6 Secret Weapons for This Fantasy Football Season

With July and training camps just around the corner, it's never too early for fantasy football and finding those secrets at each position are crucial.

San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith is just the tip of the iceberg, since the 49ers have made improvements around him to field a more potent attack.

Here, we'll dive more into Smith and other players from each fantasy position that will be a great secret for 2012. Let's check them out and see who you must look for when the draft commences. 

Alex Smith: QB, 49ers

We can blast Alex Smith for not being that overly dominant quarterback, but the man was extremely efficient in 2011.

Although he only tossed 17 touchdowns, Smith only threw five picks, tossed for over 3,100 yards, had a 61.3 completion percentage and a rating of 90.7.

As for 2012, Smith will easily one-up himself as the 49ers present him with Randy Moss and Mario Manningham as additions to the receiving corps. He now has the luxury of dishing the rock all over because Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis will continue to be reliable as well.

The 49ers took Oregon's LaMichael James in the draft, a great dual-threat back who will contribute on third-downs for screens and check downs. Smith just has too many weapons around him now. And lest we forget about his mobility.

He may not be a No. 1 fantasy quarterback but he is definitely worthy of the No. 2 position.

Michael Bush: RB, Bears

A lot here depends on Matt Forte.

Michael Bush has the ability to carry the load as Chicago's No. 1 running back, but if Forte suits up this season Bush will see fewer touches.

To that end, even in a limited role Bush has proven to be impressively effective.

As the No. 2 back in Oakland, Bush averaged 708 total yards per season between 2008 and 2010 with 14 scores. Then his opportunity came roughly halfway through 2011 and Bush finished with almost 1,400 total yards and eight touchdowns.

The Bears also have stronger potential in the passing game this season, so defenses won't be stacking the box to shut down the ground game any time soon.

Whether it's short-yard situations or late in games, Bush possesses the capability to take over and rack up yards via the ground or air. He's not an obvious No. 1 fantasy back but certainly a No. 2 or flex option.

Michael Floyd: WR, Cardinals

Expect Michael Floyd to have a ridiculous rookie season in Arizona.

With Larry Fitzgerald playing opposite and Todd Heap at tight end, Floyd will see a lot of single coverage and other favorable matchups in 2012.

Finishing his college career as arguably the best receiver in Notre Dame's history, Floyd has the complete skill set to make plays downfield, over the middle, along the sidelines and take screens to get impressive yards after the catch.

His size alone will benefit in the red zone and his strength helps the Cardinals use him as a run-blocker. Beanie Wells topped 1,000 rushing yards in 2011 (despite being inconsistent), but has increased potential to improve this season.

Floyd then becomes more dangerous off of play-action and courtesy of better-than-advertised top speed, his double-moves to split zone coverage will allow for more targets. The NFC West is a sound defensive division, however, locking down against the pass was troublesome last season.

As long as Fitz keeps doing work on his side, Floyd will quickly develop and is a feasible option as a No. 2 or 3 fantasy receiver.

Coby Fleener: TE, Colts

It's an interesting time right now for the Indianapolis Colts because the team is forming a new identity around rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

A big part of this transformation is rookie tight end Coby Fleener, Luck's teammate at Stanford.

He's not going to be a No. 1 fantasy tight end, but Fleener has No. 2 or flex potential as he'll see good playing time in 2012. While at Stanford, Fleener accounted for 1,101 yards on 62 receptions and scored 17 touchdowns between 2010 and 2011.

That's an average of almost 18 yards per catch in a Pac-12 conference that is rather solid defensively.

Looking at this season, the Colts will obviously rely on Luck to spread the field, but it's reasonable to suspect that Fleener will be his favorite target. Presenting an impressive combination of size, speed and reliability, Fleener will beat any linebacker in single coverage and stretch defenses up the seams.

We know Luck will develop rather quickly coming from a pro-style offense, and a big part of that development will come from Fleener's production.

Connor Barth: Kicker, Buccaneers

When looking for a kicker in fantasy football you want one that will get a lot of field goal attempts.

Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski is the obvious choice because he can connect from 60-plus yards whenever called upon, but Tampa Bay's Connor Barth will have many opportunities from mid-range in 2012.

The Buccaneers have a significantly improved offense with Carl Nicks, Vincent Jackson and rookie Doug Martin. And regardless of how effective Tampa is on offense, the defense still has to prove it can slow opponents down (which it did not in 2011).

So expect the Bucs to be in more high-scoring affairs and Barth to attempt just as many field goals, if not more, than last year. Opposing defenses always stiffen up once backed up inside its own red zone and the Bucs are new to having lots of potential.

Last season Barth was almost 93 percent on field goals and hit 14 from the 40-49 yard range. As for this season, Tampa Bay's offense will be even more effective and therefore get Barth more scoring chances.

Kansas City Chiefs: Defense/Special Teams

In most fantasy football leagues, if a defense allows 28 or 34-plus points you'll get minus four points for that week.

That's the worst-case scenario. A defense like the Kansas City Chiefs may not be on the level of San Francisco, Houston or Philadelphia, but it will play consistent all season long.

For one, Kansas City has one of the NFL's best sack-masters in Tamba Hali and other stud linebackers in Justin Houston and Derrick Johnson. Safety Eric Berry is great when healthy and Brandon Flowers will lock down at cornerback as well.

The Chiefs did rank No. 26 against the run in 2011 but they also only allowed an average of 21.1 points per game (ranked No. 12). And that was without Berry.

If the Kansas City offense even marginally improves in 2012, the defense has top five potential. Regardless, the Chiefs' defense will be better than last season and is an excellent option to be your fantasy defense.

With a sack-master, solid secondary and athletic linebackers that are backed by a balanced offense, Kansas City is a sleeping giant in 2012.

John Rozum on Twitter.