jarrett Stidham (Auburn), Jake Bentley (SC), Jalen Hurts (Alabama)

Receiving yards – Individual

J’Mon Moore, Missouri: It’s exceptionally rare that the SEC’s leading rusher, passer and receiver all return to defend their title, but that is the case in 2017. Although Moore didn’t lead the conference in receiving yards, he finished first in yards per game (84.3).

Despite playing in one fewer game (a bowl game), Moore finished just 28 yards short of beating Josh Reynolds’ mark of 1,039 yards. With Lock back at quarterback, Moore could top 1,000 yards for the second season.

Christian Kirk, Texas A&M: Now that Reynolds is in the NFL, Kirk is the main man down in College Station. The rising junior is one of the most electric receivers in the country, but it remains to be seen who will be throwing him the ball in 2017. Regardless, the Aggies will throw it, and they likely will rely heavily on Kirk’s versatile playmaking ability.

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Calvin Ridley, Alabama: Based purely on talent, Ridley should be considered the SEC’s best receiver. However, there are several factors that could prevent him from leading the conference, including a potentially more conservative offense and a loaded backfield. As Jalen Hurts becomes a better passer, though, Ridley should benefit immensely.

Honorable mention: Deebo Samuel (SC), Antonio Callaway (Florida), Donald Gray (MSU), Jauan Jennings (UT), Van Jefferson (Ole Miss)

Tackles – Individual

Jordan Jones, Kentucky: Jones finished behind only Zach Cunningham and Reuben Foster in tackles last season and is the leader of a very underrated Kentucky linebacker group. Jones’ fellow linebackers, Josh Allen and Denzil Ware, are the team’s strongest pass rushers, which should leave him free to collect tackles at the second level.

Roquan Smith, Georgia: Georgia’s defense does not lack for talent, but Smith quietly became one of its best players last season. He came on strong at the end of the year and averaged 10 tackles over the Bulldogs’ final four games.

Skai Moore, South Carolina: Before suffering a neck injury that cost him the 2016 season, Moore established himself as one of the SEC’s top linebackers. He had 111 tackles in 2015, fourth in the SEC. South Carolina’s defensive line is far from overwhelming, which means Moore should have plenty of opportunities to clean up tackles this fall.

Honorable mention: Mike Edwards (UK), Ronnie Harrison (Alabama), Shaun Dion Hamilton (Alabama), Leo Lewis (MSU)

Sacks – Individual

Arden Key, LSU: Tigers fans waited with baited breath for Key to return from his hiatus, but the star pass rusher is officially back and ready to get after opposing quarterbacks. Key finished with 12 sacks in 2016, and he led the conference with 1.09 sacks per game.

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Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss: Haynes never received the level of recognition that Derek Barnett and Myles Garrett did, but he was just a notch below the SEC’s elite pass rushers. Returning for his senior season, Haynes is one of the few proven sack artists coming back for 2017 and he has a chance to grab the spotlight.

Marcell Frazier, Missouri: It would be almost criminal to not have a Missouri defensive end in this category. Frazier exploded at the end of the season with 6.5 sacks in the Tigers’ final three games, but he will have to prove he can be the main man now that Charles Harris is gone.

Honorable mention: Lorenzo Carter (UGA), Josh Allen (UK), Denzil Ware (UK), Jabari Zuniga (UF), Da’Shawn Hand (Alabama), Trent Thompson (UGA)

Interceptions – Individual

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama: One of the most versatile defensive backs in the country, Fitzpatrick has a nose for the football that few can match. The Alabama star led the SEC with six picks in 2016, and unless quarterbacks avoid him completely, he should get pretty close to that number this fall.

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Carlton Davis, Auburn: This might seem like a surprise pick, given that Davis did not record an interception last year, but the rising junior is one of the best cover corners in the conference. Quarterbacks didn’t throw his way often last season, but the Tigers’ secondary should be a strength this fall. Davis lines up against go-to receivers and will get his chances to make plays.

Donte Jackson, LSU: Jackson is now the top cornerback for the Tigers, and he can impact games in a way that few players can. Considered by many to be the fastest player in college football, Jackson’s ability to break on the ball should put him in position to come away with plenty of picks. LSU hasn’t had a player lead the league in INTs since 2007, when Craig Steltz shared the title.

Honorable mention: Dominick Sanders (UGA), Duke Dawson (UF), Mike Edwards (UK), Chris Lammons (SC)

Scoring offense – Team

Auburn: Auburn averaged 31.2 points with all of its quarterback issues last year. The hype that Stidham is receiving before taking a live snap for Auburn might seem undeserved, but all signs point to him being a difference-maker this fall. Given their one-two punch at running back and the crop of talented, young receivers at their disposal, Stidham might be exactly what the Tigers need to push their offense over the top.

Alabama: Lane Kiffin’s explosive offense might be gone and it can’t count on another 15 non-offensive touchdowns to boost its scoring average, but there is more than enough talent on Alabama’s roster for it to have one of the conference’s best units.

Jalen Hurts is the reigning SEC offensive player of the year. The running back rotation is as dangerously deep as Nick Saban has ever had and the receiving unit might be his best.

If Saban were so inclined, the Crimson Tide could repeat as SEC scoring champs.

Missouri: One of the weirdest turnabouts of the 2016 season was Missouri’s offense exploding while its defense crumbled. The Tigers’ defense should improve this fall, but don’t expect the offense to fall back to Earth. With nearly everyone returning from last season’s group that averaged 31.4 points, Missouri will continue to score points in bunches. Now, the Tigers must find the end zone more often against SEC teams.

Honorable mention: South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi State

Scoring defense – Team

Alabama: If history has taught us anything, it’s to never underestimate Saban’s ability to rebuild a defense quickly. Despite losing important veteran talent on every level, the next wave was just as decorated coming out of high school.

Alabama has finished first in scoring defense seven times in the past eight seasons. Nobody replaces 5-stars with 5-stars like Alabama.

Georgia: While much of the attention was on Georgia’s young offense last season, its defense quickly became an intimidating unit in Kirby Smart’s first season. With nearly everyone coming back this fall, the Bulldogs should continue to ascend and lock down offenses.

Auburn: Despite losing some key pieces along the defensive line, Auburn’s defense is in a good place. The Tigers will have experience returning at linebacker and in the secondary, and they still have some young defensive linemen like Marlon Davidson who are capable of taking over the game.

Honorable mention: LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, Kentucky