The Sports Xchange

NFL fans can begin voting to select players for the 2016 Pro Bowl.

The NFL announced Monday that voting is available online and on web-enabled mobile phones by going to NFL.com/probowl/ballot.

Balloting will conclude on Dec. 15. The Pro Bowl players will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 22 on NFL Network.

Players will later be assigned to teams through the Pro Bowl Draft during the week leading up to the game. The 2016 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 31, from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

The 2016 Pro Bowl will continue using the revised game format that debuted with the 2014 Pro Bowl, with NFL Legends captains having final say over Pro Bowl Draft decisions. The Pro Bowl will remain “unconferenced,” with several key playing rules changed. Players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players and later assigned to Pro Bowl teams via a fantasy football-style draft.

Four leading vote getters — comprised of two offensive and two defensive player captains — will be joined by two NFL.com fantasy football champions to draft players.

The fantasy football champion will have Hall of Fame help. Two Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers — Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice — will serve as NFL Legends captains for the 2016 Pro Bowl. Irvin and Rice return for the second time after being the winning captains during the previous two Pro Bowls.

The Pro Bowl players are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be eligible for the Pro Bowl Draft.

NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Dec. 18. Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Andrew Luck were the top vote-getters last year, while running back DeMarco Murray rounded out the top five.