Peyton Hillis and Andre Johnson Amongst Biggest 2011 Fantasy Football Flops

The regular season has wrapped up and playoffs are well underway. Some may extend into the playoffs, but most fantasy football leagues finished up with the end of the regular season.

This is the time when fantasy owners take a moment and review the season, and what it could have been. Many mishaps of a fantasy draft are ruined by an injury or poor performance after a career year the prior season.

Sometimes you get caught in ticking clock and make a frantic choice, and it's not what you wanted at all. That happened to me this year. I had a second left on the clock and clicked the wrong person.

In the sixth round, I took Rashad Jennings, backup running back to Maurice Jones-Drew. Yes, the same Rashad Jennings who, as a backup, still landed on the IR for the whole 2011 season.

Regardless, every year contains one or two serious flops that can stop your fantasy team in its tracks. A first-round pick goes down for the year, or you possibly did buy into that hype after all. I mean, if the passing game is in the gutter, how can the running game not prevail?

Congratulations to those who avoided such players. But more importantly, here's to you, unfortunate fantasy owners, who drafted one of the following players who grace the list of top fantasy flops of 2011.

Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns RB

2010 Season: 270 ATT, 1,177 yards, 4.4 AVG, 11 TD. Receiving - 61 REC, 477 yards, 2 TD

2011 Season: 161 ATT, 587 yards, 3.6 AVG, 3 TD. Receiving - 22 REC, 130 yards, 0 TD

Peyton Hillis was a fantasy star in 2010, being the one glimmer of hope in the dismal Browns offense.

Hillis was projected as a high pick going into the 2011 fantasy drafts, with many placing him as a first-round pick. I never bought into the Hillis bandwagon, and now am thankful I did not.

Yes, Hillis had some injury issues throughout the season, but most of his production can be blamed on Hillis himself.

It was public knowledge that Hillis was not content with his salary and contract in Cleveland, and it seemed to many that he wasn't taking the 2011 season seriously.

This, obviously, can be seen in his drastic drop in performance from 2010 to 2011. Drafters will be more cautious when picking Hillis in 2012.

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans WR

2010 Season: 86 REC, 1,216 yards, 14.1 AVG, 8 TD

2011 Season: 33 REC, 492 yards, 14.9 AVG, 2 TD

Andre Johnson is widely regarding as one of the best receivers in the league. This would then reflect in his draft stock, and Johnson widely went in the first or second round of most fantasy drafts.

The 2011 season was not a good one for Johnson, and this was mainly due to two reasons. He was plagued by various injuries throughout the season, keeping his on-field time minimal at best.

He also had to transition to having veteran quarterback Matt Schaub throwing him passes to relying on third-string rookie quarterback T.J. Yates to get the job done. Look for Johnson to bounce back in 2012.

Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers RB

2009 season: 282 ATT, 1,253 yards, 4.4 AVG, 11 TD. Receiving - 25 REC, 197 yards, 0 TD

2010 season: Suffered a season ending ankle injury in the season opener.

2011 season: 134 ATT, 559 yards, 4.2 AVG, 2 TD. Receiving - 19 REC, 268 yards, 1 TD

Ryan Grant had a monster year in 2009, only to be sidelined for the 2010 season with an injury in the Packers first game. There was question whether Grant could return to his pre-injury form, and if 2011 was any indicator then no, he cannot.

Yes, Grant did find himself sharing touches with James Sparks and John Kuhn, but he didn't have that same spark to make him a solidified lead back.

The only major stat line that didn't move too much on Grant was his average yards per attempt. 2012 will most likely lead to a training camp battle between Grant and Sparks for lead back.

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars TE

2010 season: 58 REC, 700 yards, 12.1 AVG, 10 TD

2011 season: 39 REC, 460 yards, 11.8 AVG, 0 TD

The touchdown numbers that Marcedes Lewis put up in 2010 lifted his draft stock high amongst tight ends in the league.

What fantasy owners, and Lewis, did not foresee was that the Jaguars would release David Garrard prior to the season opener, leaving the Jaguars with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the starting role.

Gabbert didn't do great, but he didn't exactly do awful, either. What we did learn from Gabbert is that Marcedes Lewis is not one of his favorite targets, especially in the red zone. Lewis went from having 10 TD (seventh in the league in 2010) to 0 TD in 2011.

While we can't imagine that Lewis will go touchdownless in 2012, fantasy owners will be cautious in drafting him until Gabbert improves in NFL play.

Chad Ochocinco, New England Patriots WR

2010 Season: 67 REC, 831 yards, 12.4 AVG, 4 TD

2011 Season: 15 REC, 276 yards, 18.4 AVG, 1 TD

There was a lot that could have gone right here. Ochocinco was leaving the then-dismal Bengals to one of the most powerful offenses in the league, and have one of the league's best quarterbacks connecting with him. What went wrong?

Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Aaron Hernandez.

Tom Brady has an incredible connection with these three targets, not leaving much attention for Ochocinco. While we can hope for a spike next year, there is a good chance we can expect something close to this year's output.

Just think about if Ochocinco had stayed in Cincy, and all the attention he would have received from Andy Dalton.

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB

2010 season: 291 of 474, 61.4%, 3,451 yards, 25 TD, 6 INT, 95.9 passer rating

2011 season: 346 of 551, 62.8%, 3,592 yards, 16 TD, 22 INT, 74.6 passer rating

I bought into his 2010 numbers. Many others also did, and considered him as a solid starting QB on their fantasy team. Unfortunately for these fantasy owners, and Tampa Bay fans alike, something went wrong with the Buccaneers offense as a whole.

Much of the blame was placed on Josh Freeman's performance, which when looking at the stat line is something reasonable to assume. Yes, Freeman's completion percentage and passing yards in 2011 were right around his totals in 2010, but one needs to focus on the touchdowns and interceptions.

Freeman threw nine fewer touchdowns in 2011, but more importantly he added 16 INT from his 2010 total.

With the firing of head coach Raheem Morris, one can only hope that Freeman and the Bucs return to their 2010 form. But it can be certain that Freeman's stock will plummet in next year's fantasy drafts.

Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs RB

2010 season: 230 ATT, 1,467 yards, 6.4 AVG, 5 TD

2011 season: 12 ATT, 83 yards, 6.9 AVG, 0 TD

Jamaal Charles had a lot of promise going into the 2011 season, enough where he was picked in most fantasy drafts at the fourth or fifth overall pick. In fact, I do believe that he was chosen over Ray Rice in my fantasy draft.

Unfortunately the person who made that decision also had to live with Charles ending his season on the second day of the season when he torn his ACL.

Charles shouldn't have too much trouble stepping back into his starting role, as Jackie Battle and Dexter McCluster didn't really woo fantasy owners filling in for Charles. It's just a question of how he will recover from the surgery.

Charles certainly will not be a first-round pick in 2012 fantasy drafts. 

Lee Evans, Baltimore Ravens WR

2010 season: 37 REC, 578 yards, 15.6 AVG, 4 TD

2011 season: 4 REC, 74 yards, 18.5 AVG, 0 TD

Lee Evans arriving in Baltimore should have been great news for Joe Flacco. It gave him another target to throw to deep down the field.

Things didn't really work out for Evans, catching only 4 passes over the entire 2011 season. There is one thing that stood in the way of success for Evans: Torrey Smith.

Smith had a fantastic rookie year, and quickly became one of Flacco's favorite targets. Evans did have an impressive 18.5 average yards per reception, which hopefully he can bring over to the 2012 season, but with more receptions.

Regardless, Evans may go widely undrafted in 2012 drafts.

Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos RB

2010 season: 182 ATT, 779 yards, 4.3 AVG, 5 TD. Receiving - 37 REC, 372 yards, 3 TD

2011 season: 37 ATT, 179 yards, 4.8 AVG, 0 TD. Receiving - 11 REC, 101 yards, 1 TD

Knowshon Moreno was the lead back in 2010, putting up the same about of TD but running for almost double the yards of Willis McGahee. In 2011, these two swapped roles and McGahee took the role of lead back.

Unfortunately for Moreno, his numbers were worse than McGahee's were in 2010. This would be because of the emergence of Tim Tebow as starting quarterback, and he likes to run. Moreno fell to the RB2 on the team, but with Tebow, moreso the third running back.

It will take an injury to McGahee to bring fantasy value back to Moreno. Look for Moreno to go in the very late rounds of 2012 fantasy drafts.

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers WR

2010 season: 59 REC, 755 yards, 12.8 AVG, 5 TD

2011 season: 46 REC, 381 yards, 8.3 AVG, 2 TD

Hines Ward has a large fan community, and this community also exists in fantasy football. This causes someone like Ward to be drafted higher than he should be, and then to see his production cut by almost half this season.

People need to learn to step off the Ward train. Rumors of him retiring have been circling since the season ended, which he has denied. These rumors started because of his poor production in 2011.

It's hard for things to look up for Ward in 2012, given that the Steelers have both Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. But I do think that he will still be overdrafted in 2012.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles QB

2010 season: 233 for 372, 62.6%, 3,018 yards, 21 TD, 6 INT, 100.2 PR. Rushing - 676 yards, 9 TD.

2011 season: 253 for 423, 59.8%, 3,303 yards, 18 TD, 14 INT, 84.9 PR. Rushing - 589 yards, 1 TD.

Michael Vick's 2010 season caught the attention of almost everyone in football, especially in the fantasy football world. His return to his pre-prison form was astonishing, and his duel threat of pass and rush made him a top QB pick in 2011 drafts.

2011 for Vick however was how we imagined 2010 should have gone. Vick's passing TD numbers dropped, INT more than doubled, and he saw his passer rating drop more than 15 points.

His rushing game? He may have put up more yards in 2011, but saw his rushing TD total plummet from 9 to 1. It will be hard to go with Mike Vick in 2012 fantasy drafts given his numbers from 2011, but also how could you with Cam Newton available?

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans RB

2010 season: 316 ATT, 1,364 yards, 4.3 AVG, 11 TD. Receiving - 44 REC, 245 yards, 1 TD

2011 season: 262 ATT, 1,047 yards, 4.0 AVG, 4 TD. Receiving - 57 REC, 418 yards, 0 TD

Chris Johnson is an interesting NFL player. He claimed before the beginning of the 2010 season that he would run for 2,500 yards. What did he do? He ran for just over half of his prediction.

And what did he do in 2011? He ran for 300 less yards than the year prior, and also saw his rushing touchdown totals decrease by seven.

With Johnson's numbers getting progressively worse each year, it's impossible to think that he will still be a viable first-round pick in 2012 fantasy drafts.

Roy Williams, Chicago Bears WR

2010 season: 37 REC, 530 yards, 14.3 AVG, 5 TD

2011 season: 37 REC, 507 yards, 13.7 AVG, 2 TD

Roy Williams spent 2010 playing with the Dallas Cowboys, competing for receptions with Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten.

When Roy Williams was sent over to the Bears, it seemed like it could set up a career year for Williams. Fantasy owners bought into this, drafting Williams higher than his actual draft value.

The Bears aren't really known for having a great receiving squad, so Williams could easily have moved into the Bears WR1 position. Instead, Williams saw decreases in receiving yards, yards per reception average and touchdowns.

Williams will see his fantasy stock value diminish in next year's draft, but Williams still has the ability to turn his production around for the better. 

Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts TE

2010 season: 37 REC, 347 yards, 9.4 AVG, 3 TD

2011 season: 34 REC, 352 yards, 10.4 AVG, 2 TD

Dallas Clark was listed as one of the elite tight ends going into the 2011 season, even coming off  a 2010 season ended early by injury. Fantasy owners were ready to see Clark rebound from injury and return to his form in 2009.

The absence of Peyton Manning and having Curtis Painter at quarterback greatly affected Clark's production in 2011. His numbers were nearly identical to those of 2010, where he played in 5 fewer games.

Unless the Colts retain Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck comes out throwing strong in 2012, Clark will be stuck in the same limbo and his draft value will fall sharply. 

Daniel Thomas, Miami Dolphins RB

2010: N/A. Played football at Kansas State. Drafted 62nd overall in 2011 NFL Draft.

2011: 165 ATT, 581 yards, 3.5 AVG, 0 TD. Receiving - 12 REC, 72 yards, 1TD

Daniel Thomas showed a lot of promise coming into a less than spectacular Miami offense.

Thomas was drafted high in most fantasy leagues based on the speculation he would be the highlight of the Dolphins offense, but fantasy owners who drafted him would end up being disappointed.

Thomas rushed an unimpressive 3.5 average yards per carry, and failed to rush for a touchdown. In the absence of his production, Reggie Bush filled the void and rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Looking ahead to 2012, it's hard to imagine that Miami will give Thomas the lead-back spot, so we should see Thomas's 2012 fantasy stock drop hard.

Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders RB

2010 season: 223 ATT, 1,157 yards, 5.2 AVG, 7 TD. Receiving - 47 REC, 507 yards, 3 TD

2011 season: 113 ATT, 614 yards, 5.4 AVG, 4 TD. Receiving - 19 REC, 154 yards, 1 TD

McFadden can't be blamed for poor production in 2011. McFadden's foot injury kept him off the field a lot in 2011, leaving Michael Bush to pick up the slack.

Look for McFadden to return to form in 2012, with little decrease in his fantasy draft value.

Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans WR

2010 season: 42 REC, 775 yards, 18.5 AVG, 9 TD

2011 season: 17 REC, 289 yards, 17.0 AVG, 3 TD

Kenny Britt emerged in 2010 as the Titans biggest receiving threat, which sparked interest in early round drafting in fantasy leagues. And Britt was living up to expectations, averaging over 95 yards per game and 1 TD per game to start the 2011 season.

Britt, unfortunately, did not finish his game in Week 3 as he tore his ACL to end his season. Nate Washington stepped up, but didn't nearly fill the void in most fantasy lineups.

Hopefully, Britt will be at 100 percent for the 2012 season, and it will be interesting to see how the injury affects what round he will be drafted in next year.

LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets RB

2010 season: 219 ATT, 914 yards, 4.2 AVG, 6 TD. Receiving - 52 REC, 368 yards, 0 TD

2011 season: 75 ATT, 280 yards, 3.7 AVG, 1 TD. Receiving - 42 REC, 449 yards, 2 TD

It was sad to see Tomlinson depart from the Chargers, where he had spent his whole career up to the end of the 2009 season. Tomlinson's first year with the Jets probably had the Chargers rethinking their decision to ship him off, given his versatility of being a rusher and receiver.

Then again, the Chargers also looked at his 2011 numbers, and decided that they were much better off with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. Tomlinson really showed his age in 2011, and one can only imagine that his numbers can't get back to the ones he put up in 2010.

Tomlinson's draft value will fall in 2012, and he will go, at best, in the later rounds once the lead backs are all off the board.

Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR

2010 season: 65 REC, 964 yards, 14.8 AVG, 11 TD

2011 season: 65 REC, 771 yards, 11.9 AVG, 3 TD

Mike Williams 2010 rookie season was so impressive that Williams jumped up as a third- or fourth-round pick in most fantasy leagues. The problem is  that most fantasy owners could not foresee the collapse of Josh Freeman in 2011.

A lack of production from your quarterback means a severe drop in your own production. Sure, his reception total stayed the same, but his yardage total dropped almost 200 and his touchdown totals went from 11 to 3.

Fantasy owners should not give up on Williams yet, and he should still be a good grab in the fifth or sixth round of 2012 fantasy drafts.

Mario Manningham, New York Giants WR

2010 season: 60 REC, 944 yards, 15.7 AVG, 9 TD

2011 season: 39 REC, 523 yards, 13.4 AVG, 4 TD

Mario Manningham became a solid WR2 for the New York Giants in 2010, falling just short of 1,000 yards and almost hitting double-digit touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Manningham, the 2011 season would be one plagued with injury. Even when he returned from injury, his lack of production showed  that he obviously wasn't 100 percent.

I would say things should look up in 2012, but I can't. The emergence of Victor Cruz has now put Manningham as the WR3 of the Giants.

Manningham will be a late-round pickup, which could be a steal if either Cruz or Hakeem Nicks go down in the 2012 season.