Top 5 Fantasy NFL Tight Ends of 2012

   Alright for the last post in the my "Top 5 of 2012" series I am changing the format.  I am going to base this article entirely on my opinion.  It seems that people were having a hard time understanding what I was trying to highlight in the previous installments.  My vision for the blog is to provide a window for people to see how my fantasy teams and leagues operate.  A kind of microcosm of fantasy sports.  In the previous installments I was trying to highlight the players who scored the most fantasy points at their position in MY league.  Maybe I didn't do a good job of getting that across, so I'll try and switch it up this installment.  Here is my opinion on the top 5 fantasy tight ends of 2012:

Rob Gronkowski

1.  Rob Gronkowski-  Despite missing 5 games with a broken forearm, Gronkowski was still able to put up comparable numbers to the best tight ends in the league.  He led all tight ends in touchdowns with 11.  He was by far, having the best season of any tight end in the league before his injury.  Gronk has pretty much redefined the position in the modern game.  In my fantasy league, which gives 1 point per reception and 1 point for every 10 yards receiving, Gronkowski averaged 18 points a game.  That's over 2 points higher than any other tight end.

Jimmy Graham

2.  Jimmy Graham-  Graham was a bit of a disappointment this year, but even a disappointing season from Graham is better then that of most.  Jimmy missed a couple of games after spraining his ankle and played most of the season through a wrist injury.  Whether because of injury or the fact that Sean Peyton was not calling the offense this year, Graham seemed to be less of a factor for New Orleans.  He went 5 straight weeks without a touchdown in weeks 12-16.  Graham still lead all tight ends in fantasy scoring in my league and he also averaged the second highest points per game with 15.81.  I expect Graham to bounce back next year when he will be healthy and have his coach back.

Tony Gonzalez

3. Tony Gonzalez-  Gonzalez decided that 2012 will be his final year in the league.  I guess he wants to go out while he is still on top because Tony can still play with the best of them.  This year he hauled in 93 receptions for 930 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Gonzalez is a key part of the Atlanta offense and may be the greatest tight end to ever play the game.  He averaged 14.63 fantasy points per game in my 1 point per reception league and finished with 234.00 points on the season.

Jason Witten

4.  Jason Witten-  When it was reported that Witten suffered a lacerated spleen in a preseason game, many assumed he would miss some time.  Witten however, showed his toughness and played through the injury.  He was obviously not 100%, but he was out there representing for his teammates.  He led the league this year in receptions and yardage at tight end.  Witten had 110 receptions for 1039 yards and three touchdowns.  He is Tony Romo's security blanket and is still one of the game's premier tight ends after 10 years in the league.

Heath Miller

5. Heath Miller-  Another veteran who continues to produce at a high level.  Miller finished the year with careers highs in touchdowns and yardage.  He had 71 receptions for 816 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season.  Unfortunately, Miller suffered a serious injury in week 16 of the season.  He tore his ACL and MCL and required reconstructive surgery on the knee.  The injury was so bad he may even miss part of the 2013 season in recovery.  He averaged 13.51 fantasy points per game in my 1 point per reception league and finished the year with 202.60 points.

Top 5 Fantasy NFL Running Backs of 2012

     Although the pro game has grown increasingly pass oriented, a good run game is still relevant to the winning formula.  That being said, finding good running backs for your fantasy team is a difficult task.  The nature of the position makes them prone to injury. Many teams don't even use a feature back anymore, preferring to split carries between two or even three rushers.   That makes the good ones even more valuable because running backs are still the backbone of a fantasy team.  You can never have enough of them on your team.  Here are the top 5 scoring running backs in my league this year:

Adrian Peterson

1.  Adrian Peterson-  I don't think anyone could have imagined Adrian Peterson having the type of season he was able to put together this year.  He had major surgery on his knee in the off season, the kind that leaves most people never fully the same.  His team is weak at the quarterback position, which means opposing defenses know he is going to get the rock.  Despite all this, Peterson was able to come within 9 yards of Eric Dickerson's all time single season rushing record.  He pretty much carried his team to the playoffs, running for 2097 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Eclipsing 2000 yards rushing in a single season cements his status as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.  I have a feeling there are still more great seasons to come with Peterson.  This year he scored 347.40 fantasy points in my league.

Doug Martin

2.  Doug Martin-  Martin was another surprise at the running back position this season.  Many thought Tampa Bay over reached by taking him in the first round of the 2012 draft.  Martin proved his naysayers wrong, rushing for 1454 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Muscle Hamster was one of this year's steals in the fantasy draft.  He greatly overachieved most predictions on his production.  In my league, Muscle Hamster ran wild for 311.60 fantasy points on the season.  He is a legitimate candidate for rookie of the year.

Arian Foster

3.  Arian Foster-  Foster has been one of, if not the most consistent running backs over the last 3 years in terms of fantasy value.  He routinely produces at a high level and has made a home at the top of the draft in most fantasy leagues.  Foster led all running backs in rushing touchdowns with 15.  He had another 1k yard season, rushing for 1424 on the year.  Foster is the focal point of the Texans offense, it requires him to run the ball effectively for it to be successful.  Foster reaped 302.10 fantasy points from opposing defenses in my league this year.  That number would have been even higher, but Foster suffered from a heart condition in week 16 knocking him out of the game early.  Unfortunately for a lot of people week 16 is the championship game in most fantasy leagues.  If you had Foster in your line up, most likely things didn't go to well for you that week.  More important is that Foster seems to have recovered from his condition.  An irregular heartbeat can be very serious if not treated properly.   It is something Foster has a history of, but it hasn't really effected his career for the most part.  Hopefully that continues to be the case.

Ray Rice

4.  Ray Rice-  Rice is another model of consistency.  The Baltimore running back rushed for over 1000 yards for the 4th straight season.  He had 8 rushing touchdowns on the year and remains the Ravens top offensive threat.  It will be interesting to see how Rice's production will be effected with the new offensive coordinator in Baltimore.  I have a feeling they will try to go more pass heavy, but either way Ray will still be an important part of what the Raven's do.  Rice ended the season with 283.10 fantasy points.

Marshawn Lynch

5. Marshawn Lynch-  Lynch, coupled with Seattle's rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, made for a lethal combination this season.  The Seahawk offense exploded on opponents for over 40 points three games in a row.  Lynch racked up 1590 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns this season and seems to get better every year.  He lived up to his nickname and went beast bode on his opponents for 269.60 fantasy points in 2012.  Lynch's Seahawks are an exciting team to watch and have a serious shot at going to the Super Bowl this year.

   

     2011 was a record year for quarterbacks in fantasy football. After the season, some of my league mates where unhappy with the amount of fantasy points being scored by quarterbacks.  They felt that if you were not lucky enough to draft an elite quarterback (Brees or Rodgers) your chances of winning were very small.  The league commissioner responded to this by making receptions count for 1 fantasy point.  This obviously skews the point totals, raising the scores of players with a higher number of receptions.  

Top 5 Fantasy NFL Wide Receivers of 2012

     Having good wide receivers on your fantasy team can make or brake your season.   2012 was no exception to that rule.  Here are the top 5 scoring receivers in my Yahoo league this year:

Megatron

1.  Calvin Johnson-  No real surprise here, Johnson had an historic season this year.  He broke Jerry Rice's single season receiving yards record.   Megatron had 122 receptions for 1964 yards, but only brought in 5 touchdowns.  Detroit had lots of issues this year on offense.  They lacked a consistent running game and their wide receiver depth was decimated by injury.  This resulted in Matthew Stafford throwing the ball a record number of times, mostly to his only reliable target, Megatron.  Johnson himself played with an injured knee through most of the season.  All this could explain why opposing defenses were able to limit his touchdowns.  Fact of the matter is Johnson was still able to have one hell of a season.  He finished with 342.40 fantasy points on the year and even broke the Madden curse!.

Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall

2. Brandon Marshall-  Marshall reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler this year when he joined the Bears and the results were impressive.  The two developed a chemistry while they played together in Denver and were able to pick up right were they left off.  Marshall caught 118 passes and for 1508 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Marshall finally has a quarterback with the ability to showcase his talents.   After a couple of underwhelming seasons in Miami, he has revitalized his career in Chicago and is now one of the elite wide receivers in the game.  Brandon walked away with 334.60 fantasy points this season.

AJ Green

3.  AJ Green-  Green had an outstanding sophomore year with the Bengals in 2012.  He has developed great chemistry with QB Andy Dalton and has proved to be an explosive play maker.  He had 97 receptions for 1350 yards with 11 touchdowns.  Green's future potential right now is tied to the ability of quarterback Andy Dalton to progress as a quarterback.  The Bengals had a lot of injuries to their wide receivers this year and Dalton has unable to develop chemistry with anyone except Green late in the season.  This made it easier for opposing defenses to neutralize Green as a threat.  Green also has the tendency to drop passes.  If he can fix that and Dalton learns to spread the ball around a little more, the sky is the limit for Green.  He brought home 299.80 fantasy points this year.

Dez Bryant

4.  Dez Bryant-  Dez and AJ are pretty much a tie for third this year.  Green only outscored Bryant by 1/10 of a fantasy point in my league.  Bryant finally began to live up to expectations for him in Dallas this year.  He started off the season a bit slow and with his high profile off the field issues, people started to question whether he would ever develop into the play maker Dallas drafted him to be.  As the season went on, he seemed to get his head strait and his production increased.  Bryant showed toughness by playing through a bad finger break that will require off season surgery.  He put up 92 receptions for 1382 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Andre Johnson

5.  Andre Johnson-  The Texans won the AFC south with a 12-4 record, Andre Johnson was a big part of that.  He is the go-to guy for QB Matt Schaub, although the offense is based primarily around running back Arian Foster. Because of this,  Johnson's touchdowns were limited to only 5 on the year.  He made up for this however, by catching 112 passes for 1598 yards.  Johnson remaining an elite wide receiver in the future will depend on his ability to stay healthy.  He is getting older and injuries have been a concern.  He finished the season with 295.80 fantasy points.

Top 5 Fantasy NFL Quarterbacks of 2012

     Quarterbacks have become almost as important in fantasy football as they are in the real game.  In 2011 quarterbacks put up an unprecedented amount of fantasy points.  As a result, quarterbacks went higher in the draft this year.  While the numbers weren't as big as last year, quarterbacks still dominated the top scoring spots in my league.  Here are the top 5 quarterbacks of 2012:

Drew Brees

1. Drew Brees-  New Orleans was crippled by the suspensions of their Head Coach and key defensive players because of the bounty scandal.  Despite this,  Drew Brees was able to continue his dominant play and keep the title of top fantasy scorer in my league.  Brees threw for 5177 yards and 43 touchdowns.  He was the only player to eclipse 400 fantasy points in my league with a total of 407.58.

Aaron Rodgers

2.  Aaron Rodgers-  Rodgers continues to prove why is is one of the most elite players in all of fantasy football.  He has the most complete skill set of any quarterback in the NFL and is in the prime of his career.   Rodgers threw for 4295 yards and 39 touchdowns this year.  He overcame injuries to many of his top receivers and a porous offensive line to lead Green Bay back to the playoffs.  Rodgers finished the season with 391.60 fantasy points in my league.

Tom Brady

3.  Tom Brady-  Whether you love or hate the Patriots, it's hard to argue that Brady is not one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.  New England is a perennial lock to win the AFC East and Brady is a big part of that.  He threw for 4827 yards and 34 touchdowns at the helm of the Patriot's high powered offense.  Brady reaped 382.28 fantasy points from opposing defenses in my Yahoo league.

Peyton Manning

4.  Peyton Manning-  Manning is one of the best stories of the NFL in 2012.  After missing the entire 2011 season and having multiple neck surgeries, Manning made his return to the NFL with a new team.  Many said his career was over and that he should just retire.  The Colts, whom Manning had brought a Super Bowl championship to, chose to release him and rebuild.  Manning insisted he still had football left to play and signed with the Denver Broncos.  No one really knew what to expect from him this year.  Would he come back only to take a big hit and be carried out on a stretcher?  Manning proved all his naysayers wrong.  He took Denver from a good team to a great team.  The Broncos have a legitimate chance of getting to the Super Bowl this year because of what Manning was able to do with their offense.  Peyton threw for 4659 yards and 37 touchdowns for 358.96 fantasy points in my league.  Watching Peyton Manning run an offense is like watching a maestro conduct a symphonic masterpiece.  The more years this guy plays the game the better.

Cam Newton

5.  Cam Newton-  There were very high expectations for Newton coming into 2012.  He had an unbelievable rookie campaign.  Unfortunately he started off the season a bit slow and his team struggled.  There were whispers about Newton's maturity and dedication to the team.  That he was more concerned with personal accolades.  As the season went on Newton seemed to find himself.  The Panthers were able to win their last 4 games of the season and the whispers fell quiet.  Newton finished the season with 3869 yards passing, 741 yards rushing, and 27 total touchdowns.  He finished the year with 354.46 fantasy points.

2012 NFL Fantasy Season-Team Recap

     2012 was a successful year for me in fantasy sports. I won both my baseball and football leagues.   I am in a 8 team baseball league and a 12 team football league.  Both are Yahoo leagues.  My football team was 11-2 in the regular season, gaining me the top seed in the playoffs and a first round bye.  I won in the second round and then in the championship match.  Here is a breakdown of the players on my team that got me the championship win:

300 Point Club

QB Matthew Stafford

QB Matthew Stafford (313.58 fantasy points)-  Stafford was a bit of a disappointment this year.  I drafted him early in the second round.  He did throw for a shade under 5000 yards, but his touchdowns were way down from 2011.  Stafford definitely showed some regression there.  It could partially be that many of Detroit's starting wide receivers and tight end suffered injures down the stretch.  The Lion's running game was also pretty bad.  Stafford threw the ball more then any other quarterback in the league, ever.  Stafford throws to the best receiver in the league, Calvin Johnson, but Johnson was pretty much Stafford's only legitimate option towards the end of the season.  Detroit will need to make some serious upgrades on both offense and defense next year for Stafford to be able to lead them team back to the playoffs.  Overall Stafford was adequate in the quarterback slot on my team, however he was probably not worth the second round pick.  There were 6 quarterbacks available when I drafted Stafford that scored more points this season then he did.  I also regret not picking up Russell Wilson down the stretch, because he put up better numbers then Stafford in the second half of the season.  Wilson was available on the waiver wire the entire season in my league.  In the end, I was able to win with Stafford and that's all that really matters.

RB Doug Martin (311.60 fantasy points)-  Martin was probably my best pick of the draft.  He was a complete steal as the 10th pick in the 5th round.  Martin ran for 1454 yards and 11 touchdowns.   He had one of the highest fantasy football scores ever with 55.20 points in week 9 vs. Oakland.  Martin had an outstanding rookie year for Tamp Bay and should be a fantasy stud for years to come.  He was second only to Adrian Peterson in fantasy scoring at running back in my league this year.

WR AJ Green

WR AJ Green (299.80 fantasy points)-  Green missed 300 points in my league by 2/10 of a point, so I figured I'd include him here anyway.  Green had a terrific sophomore year at wide receiver for the Bengals.  He had 97 receptions for 1350 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Green is the favorite target of QB Andy Dalton.  Their chemistry was a big part of the Bengal's ability to make the playoffs this year.  There were games where Green was the only Cincinnati wide receiver to catch a pass.  Green is truly an elite wideout and was third in fantasy scoring at his position in my league.  He was also a steal as the 3rd pick in the 4th round.

200 Point Club

WR Eric Decker

WR Eric Decker (269.40 fantasy points)-  I had Decker on my 2011 team and I could see there was talent there.  I figured things could only get better with Peyton Manning now throwing him the ball.  I drafted Decker to be my WR#3 as the 10th pick in the 7th round.  He was elevated to the WR#2 slot after Percy Harvin went down with an injury.  My hunch was right about Decker, he had an outstanding year in Denver.  Decker had 85 receptions for 1064 yards and 13 touchdowns.  He did have a small slump in weeks 10-13, but he turned it on down the stretch and was a big part of my playoff wins.  Decker was another great value pick for me.

RB Alfred Morris

RB Alfred Morris (252 fantasy points)-  Morris was my best waiver wire pick up of the season.  I had the second highest waiver spot after week 1 and I jumped all over Morris.  Most of my league had tried to pick him up, but I was lucky to be in a good position.  I immediately plugged Morris into my flex spot and when DeMarco Murray went down with an injury, he took RB#2.  Morris had an amazing rookie year in Washington along with his quarterback RG3.  Morris ran for 1613 yards, second most in the league, and had 13 touchdowns.  He has been a diamond in the rough for the Redskins, Morris was drafted in the 6th round of the NFL draft.  It is rare to get a contributor of Morris' caliber so late in the draft.  Morris is genuinely likeable and humble person.  He still drives his 1991 Mazda 626 with more than 125k miles on it.  I enjoy having good guys like Morris on my fantasy teams, it makes rooting for them that much better.  The sky is the limit for the two rookies in Washington.

TE Jimmy Graham (237.20 fantasy points)-    I knew Jimmy Graham was a stretch when I took him in the first round.  I took him then because I knew I could get Stafford in the second and that's who I wanted at quarterback. Only 2 guys picked in front of me in the second round, one had already chosen his quarterback and the other was on auto-draft.  Graham had somewhat of a disappointing season.  This was mainly due to injury.  He missed a couple of games and played out the rest of the season with a wrist injury that will probably require surgery.  He went 5 weeks in a row without scoring a touchdown and 4 of those weeks he did not meet his projections.  I also think Graham's production suffered because Sean Peyton was not calling the plays in New Orleans this season.  Peyton was unable to coach the team this year because of the bounty scandal.  Despite all this, Graham was still the highest scoring tight end in my league this year.  This is mainly because Rob Gronkowski broke his arm and Atlanta gave Tony Gonzalez a rest in the last game of the season.  Graham had 85 receptions for 982 yards and 9 touchdowns.  He was still a better option then most tight ends, I'm just not sure he was worth the 10th pick in the first round.

Honorable Mentions

WR TY Hilton (187 fantasy points)-  I picked up Hilton after Percy Harvin went down with an injury in week 9.  Hilton had started to develop some chemistry with fellow rookie Andrew Luck.  Plus the Colts are a pass heavy offense and it never hurts to have a receiver in that kind of scheme.  He is eerily similar to Harvin in some ways.  He returns punts like Harvin and is used in some rushing situations like Percy.  He turned out to be a decent WR#3 for me down the stretch.  He's no Percy Harvin, but the rookie receiver has much potential.

WR Percy Harvin

WR Percy Harvin (167.30 fantasy points)-  Harvin was a complete monster the first half of the season.  So much so that there was MVP talk involving his name.  Unfortunately Harvin sprained his ankle in 3 places in week 9 vs. Seattle.  He ended the season on IR.  I have to say I was really worried about how this was going to effect my team going into the playoffs.  Losing a fantasy stud like Harvin can really hurt your chances of being successful in the post season.  Luckily, I had good enough players on my team to cover his loss.

DeMarco Murray (145 fantasy points)-  Murray was a disappointment this year.  I had Murray on my team  in 2011 and was really excited about his potential in 2012.  I drafted him 10th in the third round as my RB#1.  He started off the season well enough, but injured his foot in week 6.  He then missed 6 weeks because of the injury.  This made my pick up of Alfred Morris after week 1 that much more important.  I used Felix Jones and Larod Stephens-Howling in my flex spot while Murray was out.  Fortunately they did a serviceable job in his absence.  Murray came back in week 12 and put up decent fantasy numbers, but he had a couple of costly fumbles down the stretch.

San Diego Chargers (173 fantasy points)-  I started the season with the Detroit Lions defense.  They were not worth a draft pick honestly.  They were terrible this year.  I dropped them early in the season and started cycling defenses.  I would pick up whoever I thought was going to give me the most points that week.  I picked up San Diego in week 9 and never looked back.  Partially because they put up good numbers and partially because I got tired of wasting my waiver moves on defenses just for a couple of extra points.  My league limits waiver moves to 25.  When it came to the playoffs I had to look ahead and see who had the best match ups out of available defenses in the final weeks of the season.  My league locks the rosters in the playoffs, so I took some planning.  I ended up sticking with San Diego because of their week 16 matchup vs. the Jets.  I knew if I made the finals that would be a good matchup for me.  I was right and San Diego was a big reason I won the Championship game.  They had 11 sacks on the Jets third string quarterback Greg Mcelroy.  The special teams also ran back a punt for a touchdown.

Two elements led to my winning season this year.  I had a strong draft, particularly in the middle rounds, and I made a few key waiver wire pickups.  Drafting guys like AJ Green, Doug Martin, and Eric Decker in the middle rounds made up for my under performing top 2 picks, Stafford and Graham.  When I lost DeMarco Murray and Percy Harvin, I had Alfred Morris and TY Hilton from the waiver wire to pick up the slack.