Fantasy Football 2012: Top 20 Players at Every Position

NFL training camps are just around the corner, and as the summer unfolds, fantasy football fanatics across the land will assemble their teams for the upcoming seasons when they gather to conduct their league's fantasy draft.

Doing a little extra homework today can pay huge dividends for your fantasy squad tomorrow. To that end, here's a look at the top 20 fantasy options at each position for the upcoming season in leagues that award a point for receptions.

Aaron Rodgers and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was ruthlessly efficient in 2011, throwing for over 4,600 yards and 45 scores against only six interceptions while finishing the year as fantasy football's top-ranked passer.

Rodgers has now thrown 103 touchdown passes over the past three seasons while tossing only 28 interceptions.

In the prime of his career at the helm of one of the NFL's most prolific offenses, the eighth-year veteran is king of the fantasy mountain at his position this season.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

4. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

5. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

6. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

8. Eli Manning, New York Giants

9. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

10. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

11. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

13. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

14. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (R)

15. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

16. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

17. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

18. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

20. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

Ray Rice and the Top 20 Running Backs

With the proliferation of PPR leagues that require three starting wide receivers, running backs don't dominate the beginning of fantasy drafts the way they once did.

However, having a strong backfield is still essential to fantasy success, and a running back will be the first-overall selection in the majority of fantasy leagues this summer.

Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens has yet to sign his franchise tender, but there's little reason to think that the 25-year-old won't be in the Baltimore backfield on opening day.

Fresh off a season in which the fifth-year pro gained over 2,000 total yards, Rice is the top back available in fantasy drafts this summer, and the fact that Rice has averaged over 70 catches the past three seasons only adds to his appeal in PPR formats.

1. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans

3. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

5. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

6. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

7. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

9. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders

10. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

11. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys

12. Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills

13. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns (R)

14. Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints

15. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

16. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

17. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

18. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

19. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins

20. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (R)

Calvin Johnson and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

The Detroit Lions enjoyed their most successful season in years in 2011, making their first playoff appearance since 1999.

That success was due in large part to the exploits of wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who exploded in his fifth NFL season to the tune of 96 receptions, 1,681 yards, and 16 touchdowns, finishing the year as fantasy football's top wideout by a sizable margin.

The team rewarded Johnson for his prowess last season with an eight-year, $132 million mega-deal, and there's little reason to believe that "Megatron" won't once again be among the top fantasy options at his position in 2012.

1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

2. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

3. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

4. Wes Welker, New England Patriots

5. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

6. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers

7. Victor Cruz, New York Giants

8. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

9. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers

11. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears

12. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

13. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

14. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants

15. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

16. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys

17. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs

18. Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills

19. DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

20. Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans

Jimmy Graham and the Top 20 Tight Ends

2011 may well go down as the year of the tight end in fantasy football, as Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints posted the most fantasy points by a player at the position in over a decade.

With that said, it's rather unlikely that Gronkowski will duplicate his 17 touchdown catches from a year ago, which was an NFL record for a tight end, especially given the Patriots' upgrades at wide receiver and the presence of fellow stud tight end Aaron Hernandez.

It's more likely that Graham will at least come close to his 99 catches and 1,300 receiving yards from a season ago, making the third-year pro top dog among fantasy tight ends in 2012.

1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

4. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

5. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

6. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

7. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions

8. Fred Davis, Washington Redskins

9. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

10. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers

11. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans

12. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

13. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles

14. Greg Olson, Carolina Panthers

15. Dustin Keller, New York Jets

16. Jacob Tamme, Denver Broncos

17. Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans

18. Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts

19. Tony Moeaki, Kansas City Chiefs

20. Ed Dickson, Baltimore Ravens

Stephen Gostkowski and the Top 20 Kickers

Kickers are the red-headed stepchildren of the fantasy football world, as while some foolish owners will undoubtedly reach much too early for one in fantasy drafts, it's generally advisable to wait until near the end of your league's draft before selecting your team's kicker.

However, you have to start a kicker in most fantasy football leagues, and having a strong option at the position who plays on a prolific offense such as Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots can make the difference between a win and a loss in a close fantasy contest.

1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots

2. David Akers, San Francisco 49ers

3. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers

4. Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions

5. Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers

6. Garrett Hartley, New Orleans Saints

7. Alex Henery, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys

9. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders

10. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears

11. Neil Rackers, Washington Redskins

12. Matt Prater, Denver Broncos

13. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons

14. Lawrence Tynes, New York Giants

15. Billy Cundiff, Baltimore Ravens

16. Rob Bironas, Tennessee Titans

17. Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals

18. Randy Bullock, Houston Texans

19. Shaun Suisham, Pittsburgh Steelers

20. Jay Feely, Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers and the Top 20 Team Defenses

Much like with kickers, it can sometimes be a wise course of action to wait before selecting a fantasy defense, as if your league doesn't charge for or limit transactions, you can play matchups with defenses available on your league's waiver wire on a weekly basis.

However, team defenses can be wildly inconsistent from season to season and even week to week, and some fantasy owners prefer the security that comes with spending a mid-round pick on an elite defensive unit.

Fantasy owners who prefer the second course of action may want to cast their glances westward, as linebacker Patrick Willis and the San Francisco 49ers were a top-five fantasy defense in 2011 and ranked at or near the top of the NFL in several categories, including total defense, run defense and takeaways.

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Green Bay Packers

6. Chicago Bears

7. New York Jets

8. Houston Texans

9. New York Giants

10. Detroit Lions

11. New England Patriots

12. Denver Broncos

13. Dallas Cowboys

14. Buffalo Bills

15. Cincinnati Bengals

16. San Diego Chargers

17. Atlanta Falcons

18. Seattle Seahawks

19. New Orleans Saints

20. Arizona Cardinals