5 NFL Fantasy Football Players You Will Regret Not Keeping

Plenty of NFL fantasy managers will be faced with difficult decisions at season's end when deciding which players to designate as keepers heading into 2012.

While obvious choices like Ray Rice, Calvin Johnson and LeSean McCoy, to name a few, will be automatic selections, there are some players that will present managers will difficult decisions this offseason.

There will be plenty of managers who decide to roll the dice and let the players on this list walk with the hope they can scoop them back up in next year's draft. That is a risk that may leave owners full of regret for years to come.

A.J. Green

A.J. Green is one of a number of guys on this list that could leave managers asking themselves "what if?" for years to come.

Green is an elite talent and has shown in his rookie season, that he can—and will—be a top WR in the NFL sooner rather than later. Green is the No. 1 target in Cincinnati for fellow rookie Andy Dalton, and his numbers in 2011 reflected that: He racked up over 1,000 yards receiving on the year.

Rookie WRs in the NFL are usually a very risky investment. They often struggle with consistency, but Green averaged 73.6 yards per game and hauled in a respectable seven touchdown receptions on the year. Those numbers will only improve in following years, and he will turn into a cornerstone wide receiver for any fantasy team.

Julio Jones

Julio Jones has all the skills and attributes of a wide receiver that can take over a game and make defenders look helpless. Much like Calvin Johnson does on a regular basis, Jones has the ability to catch any pass that is thrown his way, regardless of the coverage.

When you watch the Falcons' rookie in action, it is obvious that he possess elite speed and size at the WR position. 

There is a downside to Jones. He has struggled with injuries in 2011, and he lines up on a field with teammates Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner. With that said, I believe Jones will turn into the No. 1 target for Matt Ryan next year, and fantasy owners will reap the benefits of his incredible talent.

Jordy Nelson

Jordy Nelson claimed that being white gives him an advantage because defenders take him lightly (via CBS news).

Well in fantasy land, the same may be said of Nelson. He has quietly turned into a fantasy stud, but there is no way he is worthy of being a keeper, is he?

His stats would most certainly prove his worth. The fourth-year player out of Kansas State piled up over 1,200 receiving yards and snatched 15 touchdown passes in 2011. Only Calvin Johnson in Detroit racked up more TDs at the wide receiver position.

There isn't a manager out there that is second guessing whether or not to keep Megatron.

Nelson put himself on the fantasy map in 2011, but there are going to be plenty of doubters out there who will decide to pass on plugging him in as a keeper at year's end. 

That's a decision that could haunt owners next season.

Jimmy Graham

Depending on the setup of your league, using one of your keepers on a tight end can be a difficult move, but an exception should be made for Jimmy Graham.

The luxury of getting No. 1 wide receiver fantasy stats from the TE position is something that not many managers have. Aside from Rob Gronkowski in New England, no other tight end consistently collects touchdowns and piles up receiving yards like Graham does. 

Graham and Gronkowski are on another level, and they have separated themselves from the next tier of TEs that include Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez. Graham provides an advantage week in and week out by producing huge numbers from a position that can be extremely volatile.

It's that advantage that will land you a fantasy championship come this time next season. 

Victor Cruz

Victor Cruz enters the the New York Giants' season finale with 1,358 receiving yards and eight TDs on the year. Those kind of numbers will usually earn a player keeper status on most teams.

With Cruz, however, some owners will still battle with the decision to keep the second-year wideout.

Maybe it's because he is arguably the second-best wide receiver on his team with Hakeem Nick. Perhaps it's his lack of a proven track record. Whatever it may be, the numbers speak for themselves: This kid is a stud and he will remain a top target for Eli Manning in 2012.