NFL Honors 2012: Top Candidates for Fantasy Player of the Year

At tonight's NFL Honor Awards, the the league will actually be honoring one lucky player as the Fantasy Player of the Year. This isn't something we typically see given out at the end of the season, but it will be an award that will definitely generate a lot of fan interest.

Here is a breakdown of the top candidates at each position.

Running Back: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles

While he didn't finish the year with the most points, McCoy came up big when it mattered most. Considering he didn't perform well in Week 16 or 17 doesn't really matter, as most leagues have already finished their seasons by then.

In ESPN leagues, the Eagles star back had a total of 270 fantasy points this past season. This season he had five games with over 20 points, including a season high 31 during Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, he ran for 185 yards on 30 attempts while having two scores.

He also came up big against the New York Jets in Week 15, which could have been a critical game for many people playing in their league's championship game. He had 26 points in that game, scoring three touchdowns on 102 yards.

Honorable Mentions: Ray Rice, Bal; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac; Arian Foster, Hou

Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

Some of you may just call him Megatron, but the Lions' big-time receiver in Johnson was a huge reason for many teams' success this year.

Johnson started out the season hot, having two touchdown receptions in each of his first four games. Only in five games this season did he not have a TD reception, but he was still typically reliable for big points.

He had eight games with over 100 receiving yards, but unfortunately his biggest game came in Week 17. He likely had many of his owners throwing fits, as Megatron had 244 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions to close out the regular season.

He did have a huge Week 15, having 214 yards with two TDs. That was good for 33 points in most leagues, and certainly sealed the deal for many teams to win it all.

Honorable Mentions: Jordy Nelson, GB; Wes Welker, NE; Victor Cruz, NYG

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Wow, what a great year it was for the top quarterbacks in this league. Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints set a boatload of records, while Tom Brady had another incredible season under center for the New England Patriots.

Unfortunately for both of them, they were trumped by the new guy at the table.

Rodgers just had an incredible year for the Packers, and even though it is cliche to have him here, there is just no denying it. He had 385 fantasy points this season, as he threw for 4,643 yards with 45 TDs and just six interceptions. SIX!

Rodgers likely hurt many teams in the playoffs in his poor Week 14 performance against the Oakland Raiders, as he only garnered 17 points on 281 and two touchdowns. Still, he did a ton to get their team there, so you can't hold that against him.

There is no denying that we were all witnesses of one of the best quarterback seasons of all time, but once again Rodgers showed why he has a chance to go down as one of the best in history.

Honorable Mentions: Brees, NO; Brady, NE; Matthew Stafford, Det

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.