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For the second consecutive season, the No. 2 wide receiver in ESPN standard fantasy leagues scored 210 points. Congrats to Brandon Marshall on the accomplishment this season. Of course, one wideout managed to beat Marshall in scoring, and it's the same one who beat Jordy Nelson of the Green Bay Packers in 2011. Hmm, who could this dominant wide receiver be? It won't come as much of a surprise; again, the more pertinent question surrounds the rest of the top-five, top-10, top-whatever choices at the position, not the first fellow.

Wide receiver is deep, just as it always has been -- certainly in relation to running back -- and myriad choices stepped up during the 2012 season to claim top-10 consideration. While the Chicago Bears' Marshall ultimately finished second in position scoring in standard formats, he has company in the top-5 conversation. With quarterback and running back recaps/previews in the rear view mirror, let's tackle wide receivers.

Wide receiver MVP: OK, so Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions is pretty good. We get it. But he was also a first-round pick in most leagues, and unlike the 2011 season, he finished outside the overall top 20 scorers. Disappointing season? Well, he did score 40 fewer points, mainly thanks to being unlucky in the touchdown department. Yes, he broke the league mark for receiving yards in a season, but 29 other wide receivers caught more than his five touchdowns, including Santana Moss. So it is that Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts edges out the Denver Broncos' Eric Decker for the MVP nod. Wayne was a 10th-round pick in ESPN average live drafts, a forgotten older player who was certainly not close to done. Andrew Luck made Wayne his top target and Wayne responded by producing nearly the exact same numbers from his final year playing alongside Peyton Manning in 2010. Meanwhile, Decker was the only one of the top 13 wide receiver scorers this season who wasn't selected among the top 20 in ADP. Yep, there was no real stunning out-of-nowhere Victor Cruz-like performance. Decker was an eighth-round pick, 28th at the position, but he finished tied with Andre Johnson for eighth in WR scoring and finished second only to James Jones of the Packers in receiving touchdowns.

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One might think the entire running back conversation for the 2012 fantasy football season starts and ends with a certain Minnesota Vikings marvel who proved injury timelines can be different for certain players. Well, there was a lot more that occurred during the 2012 season at what tends to be fantasy's most perplexing position. There were hotshot rookies, critical injuries to first-rounders, a former 2,000-yard rusher managed to disappoint us yet again and, well, let's just get right to the season recap and look ahead to 2013. We've already written about the quarterbacks, and wide receivers and tight ends will be coming soon. Enjoy!

Running back MVP: Adrian Peterson blew out his left knee so late during the 2011 season that the injury wasn't surgically repaired until New Year's Eve. It was a bit unfathomable that Peterson would be available and in prime form by Week 1 of the 2012 season, which certainly made his draft-day status problematic. Some believed Peterson would heal so quickly that he could be a first-rounder again. Others presumed he'd miss games and struggle to regain his competency, kind of like what happened to former Pittsburgh Steelers starter Rashard Mendenhall.

Well, Peterson obviously didn't struggle. He scored 2 touchdowns in Week 1. Then starting in Week 7, he went on a magical run, carrying fantasy owners. Peterson topped 100 rushing yards nine times in the final 10 games. He topped 200 yards twice. He scored 11 touchdowns. He finished as fantasy's top running back by 49 points. Washington Redskins rookie Alfred Morris might have brought more value, since he was chosen in the 11th round, on average, in ESPN live drafts and finished fifth in running back scoring, whereas Peterson went in Round 2. It's just tough to argue against Peterson, though Morris and fellow rookie Doug Martin should get high praise for their accomplishments.

Running back LVP: The easy pick would be Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew. The fantasy first-rounder played in only six games, reaching double digits twice, then didn't play again for the remainder of the season. Even worse, Jones-Drew was annoyingly designated as week-to-week rather than simply shut down due to his foot injury, but at least fantasy owners knew not to play him.

Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans fits the description of disappointment in the same way New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning does; Johnson delivered two stretches of underwhelming play, both in September and heading to the fantasy playoffs. Still, he did have some big weeks, and he still finished 13th at the position in standard scoring. San Diego Chargers disappointment Ryan Mathews did not. The No. 14 running back in ADP actually played in 12 games, missing the first two and the last two, and he managed to reach double digits in fantasy scoring just once. It was Week 5 at the Saints. That was it. Mathews was regarded as a RB2 most of the season, but he hardly played like it, as he scored one touchdown all year and averaged seven fantasy points per game. That's not very valuable.

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Three of the four first-round playoff games this past weekend were relative yawners, with the home team cruising along to victory, so thanks to the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins for giving us at least one interesting fourth quarter! Of course, that game also provided a potentially serious injury (Robert Griffin III) that could affect fantasy owners next season, but we have plenty of time to deal with that. One road team won a wild-card round game, and now we're down to the top eight NFL teams. Of course, there are changes to my Gridiron Playoff Challenge roster and general rankings as well.

Note that in GPC, entrants will get another chance to adjust lineups even after this weekend. The goal remains the same, to accumulate the most points and have fun, so good luck!

Quarterbacks

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Quarterbacks were chosen with the first two selections in last summer's NFL draft, and each figured to earn starting nods without delay, so perhaps it was easy to see how one of the stories of the 2012 fantasy season would be the rookie signal-callers. After all, top pick Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts finished among the top 10 quarterbacks in standard season scoring, and Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins, second on draft day, might have topped everyone had he not been injured.

In addition, Seattle Seahawks rookie Russell Wilson rocked after September and finished just a shade outside the top 10, and second-year signal-caller Colin Kaepernick joined him in post-October relevance. It's not like all older fellows struggled, either, as Peyton Manning joined the Denver Broncos and seamlessly returned to past glory, finishing tied with Griffin in season scoring. Thirty-somethings Drew Brees and Tom Brady didn't disappoint. Old and young enjoyed productive campaigns.



Frankly, there was no shortage of helpful quarterback candidates for standard leagues and even for deeper formats. In 2011, the top fellows performed better, with three quarterbacks exceeding 5,000 passing yards and four reaching 352 standard fantasy points. In 2012, Brees was the only one to hit 5,000 passing yards and he led the position in scoring with 337 points. Still, check the depth. The No. 10 fantasy quarterback in the 2011 season was, believe it or not, New York Jets attention-getter Mark Sanchez with 227 fantasy points. This season those same 227 points earned Baltimore Ravens leader Joe Flacco a No. 14 ranking, while Detroit Lions attempts machine Matthew Stafford was 10th with 263 points. Depth is indeed a good thing.

So, with an eye toward the future, let's recap and preview the NFL's signature position -- the quarterback -- for fantasy purposes.

Quarterback MVP: Brees led all of fantasy in scoring regardless of position, a shade ahead of Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but each was a first-round pick on draft day. Griffin, however, followed in the footsteps of the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton from the year prior -- rookie and runner -- and electrified the fantasy world, doing so as a fifth-rounder. No quarterback rushed for more yards, and Griffin's 27 total touchdowns to five interceptions was outstanding. Consider Brees and Matt Ryan each had five interceptions in one game! Griffin gets the fantasy quarterback MVP nod over Seattle's Wilson, an afterthought fantasy 14th-rounder who was a top-five scorer from Week 6 on.

Quarterback LVP: Two of the top 10 quarterbacks from fantasy draft day really disappointed, but with Michael Vick, you should have known well in advance the risk of injury derailing his value. Vick played well enough in the first half of the season before a concussion and team goals shut him down for two months. With Eli Manning of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, however, he tormented fantasy owners from Week 6 on. If you had played this Manning the first five weeks and Wilson after that, it would have been a top-five overall quarterback. Alas, Manning finished 15th among quarterbacks in scoring, edging Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams, hardly a fantasy hero himself. In a five-game stretch starting with Week 6, the younger Manning averaged a mere seven fantasy points per game, taking his teams down with him. After rebounding with quality performances in Weeks 12-14, those who regained trust in Eli during the fantasy playoffs were rewarded with two fantasy points in Week 15 and 10 the week after. Yuck.

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While the fantasy playoffs have ended -- and hopefully your team was able to take home the championship -- that doesn't mean we're done with our rankings. Welcome to the NFL playoffs, with 12 teams still vying for their big prize. It's more football and more fantasy!

ESPN's Gridiron Playoff Challenge is always a hit and easy to play, and I'll reveal my lineup later, but we also know many of you participate in off-site drafts and pools. So for those already missing the fantasy football experience, the lineups, the matchups and more, it's time for annual postseason rankings, both for the entirety of the league's playoffs and this weekend. Enjoy!

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Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was a fantasy monster this season, while Arian Foster, Doug Martin and Marshawn Lynch certainly produced like champs as well. Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson broke the record for receiving yards in a season. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots scored like the first-round picks they were, and nobody could complain about Denver Broncos veteran Peyton Manning or rookie Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins. However, none of these fellows led all of fantasy in standard scoring for the 2012 season.

Congrats to somewhat overlooked, but incredibly consistent, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for this first-time honor. He has been a top-10 quarterback for an amazing nine consecutive seasons -- Rodgers, Brady and Manning can't say this -- and there's little reason for concern about falling short of a 10th year in 2013. Back in August, there was mild concern about Brees being able to repeat his monster 2011 campaign due to various factors (age, contract, the bounty mess, loss of coach, change in weapons), and perhaps it factored into him being merely the third quarterback chosen on average in ESPN live drafts . Regardless, with his 29 standard points against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Sunday's Week 17 loss, Brees ended up with 337 points, tops in the game, and one must wonder, is that enough to make him the top quarterback for 2013 drafts?

Well, the case can certainly be made. After all, on Sunday Brees completed consecutive seasons with 5,000-plus passing yards and 40-plus touchdown passes, a first for either statistic in NFL history. There have been six individual seasons of 5,000 passing yards, and Brees owns half of them. Neither he nor returning coach Sean Payton are leaving the Saints anytime soon, and while arguably the worst defense ever needs a lot of help, the offense cruised again, even with surrounding injuries and modest change, just like always. Brees closed the season with three consecutive 29-point performances, and his only bad performance was in Week 13, when he threw five interceptions at Atlanta. Other than that, nobody could complain, because no player scored more.

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This is the final Friday of the 2012 NFL regular season, so by popular demand we'll provide one last Sneaky Pickups blog entry. Many fantasy football owners are no longer in need of sneaky playoff aid -- it is Week 17, after all, and most stick with their studs -- so last week we looked ahead at the 2013 campaign, with the caveat that all players were available in more than half of ESPN's standard formats. Names such as Russell Wilson, Rashard Mendenhall and Jon Baldwin graced the list.

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This is it, the final flex rankings of the 2012 fantasy football season. Thank you for joining us in this space for the past four months as we've combined the top running backs, wide receivers and tight ends into one tidy package that hopefully aided in your decision-making and helped vault you to meaningful games in late December.

For more advice, check out the Week 17 staff rankings in the usual spots, or perhaps your question was answered in one of our chats this week or by me from Wednesday.

Good luck in your championship matchups and remember, it's never too early to start preparing for the 2013 season and, of course, get ready for fantasy baseball!

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The last time Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick completed an NFL game, the United States of America was still a day away from choosing its next president. Yeah, it's been awhile. But on Sunday in New Jersey, Vick is slated to start against the New York Giants, likely for the last time in Eagles colors, and because of the name value and occasional statistical goodness he brings, fantasy owners with something on the line will have to consider if he's worth using.

There's a reason so many fantasy football leagues are decided before Week 17, not just because of a situation like this but more because some of the players trusted to deliver fantasy championships aren't likely to complete their games. It's a guessing game, to some degree, though I've always felt the Week 17 theme of radical upheaval is a tad overrated. Sure, we ponder how many snaps will be played by the likes of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and top-10 Atlanta Falcons wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones, but in general, there aren't so many critical fantasy studs up for debate. I'm fine finishing championships in Week 16, but the disadvantage is simply overstated for those counting on this week.

With Vick, for example, he's a gift -- or perhaps a "re-gift" -- to those concerned about Luck, Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning or any other usable fantasy passer that might see fewer snaps than normal. Vick remains owned in 74.2 percent of ESPN standard leagues, and surely some of those people will need to determine his viability versus the quarterback(s) used to get their teams this far. Vick is presumed healthy and motivated after missing the past six games, first because of a concussion then the franchise directive that rookie Nick Foles need not look over his shoulder. Foles didn't impress, and the Eagles have months to decide if he's their guy in 2013. Vick could be starting in any number of spots by next September, including Philly in theory, and he gets one last chance to show off his considerable skills. One would think he realizes how important his final statistical impression could be to his wallet. For the first two months, and for much of an abbreviated 2011 campaign -- they're all abbreviated with Vick -- he was a borderline top-10 fantasy quarterback. Even now, with half a season of action, he's fifth among quarterbacks in rushing yards. And the Giants aren't exactly the 1986 Chicago Bears defensively, as they made a struggling Joe Flacco look like Joe Montana in his prime Sunday afternoon.

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is viewed as the game's best receiver, and with the league's single-season receiving yards record now his, thanks to his Saturday night performance, he certainly has pleased his fantasy owners. However, Johnson will not enter Week 17 as fantasy's hottest wide receiver; that honor will belong to talented Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant. Once seen as an immature underachiever, Bryant dominated Sunday's matchup with the New Orleans Saints, scoring a Week 16-best 34 fantasy points, which continued his top-flight emergence.

Bryant registered 224 receiving yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, giving him 134 standard fantasy points over the past seven games, an average of 19.1 per, the most at the position. Yes, that's even more points than Johnson (128 points), and 30 more than No. 3 guy Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans has in that span since Week 10. While Calvin Johnson still holds the edge in standard season scoring, he'll enter Week 17 with a relatively disappointing five touchdowns. Bryant has scored touchdowns in seven consecutive games (10 in that span), features four multi-touchdown games this season, and willl enter the final week second only to Green Bay Packers scoring machine James Jones in receiving touchdowns.

Certainly any concerns fantasy owners had about Bryant's busted left index finger, which had him questionable for the final three games and will require offseason surgery, have been assuaged. Bryant scored on a pair of 58-yard plays in the second quarter Sunday, aiding those in formats that count longer plays. Incredibly, back in September, the Bryant stories were mainly negative, with off-field decision-making requiring the team assign him handlers off the field, and on the field he reached 100 receiving yards only once in his first 31 career games. He has reached that mark five times since October began, however, and there's every reason to believe another signature performance is pending in Week 17 as the NFC East title will be decided by the Cowboys-Washington Redskins game. The Redskins, by the way, entered Sunday as the second-easiest for opposing wide receivers to accrue fantasy points against.

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It's a bit tough to recommend the likes of Ricky Stanzi, Curtis Brinkley and Braylon Edwards as meaningful fantasy options in the championship round, so one might think we're past the stage of sneaky pickups for this season. No, the Friday weekly blog entry lives on because who said anything about the pickups being only for 2012? For those of you in keeper leagues, whether your team is playing for the championship this week or potentially next, the waiver wire is always your friend. I'm in a keeper league in which we protect six players, and I just finished combing the waiver wire -- fantasy leagues first, work second but just this time! -- to see what was available.

For this week's batch of sneaky pickups, let's look ahead -- way ahead -- to next season, because a year ago during Christmas week it would have seemed folly but actually made sense to stash away for potential protection the likes of Josh Freeman, C.J. Spiller and Reggie Wayne. Here is a potential lineup of keepers for deeper formats with all of the options available in more than half of ESPN's standard leagues. And yes, prepare yourself, because a certain underused New York Jets quarterback is going to be mentioned soon. Call it habit.

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Welcome to Week 16, and if you still were eagerly awaiting the list below, then congratulations! Whether your championship round is this week or next, it's a feat just to make it this far. Hopefully our flex rankings, combining the best of the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, will aid in your decision-making!

For more advice, check out the Week 16 staff rankings in the usual spots, or perhaps your question was answered in one of our chats this week or by me Wednesday afternoon.

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One of the toughest things a fantasy owner is forced to do is decide when a player is worth trusting even in the most important weeks, which for a whole lotta folks just happens to be this very week. It's Week 16, the fantasy championship round for many, and there are myriad players who either performed poorly the previous week, such as Stevan Ridley, Demaryius Thomas and all New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or flat-out missed the game but could return this weekend, such as Robert Griffin III, LeSean McCoy and Ahmad Bradshaw. Who do you trust when it matters most?

Questions constantly flow in on my Twitter account regarding this very topic, and my take is that many things must be considered when evaluating whether a previously reliable player is ripe for relevant statistics in the next game, or series of games. Look at the player's track record. Get informed about his health. Matchups play a significant role. Team and perhaps individual motivation can be critical, as well. And looking at the Week 16 edition of the fantasy rankings, perhaps the most important of the season since so much will be decided by Sunday night (and in Week 17, so many key players will not be playing), I see many players who fantasy owners have concerns about trusting.

Perhaps I trust too much, but nearly all the players I mentioned above, from the ones who disappointed us this past weekend to the ones who are trying to get healthy, fared rather well in my rankings. New England Patriots running back Ridley, for example, had trouble running with his usual aplomb and holding on to the football in a cold, rain-soaked Sunday night game against a standout San Francisco 49ers defense. Now he gets to face the wretched Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to running backs, in a warm and likely dry place. Ridley nearly made my top 10 running backs, as I expect a bounce-back outing to double-digit fantasy points. Buccaneers Josh Freeman and Doug Martin, a pair of near top-10 overall fantasy options entering Week 15, combined for three fantasy points against the New Orleans Saints, but they're my No. 14 quarterback and No. 3 running back, respectively, against the St. Louis Rams. No concerns there, either.

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Just a few weeks ago, the NFL MVP race seemed wide open, with Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and perhaps a few others (Tom Brady, Matt Ryan) as the leading candidates. But Peterson's remarkable run at the league's all-time rushing record has likely put any debate to rest. His amazing recovery from a serious knee injury, his team's surprising wild-card run and arguably the best season of his career make him the clear-cut leader.

From a fantasy football angle, his owners have to be pleased. Peterson was a mid-second round choice in ESPN average live drafts, but he has been so good that where you drafted him (or how you acquired him) is somewhat irrelevant.

Make no mistake, when discussing fantasy MVP choices, when the candidates were drafted (if at all) matters. Look at the quarterbacks chosen in the first round of 2012 drafts. Aaron Rodgers, Brady and Drew Brees have certainly been usable this season, but they haven't delivered commensurate value related to their first-round draft position. Other quarterbacks, young and old, have been more valuable when you factor in ADP, and there also have been surprising performances at running back and wide receiver that trump some of the bigger names.

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