Emmy Predictions 2017: Who Will Likely Get Nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series?

From June 12 to June 26, voting is taking place for The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. To add to the excitement of the past year in television, I'm providing analysis on which shows and performers are likely to get nominated this year. Next up is Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

2016 Nominees:

        Kyle Chandler for Netflix's Bloodline
        Rami Malek for USA's Mr. Robot
        Bob Odenkirk for AMC's Better Call Saul
        Matthew Rhys for FX's The Americans
        Liev Schreiber for Showtime's Ray Donovan
        Kevin Spacey for Netflix's House of Cards

All six of last year's nominees are once again eligible this year. So, they all could get nominated again. They all have solid odds. And yet, I'd have to say that only Malek, Spacey and Odenkirk seem like locks. Rhys could potentially be as well after The Americans got more nominations last year. But there is a lot of new blood in this category that could really shake up this race. That's exciting. There are some big name actors who could easily get in because of their fame. But there are also a number of actors who did really strong work on new shows this year. So, it should be fascinating to see which way the voters decide to go.

So now, here's my thoughts on the actors must likely to be nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

1. Rami Malek for USA's Mr. Robot
2. Kevin Spacey for Netflix's House of Cards
3. Bob Odenkirk for AMC's Better Call Saul
4. Sterling K. Brown for NBC's This Is Us
5. Anthony Hopkins for HBO's Westworld
6. Matthew Rhys for FX's The Americans

And now, for some serious threats that could break into the list:

1. Kyle Chandler for Netflix's Bloodline
2. Liev Schreiber for Showtime's Ray Donovan
3. Billy Bob Thornton for Amazon's Goliath
4. Ian McShane for Starz's American Gods
5. Justin Theroux for HBO's The Leftovers
6. Milo Ventimiglia for NBC's This Is Us
7. Matt Smith for Netflix's The Crown
8. Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis for Showtime's Billions
9. Rupert Friend for Showtime's Homeland
10. Dan Stevens for FX's Legion
11. Freddie Highmore for A&E's Bates Motel
12. Hugh Laurie for Hulu's Chance
13. Wagner Moura for Netflix's Narcos
14. Dylan Minnette for Netflix's 13 Reasons Why
15. Kiefer Sutherland for ABC's Designated Survivor
16. Giovanni Ribisi for Amazon's Sneaky Pete

Some considerable long-shots:

1. Aden Young for SundanceTV's Rectify
2. Tom Hardy for FX's Taboo
3. Aldis Hodge for WGN America's Underground
4. Aaron Paul and Hugh Dancy for Hulu's The Path
5. Pierce Brosnan for AMC's The Son
6. Dominic West for Showtime's The Affair
7. Michael Dorman for Amazon's Patriot
8. Mike Colter for Netflix's Luke Cage
9. Titus Welliver for Amazon's Bosch
10. Josh Hartnett for Showtime's Penny Dreadful
11. Richard Armitage for Epix's Berlin Station
12. Jeffrey Donovan for Hulu's Shut Eye
13. Jamie Dornan for Netflix's The Fall
14. Lee Pace and Scoot McNairy for AMC's Halt and Catch Fire
15. James Spader for NBC's The Blacklist

And now, just some colorful oddities who still have an outside chance:

1. Rob Lowe for CBS' Code Black
2. Kofi Siriboe for OWN's Queen Sugar
3. Justice Smith for Netflix's The Get Down
4. Walton Goggins for History's Six
5. Dominic Cooper for AMC's Preacher
6. Matt Lanter for NBC's Timeless
7. Keith David for OWN's Greenleaf
8. Adam Brody for Crackle's StartUp
9. Juan Diego Botto for TNT's Good Behavior
10. Rupert Grint for Crackle's Snatch
11. Alfonso Herrera for FOX's The Exorcist
12. Corey Hawkins for FOX's 24: Legacy

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Let me know in the comments below!