Fantasy Football: Rookie All-Star Team

Cam Newton and a group of hot wide receivers top the list of the Fantasy Football Rookie All-Star Team.

If you won your league this year, you probably had one or more of these players on your team. In the league that I won, I had two of these players. A pass reception by the wide receiver in the fourth quarter sealed a semifinal round victory for me.

The rule of thumb that wide receivers don't do well in their first year did not apply this year, as quite a few were very productive.

If you have any of these players in a keeper league that requires that one or more of the keepers to be a rookie, then certainly keep any of these players.

10: Von Miller, Denver Broncos

Von Miller, the second overall selection in the 2011 draft, rewarded the Denver Broncos for their faith in him.

He made the transition from Texas A&M very well. Fifty solo tackles and 11.5 sacks made Miller a productive individual defensive player.

9: DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys

DeMarco Murray was a third-round draft pick out of Oklahoma. At the start of the season, he was the Cowboys' third running back on the depth chart. But in Week 7, he broke out with a 253-yard performance against the St. Louis Rams.

He finished the season with 897 rushing yards and 26 receptions. If an injury had not shortened his season, he certainly would have gone over 1,000 yards rushing.

8: Roy Helu, Washington Redskins

Roy Helu was the ninth running back selected in the draft. In his first start, against the 49ers, he set a Redskins team record with 14 receptions. He finished the season with 49 receptions and 607 rushing yards.

Helu had three consecutive games in which he rushed for more than 100 yards.

7: Titus Young, Detroit Lions

Based on his college career at Boise State, there were high expectations for Titus Young. He was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Lions.

Despite playing in the shadow of Calvin Johnson, Young grabbed 48 receptions for 607 yards and six touchdowns. He is one of five wide receivers to make the list.

6: Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders

Denarius Moore was a fifth-round pick by the Oakland Raiders. He didn't take long to make his presence felt. In Week 2, he had 146 receiving yards.

Moore finished the season with 33 receptions for 618 yards and five touchdowns. His return yardage made him slightly more valuable than Titus Young.

5: Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys

Dan Bailey was an undrafted rookie for the Dallas Cowboys. He made 32 of 37 field goal attempts, certainly a good percentage for a rookie. His longest was 51 yards.

Despite his good overall performance, Bailey will be remembered this year for being iced by his own coach in the game against the Arizona Cardinals.

He made a game-winning 49-yard field goal that was nullified because the coach called a timeout. Then Bailey missed the next attempt, sending the game into overtime. From there, the Cardinals proceeded to win the game and hand the Cowboys a brutal loss.

4: Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Torrey Smith was a second-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 3, he had a sensational game against the St. Louis Rams. He scored three touchdowns on his first three receptions in the first quarter of the game.

In Week 9, he had the winning touchdown catch in the key game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith finished the season with 50 receptions for 841 yards and seven touchdowns.

3: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons traded five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns so they could draft Julio Jones. 

Despite being hampered by hamstring problems during the season, he led all rookie receivers with eight touchdowns. His 54 receptions and 996 receiving yards put him second behind the next player on our rookie list.

His catch in the fourth quarter of the Week 15 Monday night game won my fantasy semifinal playoff game. His eight receptions plus a touchdown helped me to win my fantasy league's Super Bowl in Week 16 as well.

So, Paul Simon's lyrics keep playing in my head: "Just me and Julio down by the schoolyard."

2: A. J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

A. J. Green was the fourth overall draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 2, he made his presence felt with 10 receptions for 124 yards. He had four games of over 100 receiving yards.

Green finished the season with 65 receptions for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns. He broke Cris Collinsworth's Bengals record for reception yardage by a rookie.

1: Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton was a Heisman Trophy winner and the first overall draft pick, heavy burdens to carry. But he didn't take long to make his mark.

Newton became the first NFL quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in each of his first two games.

The records he set this season included:

The first rookie to throw for over 4,000 yards

The rushing touchdown record for quarterbacks (14)

Most touchdowns by a rookie (35: 21 passing and 14 rushing)

First player to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 500 in the same season

In Yahoo! leagues, his average draft position was 100. So, Newton was clearly the best bargain of the season. Depending on the stats that were used in a league, he was probably the fourth or fifth highest producer of fantasy points.

This is pretty good for someone who played the 2009 season for Blinn College.