Fantasy Football 2012: 5 Rookies Who Will Be Fantasy Studs

Trent Richardson is going to be on a lot of league-winning fantasy football teams next year.

He could be walking into the perfect situation.

Every year, fantasy players everywhere rack their brains trying to figure out how rookies will factor into positional rankings.

Last year, players like Mark Ingram and A.J. Green were among those rookies projected to have the biggest fantasy impact.

Instead, it was Cam Newton's record-breaking season that completely blew up all early projections.

While projecting a player into the NFL is a tough (or impossible) business, it's always good fun.

Several rookies are screaming "draft me!" going into next season.

Keep in mind that fantasy relevance can be massively affected by the team and situation a player is placed with. In the interest of staying realistic, I'll project the player with the team I believe he'll land with.

Trent Richardson

Projection: Selected No. 5 by Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last year, fantasy pundits were projecting Mark Ingram to make a huge impact in fantasy leagues. After being drafted to the high-octane New Orleans Saints offense, it made sense.

But he was caught in a three-way battle for carries, and was the worst receiver of the Saints three running backs.

Not ideal for fantasy points.

Add that he missed six games, and you've got yourself a fantasy let-down.

Now former teammate Trent Richardson looks to do exactly what Ingram failed to do: make a huge impact on a team.

Two years ago, the Bucs looked like a team about to take over the NFC South. A second-year quarterback that came into his own, throwing 25 touchdowns and only six picks. A rookie wideout who amassed almost 1,000 yards and caught 11 touchdowns.

Not to mention an undrafted free agent running back who rushed for over 1,000 yards in only 13 games.

But last year they fell apart.

Josh Freeman threw 22 interceptions.

Mike Williams was down to 771 receiving yards and only three touchdowns.

LeGarrette Blount had only 781 rushing yards in 14 games.

Richardson could come in and turn it all around. Blount had to come off the field on virtually every third down, as coaches didn't trust him to pass-protect, and he was an inept receiver out of the backfield.

Richardson excels in pass-protection and is solid in the receiving game, making him a complete back.

The Bucs also beefed up their offensive line with the addition of guard Carl Nicks, widely considered the best guard in the league.

Lastly, while Blount has been warned by coaches about fumbling, Richardson fumbled only once in his entire career at Alabama.

This kid could give your team an Adrian Peterson-type rookie performance. Don't sleep on him too long.

Michael Floyd

Projection: Selected No. 11 by Chicago Bears (trade with Kansas City Chiefs)

A.J. Green was the consensus top wide receiver in the draft last season. He wowed scouts all season (after serving a suspension), and then confirmed their suspicions at the combine.

He's a beast.

But the next receiver off the board had almost exactly the same season, and benefited greatly from being the secondary receiver on his team.

That receiver is Julio Jones.

Despite being drafted behind him, Jones proved that he was every bit as capable of succeeding in the NFL as Green.

Michael Floyd is the Julio Jones to Justin Blackmon's A.J. Green.

Though Blackmon will almost certainly be drafted in the top 10, perhaps even top five, the reality is that he may struggle. He will be the primary receiving target, but he will also be on a terrible offense.

Floyd, if drafted by the Bears, will be in an extremely rookie-friendly position. He will be the No. 2 target behind a proven superstar (Brandon Marshall). He will have a quarterback more than capable of Pro Bowl-level success (Jay Cutler). He will even benefit from a running game featuring two high-quality running backs (Matt Forte and Michael Bush).

That offense is going to give people fits.

They won't be able to double team Floyd, even if he play warrants doubling.

Much like Jones had it last year, all he will have to do is be able to consistently beat the second best corner on opposing teams.

With his 6'3" frame and 36.5" vertical, along with his 4.47 40-yard dash speed, that shouldn't be an issue.

Look for Floyd to post numbers approaching 1,000 yards and seven to eight touchdowns.

Coby Fleener

Projection: Selected No. 34 by Indianapolis Colts

Two things could derail this possibility.

First, the New York Giants are completely ravaged by injuries at tight end, and it's very possible they select Coby Fleener at that spot.

Second, the Colts have a ton of needs, and they may elect to pass on tight end this early in the draft. They do need a tight end, but their evaluations may not warrant selecting one so soon.

But if it does come to be, this guy could be something rarely seen in fantasy football—a rookie tight end making an impact.

The best rookie season by a tight end in the last 20 years was Rob Gronkowski's 2010 campaign. The New England Patriot had a reasonable 42 catches for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The very next season, Gronk set NFL all-time records in receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end.

Since his quarterback was Tom Brady, we can assume that Fleener will not replicate that flight pattern. But that doesn't mean he can't be effective.

Fleener would have a couple of advantages many tight ends don't share.

He would be working with the same quarterback he shared the field with in college—Andrew Luck.

Their chemistry, along with Luck's perceived astronomical ability, could make Fleener the top target on the Colts next season.

The rest of the receiving corps is suspect, at best. Former All-Pro Reggie Wayne will turn 34 next season. Newcomer Donnie Avery has only nine career touchdowns and has suffered multiple major knee injuries. After that it's a who's who of concussion victims and undrafted free agents.

I don't believe Fleener will break out in his rookie year, setting any kind of rookie records. But I do think he will be by far the best rookie tight end next season.

Expect about 50 catches, 400-500 yards and five to seven touchdowns.

David Wilson

Projection: Selected No. 56 by Pittsburgh Steelers

After addressing their offensive line in the first round, the Steelers will look to shore up the running back position, which faces serious questions going into next season.

Rashard Mendenhall was a major fantasy bust last season after being selected in the late first-early second round depending on the size of your league.

He received 100 less carries for about 350 less yards and four less touchdowns. To top off his mediocre season, he tore his ACL in the final regular season game, endangering his 2012 season.

The Steelers are either very confident he will return at full strength before the season begins, or they are planning on spending a relatively high draft pick on the position, as they haven't signed any running backs in free agency.

While it is certainly possible they roll the dice with Isaac Redman, my money is on the Steelers drafting a tailback.

Redman has only two years of experience in the league, and only three career rushing touchdowns. It would be a stretch to thrust him into full-time starting duty, especially if they figure to be a playoff team again in 2012.

David Wilson doesn't wow you in any way. He doesn't have killer breakaway speed or lightning-quick feet. He won't bowl over bigger defenders and isn't likely to smash through the line of scrimmage a la Jamal Lewis.

But he doesn't everything well. He has above-average speed and elusiveness. His balance is strong and he is aggressive, fighting for extra yards on every play. He's a quality pass-blocker and can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Since the Steelers have become such a pass-first outfit, they don't need a bruiser that can pick up those nasty inside yards, and Wilson will fit in nicely as a balanced back at a reasonable price.

His fantasy value arises out of both the Steelers' need for a back and also his versatility. His catches should be decent, and that's always a big factor in PPR leagues. He will stay in the game on third down, and should see a variety of outside runs that lend themselves to big gainers.

Wilson could surprise in 2012.

Robert Griffin III

Projection: Selected No. 2 by Washington Redskins

Andrew Luck is going to be picked No. 1 by the Indianapolis Colts in April. But I promise you'll see Robert Griffin III come off the fantasy big boards first when you hold your draft in August.

He's probably not going to re-set the rookie records Cam Newton just broke last year, but he doesn't have to do that to have a very successful season.

The Redskins already have a number of quality running backs, and RG3 will be able to establish himself slowly at first, relying on that rushing attack.

But as time passes, he's going to be a major fantasy option.

His accuracy and arm strength are both well-documented, as well as his intelligence on and off the field.

And that athleticism we've heard so much about will translate into coveted rushing yards and touchdowns.

The best way for a rookie quarterback on a bad team to score fantasy points is to do it himself. With wheels like his, RG3 will probably have a number of plays designed to take advantage of his biggest asset—his legs.

Outside of that, the 'Skins average offensive line and receiving corps will give Griffin plenty of cause to run during broken plays.

If he can rush for at least 500-600 yards, score seven to eight rushing touchdowns and throw for a reasonable 3,000 yards with 18-plus touchdowns, he will be viable as a starter in deeper leagues.

Regardless of league size, he'll be a top-end backup, and has unlimited potential.

After Cam Newton's performance last season, I expect RG3 to be trending higher in the draft than he probably should be, as people will be eager to grab the next diamond in the rough.