Preliminary 2012 Player Rankings | ProFootballFocus.com

Fantasy: Updated – Preliminary 2012 Player Rankings

February 27th, 2012 | Author: Mike Clay

Down below is an updated version of my preliminary 2012 Player Rankings. Obviously, a ton will change after off-season transactions and the NFL Draft, but if you have a chance to make a trade early in the off-season or grab a guy with some 2012 breakout potential, these rankings can’t hurt. I leaned towards PPR and note that these are 2012 redraft rankings (not dynasty!).

We don’t know where many of the incoming rookies will land, so only a few are included for now. They include Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin, Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon, and Michael Floyd.

Quarterback				Tight End
Rk	Player	2011 Team	Contract	Rk	Player	2011 Team	Contract
1	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay	2014	1	Rob Gronkowski	New England	2013
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans	UFA	2	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans	2013
3	Tom Brady	New England	2014	3	Antonio Gates	San Diego	2015
4	Matthew Stafford	Detroit	2014	4	Jason Witten	Dallas	2017
5	Michael Vick	Philadelphia	2015	5	Aaron Hernandez	New England	2013
6	Cam Newton	Carolina	2014	6	Jermichael Finley	Green Bay	2013
7	Philip Rivers	San Diego	2015	7	Fred Davis	Washington	UFA
8	Eli Manning	New York Giants	2015	8	Vernon Davis	San Francisco	2015
9	Tony Romo	Dallas	2013	9	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta	UFA
10	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh	2015	10	Dallas Clark	Indianapolis	2013
11	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis	2015	11	Jermaine Gresham	Cincinnati	2014
12	Robert Griffin III	Rookie	2015	12	Dustin Keller	New York Jets	2012
13	Matt Ryan	Atlanta	2013	13	Brandon Pettigrew	Detroit	2014
14	Tim Tebow	Denver	2014	14	Jared Cook	Tennessee	2012
15	Jake Locker	Tennessee	2014	15	Greg Olsen	Carolina	2015
16	Matt Schaub	Houston	2012	16	Kellen Winslow	Tampa Bay	2014
17	Jay Cutler	Chicago	2013	17	Owen Daniels	Houston	2014
18	Mark Sanchez	New York Jets	2013	18	Kyle Rudolph	Minnesota	2014
19	Andrew Luck	Rookie	2015	19	Lance Kendricks	St Louis	2014
20	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati	2014	20	Brent Celek	Philadelphia	2016
21	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Buffalo	2017	21	Tony Moeaki	Kansas City	2013
22	Carson Palmer	Oakland	2014	22	Marcedes Lewis	Jacksonville	2015
23	Joe Flacco	Baltimore	2012	23	Heath Miller	Pittsburgh	2014
24	Matt Moore	Miami	2012	24	Dennis Pitta	Baltimore	2012
25	Josh Freeman	Tampa Bay	2013	25	Ed Dickson	Baltimore	2012
26	Matt Flynn	Green Bay	UFA	26	Scott Chandler	Buffalo	UFA
27	Sam Bradford	St Louis	2015	27	Jacob Tamme	Indianapolis	UFA
28	Matt Cassel	Kansas City	2014	28	Ben Watson	Cleveland	2012
29	Alex D. Smith	San Francisco	UFA	29	Todd Heap	Arizona	2012
30	Kevin Kolb	Arizona	2016	30	Martellus Bennett	Dallas	UFA
31	Tarvaris Jackson	Seattle	2012	31	Julius Thomas	Denver	2014
32	Christian Ponder	Minnesota	2014	32	Jeremy Shockey	Carolina	UFA
33	Blaine Gabbert	Jacksonville	2014	33	Zach J. Miller	Seattle	2015
34	Matt Hasselbeck	Tennessee	2013	34	Kevin Boss	Oakland	2014
35	John Skelton	Arizona	2013	35	Delanie Walker	San Francisco	2013
				36	John Carlson	Seattle	UFA
				37	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland	2014
				38	Anthony Fasano	Miami	2012
				39	Chris Cooley	Washington	2013
				40	Evan Moore	Cleveland	2013
				41	Joel Dreessen	Houston	UFA
				42	Rob Housler	Arizona	2014
				43	Tony Scheffler	Detroit	2013
				44	Visanthe Shiancoe	Minnesota	UFA
				45	Gary Barnidge	Carolina	2012

Wide Receiver				Running Back
Rk	Player	2011 Team	Contract	Rk	Player	2011 Team	Contract
1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit	2012	1	Arian Foster	Houston	RFA
2	Wes Welker	New England	UFA	2	Ray Rice	Baltimore	UFA
3	Andre Johnson	Houston	2016	3	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia	2012
4	Greg Jennings	Green Bay	2012	4	Matt Forte	Chicago	UFA
5	A.J. Green	Cincinnati	2014	5	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City	2015
6	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona	2018	6	Ryan Mathews	San Diego	2014
7	Hakeem Nicks	New York Giants	2013	7	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jacksonville	2013
8	Julio Jones	Atlanta	2014	8	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle	UFA
9	Kenny Britt	Tennessee	2013	9	Chris D. Johnson	Tennessee	2016
10	Roddy White	Atlanta	2014	10	Darren Sproles	New Orleans	2014
11	Steve L. Smith	Carolina	2012	11	Darren McFadden	Oakland	2013
12	Vincent Jackson	San Diego	UFA	12	Steven Jackson	St Louis	2013
13	Brandon Marshall	Miami	2014	13	Ahmad Bradshaw	New York Giants	2014
14	Mike Wallace	Pittsburgh	RFA	14	Demarco Murray	Dallas	2014
15	Dwayne Bowe	Kansas City	UFA	15	Reggie Bush	Miami	2012
16	Dez Bryant	Dallas	2014	16	Roy Helu	Washington	2014
17	Miles Austin	Dallas	2016	17	Trent Richardson	Rookie	2015
18	Marques Colston	New Orleans	UFA	18	Fred Jackson	Buffalo	2012
19	Jordy Nelson	Green Bay	2014	19	Frank Gore	San Francisco	2014
20	Victor Cruz	New York Giants	2012	20	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina	2012
21	Steve Johnson	Buffalo	UFA	21	DeAngelo Williams	Carolina	2015
22	Jeremy Maclin	Philadelphia	2013	22	Michael Bush	Oakland	UFA
23	Percy Harvin	Minnesota	2013	23	Peyton Hillis	Cleveland	UFA
24	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh	2012	24	Willis McGahee	Denver	2014
25	Brandon Lloyd	St Louis	UFA	25	Adrian L. Peterson	Minnesota	2017
26	Pierre Garcon	Indianapolis	UFA	26	Michael Turner	Atlanta	2013
27	Santonio Holmes	New York Jets	2015	27	Beanie Wells	Arizona	2013
28	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia	UFA	28	Mark Ingram	New Orleans	2014
29	Demaryius Thomas	Denver	2014	29	C.J. Spiller	Buffalo	2014
30	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis	UFA	30	Jahvid Best	Detroit	2014
31	Anquan Boldin	Baltimore	2013	31	Shonn Greene	New York Jets	2012
32	Lance Moore	New Orleans	2015	32	Mike Tolbert	San Diego	UFA
33	Mario Manningham	New York Giants	UFA	33	Isaac Redman	Pittsburgh	ERFA
34	Leonard Hankerson	Washington	2014	34	Toby Gerhart	Minnesota	2013
35	Austin Collie	Indianapolis	2012	35	Stevan Ridley	New England	2014
36	Mike A. Williams	Tampa Bay	2013	36	Donald Brown	Indianapolis	2013
37	Denarius Moore	Oakland	2014	37	Mikel Leshoure	Detroit	2014
38	Sidney Rice	Seattle	2015	38	James Starks	Green Bay	2013
39	Robert Meachem	New Orleans	UFA	39	Ryan Williams	Arizona	2014
40	Santana Moss	Washington	2013	40	Pierre Thomas	New Orleans	2014
41	Michael Crabtree	San Francisco	2014	41	Felix Jones	Dallas	2012
42	Vincent Brown	San Diego	2014	42	Ben Tate	Houston	2013
43	Justin Blackmon	Rookie	2015	43	Montario Hardesty	Cleveland	2013
44	Malcom Floyd	San Diego	2012	44	LeGarrette Blount	Tampa Bay	ERFA
45	Laurent Robinson	Dallas	UFA	45	Evan Royster	Washington	2014
46	Torrey Smith	Baltimore	2014	46	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	New England	UFA
47	Greg Little	Cleveland	2014	47	Jacquizz Rodgers	Atlanta	2014
48	Jacoby Ford	Oakland	2013	48	Kendall Hunter	San Francisco	2014
49	Michael Floyd	Rookie	2015	49	Daniel Thomas	Miami	2014
50	Jonathan Baldwin	Kansas City	2014	50	Brandon Jacobs	New York Giants	2012
51	Randall Cobb	Green Bay	2014	51	Rashad Jennings	Jacksonville	2012
52	Eric Decker	Denver	2013	52	Rashard Mendenhall	Pittsburgh	2012
53	Plaxico Burress	New York Jets	UFA	53	Jason Snelling	Atlanta	UFA
54	Titus Young	Detroit	2014	54	Tim Hightower	Washington	UFA
55	Golden Tate	Seattle	2013	55	Knowshon Moreno	Denver	2013
56	Mike Thomas	Jacksonville	2015	56	Dexter McCluster	Kansas City	2013
57	Earl Bennett	Chicago	2015	57	Joseph Addai	Indianapolis	2013
58	Emmanuel Sanders	Pittsburgh	2012	58	Shane Vereen	New England	2014
59	Danny Amendola	St Louis	UFA	59	Danny Woodhead	New England	2012
60	Jeremy Kerley	New York Jets	2014	60	Javon Ringer	Tennessee	2012
61	Doug Baldwin	Seattle	UDFA	61	Joe McKnight	New York Jets	2013
62	James Jones	Green Bay	2013	62	Delone Carter	Indianapolis	2014
63	Damian Williams	Tennessee	2013	63	Ryan Grant	Green Bay	UFA
64	Greg Salas	St Louis	2014	64	Cedric Benson	Cincinnati	UFA
65	Jordan Shipley	Cincinnati	2013	65	Kevin Smith	Detroit	UFA
66	Brandon LaFell	Carolina	2013	66	Bilal Powell	New York Jets	2014
67	Steve Breaston	Kansas City	2015	67	Alex Green	Green Bay	2014
68	Nate Burleson	Detroit	2014	68	Taiwan Jones	Oakland	2014
69	Davone Bess	Miami	2012	69	Dion Lewis	Philadelphia	2014
70	Darrius Heyward-Bey	Oakland	2013	70	Marion Barber III	Chicago	2012
71	Nate Washington	Tennessee	2014
72	Devery Henderson	New Orleans	2012
73	Andre Roberts	Arizona	2013
74	Steve Smith	Philadelphia	UFA
75	Chad Ochocinco	New England	2013

Posted in Fantasy Articles, Fantasy Rankings, PFF Fantasy

18 Responses to “Fantasy: Updated – Preliminary 2012 Player Rankings”

whatadai:

2012/02/27 at 3:34 pm

RGII over Matty Ice? Tebow over Schaub? Would anyone really trade Ryan for RGII or Schaub for Tebow? No…so I don’t see how their values are higher. How can you rank a guy like Britt so much higher than Nelson just cause of a few games?
- Mike Clay:
  
  2012/02/27 at 9:45 pm
  
  Tebow outscored Schaub on a per-game basis last season….and I believe the same can be said for Britt/Jordy. If not, it’s very close. Rodgers and the Packers offense will regress a bit next season. You just don’t keep up the pace they were on, as shown by a bit of a drop late in the year. Tebow (QB+RB) over pocket QB Schaub in a very, very run heavy offense isn’t bold at all. Not sure what the excitement is over Ryan…the guy hasn’t emerged yet, why will he now? He is pretty good in the dome, but he’s pretty bad on the road. Hard to get excited for a guy I’d want to bench 6-8 times/year. Griffin can make the impact Newton did and possibly a bigger one with his legs (minus the touchdowns).
  - whatadai:
    
    2012/02/28 at 12:52 am
    
    It’s not the excitement over Ryan. It’s that he’s established and safe, but still has upside to him. While RGIII doesn’t even have a team yet. He can’t make an impact like Newton because he doesn’t run like Newton. Newton can make guys miss…he makes RGIII look like a pocket QB. Plus…the teams RGIII will probably go to are the Skins and Browns…and their offensive skill players have so many question marks that I think his combine is making him overvalued in fantasy too.
    - Mike Clay:
      
      2012/02/28 at 9:10 am
      
      First of all, no one said anything about simply extrapolating a season. 2011 was not Britt’s first season in the NFL. He’s one of the game’s most prolific per-play wide outs over the last few seasons and I expect Locker will help that that pass offense to the next level. Pretty sure Bryan just posted an article all about Britt. Regardless, I assure you I’m not ignorant enough to simply extrapolate and rank. C’mon man.
      
      As for Ryan, I hear you. You’re right in that he’s relatively solid and still has unused potential. That said, he’s been around for quite a while now and hasn’t got it done. I don’t expect him to explode into a weekly must-start. I’d rather grab Griffin’s game-breaking upside. I know rookies are risky, but in this case, I’d take a shot.
      - whatadai:
        
        2012/02/28 at 6:49 pm
        
        When you said, “Tebow outscored Schaub on a per-game basis last season….and I believe the same can be said for Britt/Jordy.” It made it sound like you were just extrapolating stats.
        
        Ryan’s yardage and TD numbers have improved every year…even if only slightly for last season. He actually gets a full off-season with Julio Jones. He also gets a new OC who was able to get a lot from Sims-Walker, Thomas, and Garrard. Mularkey has been also rumored to have held him back offensively and it showed during games this past season. With his current standing and potential it seems he should be ranked higher than RGIII who doesn’t even have a team yet. It seems as if everyone is expecting his rushing to be similar to Cam Newton or even Michael Vick, but he’s less elusive than both. The only person that has even said he was great at passing was Brian Billick…who had Gabbert and Boller as the top passers of their respective draft classes. I understand that potential makes a guy really high sometimes…but that’s all he is right now, potential. It seems as if you ranked these while still being in awe of Newton’s recent rookie year along with Griffin’s recent combine results. With rankings like these you’re basically telling dynasty owners to trade Matt Ryan for RGIII or Schaub for Tebow…and I think you’ll find very few to agree with you there.
  - whatadai:
    
    2012/02/28 at 3:47 am
    
    I also thought PFF would be one of the last places to rank by extrapolating a player’s partial season…let alone Britt’s 2.5 games.
    - stodl:
      
      2012/02/28 at 8:26 pm
      
      For what it’s worth … I agree with you about Ryan, as I posted below. After finishing 8th in QB points last year, I don’t think he will end up regressing to 13th next season, especially with more receiving potential coming from Jacquizz Rodgers and hopefully a full year of Julio Jones. But the bottom line is is that everyone in fantasy football has their own opinion on players. I mean, Mike Clay’s opinion is that Darrius Heyward-Bey is the 70th best receiver going into next season, being ranked behing 3rd string receivers, rookies, and also players coming off of injured reserve….. These rankings are a guage for entertainment purposes only. We really don’t have to follow them by thinking anyone’s prediction will end up being the 100% truth… because the truth will always be revealed at the end of every season.
      - whatadai:
        
        2012/02/28 at 9:48 pm
        
        I’m only asking because he hasn’t really given a clear reason as to why RGIII is so high and Matt Ryan is so low. His reasons were…
        1. Ryan hasn’t emerged after 4 years.
        Roethlisberger hasn’t emerged as an elite fantasy QB yet either after 8 years yet he’s ranked higher. There’s also a chance that he’ll lose Wallace, while Ryan will have his two top WRs and top TE again for another year. Julio Jones will have his first off-season, not be injured, and can actually get a rapport going with Ryan. I believe Ryan has also been better than Roethlisberger fantasy-wise the past two seasons. Everyone knows Roethlisberger will never be a top 5 QB fantasy-wise…but Ryan still actually has some chance.
        2. Ryan sucks on the road.
        Does he play worse on the road than home? Yes, but many QBs do. Not only that, he’s not horrible on road games, he still has plenty of good games when away. Why would anyone bench Ryan 6-8 games a year? If your other QB was Rodgers? I would bench Roethlisberger 6-8 games a year over Ryan.
        3. Griffin can make the impact Newton did and possibly a bigger one with his legs (minus the touchdowns).
        I’m sorry, but anyone who thinks he will make a big of an impact as Newton at running hasn’t watched Griffin. If he even tries to run as much as Newton he WILL get injured. He is much less elusive and takes plenty of hits and he’s also shown that he’s not the toughest cookie when it comes to these hits. Is there a possibility that I may be wrong on that? Of course.
        
        I guess what I’m wondering is this…Griffin has all of these question marks to me…
        1. What if he goes on a shitty team?
        2. What if that team has no skill players to help him?
        3. His hype is due to his running, what if he runs like Newton? He’s not built like Newton, not as elusive, takes a lot of hits, and has shown that he can get injured by them long-term.
        4. He’s a rookie, the risk with a rookie is always much higher.
        
        Is he really worth a guy who’s been ranked 8th fantasy-wise two years in a row? One who has a better chance of improving or stagnating next year than a chance of regressing?
        
        That is why I asked if he is just high from Newton’s rookie year and Griffin’s combine numbers. I just don’t see a Newton type of year for Griffin.
stodl:

2012/02/27 at 7:19 pm

I think a LOT OF PEOPLE from MANY websites are underestimating Matt Ryan for next season. Here are the resons why he will be a top 5 QB at the end of the year: 1) You have Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez ranked in the top 10 at their positions. Who do you think will be throwing them the ball, huh? 2) His offensive line is in the top 15 in pass protection. 3) They hired an offensive coordinator who likes the vertical passing game. 4)Home games are in a dome. 5) He’s playing against Brees (twice), Eli, Rivers, Stafford, Romo, Vick, Newton (twice), etc… 6) There will be less Michael Turner and more Jacquizz Rodgers usage. 7) His passing yards and TDs thrown are trending upwards the past couple of years, while he is now hitting his prime, AND! he has not posted a career breakout year yet!… Last year, I nailed the mid-round value Stafford prediction and won my league, so I hope this info helps someone else win theirs.
- Mike Clay:
  
  2012/02/27 at 9:49 pm
  
  Jones, White, and Gonzalez were all strong FF plays in 2011 and Ryan was not an elite QB. Issue is that about 72% of Ryan’s throws will go to those 3 guys. That’s very high.
  
  Home games are in a dome, but that’s only 50% of the guy’s games. He’s bad on the road.
  
  Not sure why Rodgers matters…Turner wasn’t bad in 2011…Rodgers isn’t going to be an elite back in my estimation…and Ryan certainly wasn’t a FF stud when Turner WAS on top of his game.
  
  Hey, I was all over Stafford, too, but Ryan doesn’t intrigue me near as much as Matt did last year
  
  Thanks for reading.
corey09f:

2012/02/27 at 10:19 pm

Mike, I hope you don’t burst my bubble here, but what do you make of Tolbert if he signs with a new team and sees an increase in snaps next year? The guy is a wrecking ball, surprisingly quick, a goalline RB if there ever was one, a 3rd down back who could get 50+ catches, and is a great blocker. In my dynasty league that has fairly standard scoring, he was 13th amongst RBs. I’m not suggesting he will be elite, but is 800 rushing, 400 receiving, 45 receptions, and 8 TDs out of the question? If I were a betting man I’d say he outscores Shonn Green, Ingram, DeAngelo, Stewart, Hillis, McGahee, and Best.

Am I crazy to see a little Michael Turner in him? Imagine him in NE, Cincy, Pitt, Detroit, TB, GB, KC, or any team needing a RB. What do you think?
- Mike Clay:
  
  2012/02/27 at 10:55 pm
  
  He’s a tricky one. Definitely benefited from the Chargers’ offense and its reliance on the tailback in the passing game…not to mention Mathews’ injury issues. Unfortunately, for running backs, destination matters quite a bit. Is it a team that throws to the back a lot? Is it a high-scoring O? Does the team already have a 3rd down back or do they need an early-down guy? The good news is that he can do all the things you mentioned: early down, 3rd down, short yardage. Right now, I view him as a Flex/RB3, but I’d like him a little more if he ends up in a position where he’s the teams best back. Turner in his prime? Nah, he’ll never reach those numbers. Tolbert is more of a low/avg YPC with lots of catches and the ability to work in short yardage. Turner put up some stronger YPCs and carried it 20+ times/game. Different types of players.
  - corey09f:
    
    2012/02/28 at 8:14 am
    
    Just to clarify for pride sake, I do not think Tolbert is equal to Turner in Turner’s prime, but its hard not to “see a litte” bit of Turner in his game, as opposed to comparing him to Chris Johnson. Maybe call him a poor man’s Michale Turner? Realistically, youre probably right, Tolbert will never be that guy, but IF he gets the same opportunity as underacheivers like Shonn Green, Id be real interested in what he does with it.
    
    Appreicaite the reply Mike.
    - Mike Clay:
      
      2012/02/28 at 9:13 am
      
      Sure, he’s a bigger back, but he’s an exponentially better pass-catcher than Turner. His best comparison is probably a guy like Hillis…a guy who is basically a fullback, but is a plus in the passing game.
lukebouch:

2012/03/04 at 4:28 pm

Could you elaborate on why Spiller is low? The Bills have already stated that it will be a committee, and Jackson will be 31. You have Helu, who is in a Shanny backfield and not as naturally talented, IMO, some 15 spots higher. I’m a little intrigued.
Mike Clay:

2012/03/05 at 9:31 am

My Rankings do assume a committee. You’ll notice that Spiller is 29th, which means that he’s actually ahead of a handful of RB1s! That in itself is a credit to what I think the BUF duo can do. I really feel like the Bills will run Jackson into the ground as much as possible. Don’t overlook how good he was pre-injury. Spiller did a nice job as his replacement, but Jackson was even better and will be the #1A to Spiller’s 1B.

Helu is a #1…and was a workhorse for WAS when healthy in the second half. I will have some concerns if they re-sign Hightower, but I still think Shanny intends on running Helu into the ground. He did it throughout late last season. Another variable will be Royster, who was exceptional in the last few games, as well.
ShaneF:

2012/03/09 at 12:59 pm

You ranked Tebow as the 14th best QB????? Are you on drugs? Let’s take a look at his stats last year, compared to all other QB’s:

*Completions: Dead last among QB’s with at least 200 attempts

*Completion Percentage: Dead last among all QB’s (a dreadful 46 percent)

*Passing yards: Dead Last among QB’s with as many attempts as he had

*Yards per attempt: Dead Last among QB’s with as many attempts as he had

Put down the Kool-Aid, dude. He is the most overrated, over-hyped athlete in history.

*Yards per game: Dead last among all QB’s (a dreadful 124 yards per game)

Put down the Kool-Aid, dude. Tebow is the most overrated, over-hyped athlete in history.
- Mike Clay:
  
  2012/03/09 at 1:31 pm
  
  You’re completely overlooking his rushing numbers. 660 yards and 6 TDs in only 11 starts/14 appearances. The guy was, at least, a Top 12 option when he started in 2011. I have him 14th and he’ll likely be even higher on a weekly basis if he retains the #1 job.

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