Top 10 NFL Rookie Fantasy Football Options for 2012

It's finally June—which means that it's almost fantasy football season. Before we know it, it will be late July and early August, and we'll be gearing up for our fantasy football drafts.

Each and every season, we see NFL rookies step up and rise to the occasion to become quite the fantasy players. Last year, we saw Cam Newton emerge as one of the top quarterbacks despite being a rookie. 

In that spirit, let's take a look at who could be the next Cam Newton for the 2012 fantasy football season. Here are the 10 best rookies for fantasy football. 

10. Brian Quick

With little talent at the wide receiver position for the St. Louis Rams, Brian Quick could quickly rise up the team's depth chart and could emerge as the team's leading receiver.

If Sam Bradford could get back on track to continue his progression and development into a quality NFL quarterback, then Quick's numbers should be respectable in 2012.

Quick shouldn't be a starter in any fantasy league, but he could be a solid bench player. He could very well end up being a sleeper for rookies in this year's fantasy football season. 

9. Coby Fleener

Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener could emerge as the best quarterback-to-tight-end duo in football, but not in 2012. Give this tandem a few seasons to mature. 

However, Luck and Fleener should continue their chemistry from Stanford with the Indianapolis Colts this season by connecting on a few touchdown passes.

Fleener is far from the best available tight end, but he could be a nice bench player. He may surprise a few fantasy owners when their primary tight end is on a bye week. 

8. Kendall Wright

Kendall Wright is by far the most explosive wide receiver in this year's draft class, and he could be on the end of some long tosses with the Tennessee Titans in 2012.

Wright might take a few years to fully develop into an NFL slot wide receiver, but he definitely could have his fair share of explosive and big plays this season.

No matter if Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker are at quarterback for the Titans this season, Wright should be able to have a decent amount of 20-plus-yard receptions. 

7. Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck might have been the first overall pick in this year's draft, and many might believe that he's the next great quarterback—but he's not going to be the best fantasy option for rookies in 2012. 

Luck simply doesn't have the greatest talent surrounding him, as wide receiver Reggie Wayne is aging and the majority of his weapons are also rookies like himself. 

The Stanford product should play fairly well in 2012. I could see him tossing close to 20 touchdowns, but no more than 25. Luck will likely be throwing high-percentage passes this season—nothing too risky, and probably a ton of conservative passes. 

Luck might have all the talent in the world, but by no means should he be a starter in any fantasy football leagues. 

6. Justin Blackmon

Forget about Justin Blackmon's recent DUI (from the Associated Press, via ESPN). If he can manage to stay on the field with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he should definitely produce some respectable fantasy numbers. 

Blackmon should project as Jacksonville's top wide receiver with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback.

Don't let Gabbert scare you away from Blackmon, as I guarantee that he will improve in 2012—and not to mention that Blackmon practically catches everything thrown in his direction. He is a freak of nature. 

I definitely see Blackmon being a quality possession wide receiver for the Jags, which is good news for fantasy owners in points-per-receptions leagues. 

5. David Wilson

David Wilson might not be the lead running back with the New York Giants, but he's replacing Brandon Jacobs and joining Ahmad Bradshaw to create one of the most elusive running back tandems that the NFL has to offer.

The Virginia Tech product should produce some quality numbers as a rookie with the run-heavy Giants offense.

I project Wilson getting about 40 percent of the carries, which is plenty of chances for him to accumulate the yardage and score a few touchdowns. 

Wilson shouldn't be a top running back on a fantasy roster, but he's definitely a secondary option that you should consider. 

4. Michael Floyd

As long as Kevin Kolb or John Skelton can have a productive season with the Arizona Cardinals, I am sure that Michael Floyd will have some rather surprising numbers as a rookie in 2012.

If you ask me, Floyd was the best available wide receiver in this year's draft—better than Justin Blackmon out of Oklahoma State. Floyd is a much more well-rounded receiver than Blackmon, as he's extremely physical, has blazing speed as well as a nice set of hands that can catch anything thrown in his direction. 

Floyd is in the best position to succeed out of all rookie wide receivers, as he's the secondary option in Arizona's offense, opposite of Larry Fitzgerald.

With opposing defenses focused on stopping Fitzgerald, it should create several opportunities a game for Floyd to succeed and put up some monster numbers. 

3. Doug Martin

I am a huge fan of Doug Martin, and I foresee him having quite the impressive rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Some might argue that Martin is in better position to succeed than Trent Richardson is with the Cleveland Browns. Martin will have to split carries with LeGarrette Blount, but he will also be running behind one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.

I see Martin being the primary running back with the Bucs, while Blount is the change-of-pace back due to his powerful running style. 

Martin is a well-rounded runner who should come close to eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in 2012. 

2. Trent Richardson

Be on the lookout for Trent Richardson—he will likely be the leading rusher for all rookies in 2012.

When you take a look at the Cleveland Browns roster, they don't have much offensive firepower aside for Richardson. That leads me to believe Richardson will receive plenty of touches and be the team's top offensive weapon.

I truly believe that Richardson is a shoo-in for 1,000 yards rushing in 2012, and he could very well punch in 10-plus touchdowns. 

If all goes well for Richardson and the Browns, we could see Richardson emerge as a No. 1 option for running backs across the fantasy football world. 

1. Robert Griffin III

Robert Griffin III could very well produce Cam Newton-like numbers in 2012, and there's even a chance that he could produce much more impressive numbers. 

RG3 fits perfectly in Mike Shanahan's offense with the Washington Redskins. With weapons like Pierre Garcon, Santana Moss, Fred Davis, Chris Cooley, Leonard Hankerson and Josh Morgan, we could very well see RG3 throw close to 25 touchdowns, if not more. 

If we just put RG3's passing stats away for a second and focus solely on his running abilities, fantasy owners could very well see him punch in 10-plus rushing touchdowns—which would be incredible.

A realistic stat line for the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner could be 35 combined touchdowns with roughly 500 rushing yards and 3,000-plus passing yards. 

There's no question about this one: Robert Griffin III will be the most productive fantasy football option for the 2012 rookie class.