Below you will find our Top 200 Players List for the 2012 fantasy football season — This is a set of redraft rankings, although, throughout the entire list, I have included commentary for both redraft and dynasty leaguers.

These rankings are based on a standard PPR scoring format with line-up requirements of: 1QB, 2RBs, 2WRs, 1Flex, 1TE, 1K and 1DST.

Also, if you can’t get enough rankings, be sure to check out both our redraft and dynasty cheat sheets.

Updated: 7/1/2012

Rankings created by: Smitty

1. Arian Foster
2. LeSean McCoy
3. Ray Rice

Redraft Analysis: It’s tough to see much of a difference between Foster, McCoy and Rice; all three can finish as this year’s top fantasy football scorer, especially in PPR formats. All that said, my top player is Foster. I just see Foster having the best shot at reaching that 18-20 total touchdown territory.

Dynasty Slant: Nothing changes here from a dynasty perspective, as all three rushers above are young and ideal franchise players for any dynasty start-up roster.



4. Chris Johnson
5. Calvin Johnson
6. Aaron Rodgers
7. Ryan Mathews
8. Darren McFadden
9. Matt Forte

Between the above six players, I think a case can be made for making any single one of them the No. 4 overall pick heading into 2012. What does this mean? Well, if you have the 1.04, you could trade down. That said, if I had to bank on one player, I think it might just be Chris Johnson. Yes, he disappointed fantasy owners in 2011, but he didn’t have an off-season, and he was never quite right due to that lack of early preparation. His legs are still fresh, he’s young, he is one of the fastest players in the league; the talent is still there, no question about it! I think CJ2K bounces-back in a big way in 2012. I love Calvin and Rodgers at the 1.04 as well, although, I’ve already drafted in several early 2012 fantasy football drafts, and taking a WR or QB at 1.04 shakes out to having a rather weak rushing crew when push comes to shove. I’ve always been one to advise fantasy owners to ignore the “you can’t draft a QB in the first-round” theories… you can… Rodgers is worth a first-rounder! What I’m saying is this… if you do go with a non-runner in the first-round in 2012, my advice is to be certain that you draft a runner with your second-round pick, or you could be thinner than you’d like at the running back position. The position just seems to thin-out rather quickly this season, more so than previous seasons. My best-built teams thus far in early 2012 drafts have been teams built around having one of the above rushers (through picks 1-9).

Dynasty Slant: Not much changes from a dynasty perspective, except for maybe someone like A.J. Green or Cam Newtwon rising up into this tier from the below tier.


10. Cam Newton
11. Drew Brees
12. Tom Brady
13. A.J. Green
14. Maurice Jones-Drew
15. Trent Richardson
16. DeMarco Murray
17. Dez Bryant
18. Julio Jones
19. Larry Fitzgerald
20. Matthew Stafford
21. Andre Johnson
22. Rob Gronkowski
23. Jimmy Graham

One could argue that any of the above players could go ahead of the entire group, but the players that stand out the most to me are Newton, Brees, Brady, Green and I’m going to include Bryant. Dez Bryant you ask? Yes. When I look at Bryant, I see a top 2-4 fantasy wide receiver in 2012 (and beyond). Use Average Draft Positions (ADP) to your advantage, and don’t reach for Dez if you don’t have to… just don’t hesitate reaching a tiny bit for him to ensure that you get him. I have even greater expectations for A.J. Green this season, as I have him pegged as a top 1-2 fantasy wide receiver this year. Yep, Green has a shot at finishing as the top fantasy wide receiver this upcoming season. Chew on that for a bit as we move on to the next group!

Dynasty Slant: From a dynasty perspective, I think you have to move Jones, Richardson, Stafford and Bryant up, and Brees, Brady and Jones-Drew down. I think they all still belong inside this tier, though, especially Brees and Brady… too many dynasty league owners play for 3-5 years down the road… well, Brees and Brady will be top 2-5QBs for 2-3 more years, and that’s a long time. As mentioned above, Newton and Green would likely sit in the tier above this group in a dynasty rank.

24. Adrian Peterson
25. Marshawn Lynch
26. Jamaal Charles
27. Brandon Marshall
28. Greg Jennings
29. Wes Welker
30. Roddy White
31. Hakeem Nicks
32. Kenny Britt
33. Mike Wallace
34. Victor Cruz
35. Percy Harvin
36. Vincent Jackson
37. Jordy Nelson
38. Jeremy Maclin
39. C.J. Spiller

All of the names in the above tier are relatively close, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Jennings, White or Welker finish worthy of being ranked in the tier up above. Of all the names in this group above, Marshall and Spiller have the most boom-or-bust potential. I think both can explode into the tier even above this one, or they could not even earn this ranking right above. Use this to your advantage, though, and grab both players later on past these draft slots, as their ADPs suggest that you can in fact get them later than where I have them slotted above.

Dynasty Slant: From a dynasty perspective, this tier remains relatively in-tact, although Lynch, Welker and White could drop near the bottom of the tier, and Britt could deserve a bump near the top of the players listed directly above.

40. Michael Turner
41. Frank Gore
42. Darren Sproles
43. Steven Jackson
44. Doug Martin
45. Michael Vick
46. Philip Rivers
47. Marques Colston
48. Miles Austin
49. Steve Johnson
50. Fred Jackson
51. DeSean Jackson
52. Steve Smith CAR
53. Antonio Brown
54. Dwayne Bowe
55. Demaryius Thomas

If Vick bounces back in 2012, he could win you your league championship (given his current ADP). Stevie Johnson feels very underrated this year and I’m calling sleeper alert on him — Grab him in 2012!

Dynasty Slant: In a dynasty setting, I’d drop Freddy Jackson, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner and Steve Smith a tier or two, and move Demaryius Thomas and Doug Martin right to the top of this tier above.

56. Denarius Moore
57. Eric Decker
58. Brandon Lloyd
59. Chris Wells
60. Eli Manning
61. Tony Romo
62. Antonio Gates
63. Jermichael Finley

Moore and Finley feel like steals this year, so scoop both up any chance you get if the value is right. Finley is one of my favorite middle-round grabs this year, as everyone seems to be grabbing 5-7 tight ends before even considering him this year. I think Finley could pull a Gronko/Graham this season.

Dynasty Slant: Everything I just said above applies double from a dynasty perspective. Gates would drop out of this tier from dynasty eyes.

64. James Starks
65. Mark Ingram
66. Roy Helu
67. Shonn Greene
68. Ahmad Bradshaw
69. Reggie Bush
70. Vernon Davis
71. Aaron Hernandez
72. Fred Davis
73. Willis McGahee
74. DeAngelo Williams
75. Peyton Manning
76. Matt Ryan
77. Robert Meachem
78. Titus Young
79. Randy Moss
80. Torrey Smith
81. Santonio Holmes
82. Santana Moss
83. Sidney Rice
84. Greg Little
85. Jason Witten
86. Brandon Pettigrew
87. Brian Quick
88. Ben Roethlisberger
89. Andy Dalton
90. Matt Schaub
91. Sam Bradford
92. Jay Cutler
93. Josh Freeman
94. Ronnie Hillman
95. Stevan Ridley
96. Jonathan Stewart

Sleeper alerts for 2012: Bradford, Pettigrew, Meachem, Ingram and Hernandez (although, he is getting drafted higher and higher each and every week).

Dynasty Slant: Watch Ronnie Hillman, as he could really be a gem in dynasty start-ups right now!

97. Kevin Smith
98. Benjarvus Green-Ellis
99. Isaac Redman
100. Jahvid Best
101. Rashard Mendenhall
102. Timothy Hightower
103. LeGarrette Blount
104. David Wilson
105. Isaiah Pead
106. Donald Brown
107. Jacquizz Rodgers
108. Bernard Scott
109. Ryan Williams
110. Peyton Hillis
111. Michael Bush
112. Justin Blackmon
113. Anquan Boldin
114. Michael Crabtree
115. Reggie Wayne
116. Ryan Fitzpatrick
117. Kevin Kolb
118. Joe Flacco
119. Robert Griffin III
120. Carson Palmer
121. Lance Moore
122. Laurent Robinson
123. Danny Amendola
124. Jon Baldwin
125. Jabar Gaffney
126. Jacoby Ford
127. Darrius Heyward-Bey
128. Jared Cook
129. Dustin Keller
130. Jermaine Gresham
131. Ed Dickson
132. Austin Collie
133. Dallas Clark
134. Brent Celek
135. Jacob Tamme
136. Marcedes Lewis
137. Tony Gonzalez
138. James Jones
139. Martellus Bennett
140. Heath Miller
141. Randall Cobb
142. Golden Tate
143. Mike Williams
144. Leonard Hankerson
145. Andre Roberts
146. Emmanuel Sanders
147. Michael Floyd
148. Matt Hasselbeck
149. Alex Smith
150. Matt Flynn
151. Vincent Brown
152. Kendall Wright
153. Stephen Hill
154. A.J. Jenkins
155. Rueben Randle
156. Alshon Jeffery
157. Malcom Floyd
158. Pierre Garcon
159. Mario Manningham
160. Nate Washington
161. Nate Burleson
162. Doug Baldwin
163. Shane Vereen
164. Bernard Pierce
165. Brandon Jacobs
166. Lance Kendricks
167. Kyle Rudolph
168. Owen Daniels
169. Scott Chandler
170. Coby Fleener
171. Knowshon Moreno
172. Danny Woodhead
173. Cedric Benson
174. Montario Hardesty
175. Felix Jones
176. Kendall Hunter
177. Ben Tate
178. Daniel Thomas
179. Robert Turbin
180. LaMichael James
181. Lamar Miller
182. Chris Polk
183. Michael Smith
184. Cyrus Gray
185. Mike Goodson
186. Kahlil Bell
187. Michael Tolbert
188. Edwin Baker
189. Jason Snelling
190. Joseph Addai
191. Mikel LeShoure
192. Pierre Thomas
193. Evan Royster
194. Chris Ivory
195. Toby Gerhart
196. Javon Ringer
197. Delone Carter
198. Joe McKnight
199. Dexter McCluster
200. Taiwan Jones

2012 NFL Bye Weeks

Week 4: Colts, Steelers

Week 5: Cowboys, Lions, Raiders, Buccaneers

Week 6: Panthers, Bears, Jaguars, Saints

Week 7: Falcons, Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers

Week 8: Ravens, Bills, Bengals, Texans

Week 9: Patriots, Jets, 49ers, Rams

Week 10: Cardinals, Browns, Packers, Redskins

Week 11: Vikings, Giants, Seahawks, Titans

Looking for the 2012 NFL Schedule?