Footy Prophet will be NMFC.com.au's AFL Fantasy gurus for 2014. You can follow the team on Twitter and Facebook.

A new season offers a fresh start for many players, particularly those who may not have produced their best the year before.

New opportunities arise, the team may be in a slightly different place and everyone has another year of experience under their belts.

Leigh Adams is one such player. The former fantasy stud played 20 matches in 2013, one shy of his career best tally, but saw a decline in fantasy numbers from previous years.

He averaged 72 fantasy points per game last year, off the back of averaging 75 in 2012.

Adams’ best fantasy years were unquestionably his 2010 and 2011 seasons. During that time he averaged 82 and 84 points per game respectively, ranking as one of North Melbourne’s top six players.

Available as a midfielder/forward in AFL Fantasy, Adams can offer coaches terrific value in 2014, presuming he can get back to playing his best football.

Concerns over his shoulders are perhaps a little overstated; while he has some difficulty with injury in the past, the hard-nut played at least 18 games in each of the past three years.

Adams has yet to make an appearance in 2014 after missing the first NAB Challenge fixture against Carlton and not being named for tonight’s clash with Hawthorn.  He underwent minor pre-season surgery on his knee, but returned to full training a few weeks ago and will push for a Round 1 starting berth.

Priced at $389,100 in AFL Fantasy Classic, early games for Adams will mean an early price rise, so pick him from the start of the year if you’re looking for someone different.

Ben Jacobs is another who will be looking to improve on his 2013 campaign. The former first-round draft selection (taken at pick 16 in 2010, one ahead of Shaun Atley) arrived at Aegis Park during the 2012 off-season from Port Adelaide.

A highly-rated junior, Jacobs managed seven games in his first season with the Kangaroos and will be looking to add to that tally.

Running through the midfield with clean skills and a booming kick, Jacobs has now had three years in the system, but perhaps more importantly has enjoyed his first full pre-season campaign.

The number 5’s fantasy numbers in 2011 and 2012 were solid for a young player, averaging 60 points during that time, but limited senior opportunities last year kept restricted him to 39 points a game.

Jacobs registered 43 fantasy points from 38% game-time against the Blues in the first round of the NAB Challenge.

Priced at just $192,400 in AFL Fantasy Classic this year, Jacobs has a great chance to improve if he takes his opportunities early in the season.

He has more AFL experience than most players around this price mark and is cheaper than many of the 2013 draftees.

Finally, Kieran Harper is another who can’t wait for the season to start. After playing every game in 2012, injury and form restricted the promising young winger/forward to just three matches last season.

He showed some great signs two years ago, booting 25 goals, and the 21-year-old will be looking to recapture that form.

But first Harper will have to prove his fitness in the first part of the season. After undergoing a tidy up on his ankle in early February, the youngster faces a big task to be ready for the season opener.

Providing he’s right to go early in the year, Harper’s an absolute steal at $161,300 in AFL Fantasy Classic.