Fantasy Football 2012: Breaking Down Round 2 in a 12-Team PPR League

With Round 1 out of the way, we are moving on to Round 2. Where you pick in Round 1 will have a fairly drastic effect on your draft strategy. The closer your pick is to the end of the first round, the more you can plan out your first two picks.

There are no longer hard-and-fast rules about which positions you should select in the early rounds of your fantasy football draft. You should just select two players who complement each other well, regardless of position.

Again, it's about maximizing upside and minimizing risk. So if you "swung for the fences" in Round 1, it might not hurt to play it a little bit "safer" with your second draft pick.

For reference I will be listing each players' Expert Consensus Ranking - PPR as determined by Fantasy Pros.

Check out the slideshow for Round 1.

For more position-by-position analysis, check out my early-season position breakdowns here on Bleacher Report.

QB

RB

WR

TE

Round 1 Results

ROUND 1

1. LeSean McCoy (RB - PHI)
2. Arian Foster (RB - HOU)
3. Calvin Johnson (WR - DET)
4. Ray Rice (RB - BAL)
5. Ryan Matthews (RB - SD)
6. Larry Fitzgerald (WR - ARI)
7. Aaron Rodgers (QB - GB)
8. Tom Brady (QB - NE)
9. Rob Gronkowski (TE - NE)
10. Jimmy Graham (TE - NO)
11. Drew Brees (QB - NO)
12. A.J. Green (WR - CIN)

Round 2, Pick 1: Chris Johnson (RB: TEN)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 10 (PPR)

It's amazing that a talented RB like Chris Johnson could fall out of Round 1. But he was awful last year when healthy. He cost countless teams fantasy wins because they kept starting him when he was next to worthless. Then there are reports about 25 touches a game being "too much" for Johnson.

With a strong training camp and a good preseason game or two, Johnson should rise up the rankings. But if he plays like he did last year, he will be lucky to be a weak RB2, much less a stud RB1.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - A.J. Green (WR - CIN)

Round 2, Pick 2: Wes Welker (WR: NE)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 12 (PPR)

Sure there are more issues around Welker than you would like. He's unhappy with his contract. The Patriots brought in WR Brandon Lloyd. And those damn TEs keep stealing all the TDs. But never fear, Welker is still Tom Brady's guy.

Will he ever again match his torrid start from last season? Nope. But at the end of the year I still expect a typical Welker season: 100 catches, 1,200 yards and 5 TDs. Will those numbers make him the No. 1 fantasy WR? No. But those number would easily make Welker a top-10 WR in PPR formats. He's done so well for so long that it's time to accept Welker as about as safe of a PPR option as you can find.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Drew Brees (QB - NO)

Round 2, Pick 3: Roddy White (WR: ATL)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 15 (PPR)

It's not the emergence of Julio Jones that scares me about Roddy White. He led the NFL in receiving targets last season. It's not like Matt Ryan will suddenly forget about him. It's more about the fact that Roddy White dropped more passes than any other WR in the NFL in 2011.

White has be usurped as the "big-play WR" by Julio Jones. Not a big deal, especially in a PPR league. The Falcons just need to find a way to get White the ball in the red-zone. Last season it was Michael Turner and Tony Gonzalez who were the primary red-zone threats for Atlanta. If White isn't going to find the end zone, there will be a firm ceiling to his potential in 2012.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Jimmy Graham (TE - NO)

Round 2, Pick 4: Greg Jennings (WR: GB)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 19 (PPR)

Greg Jennings has actually been a bit better of a standard league option due to a number of factors. Jennings does score TDs and get red-zone targets. He has big play ability and can score from outside of the red-zone. And as Aaron Rodger's favorite target, he's basically "match-up proof".

Only two things hold Jennings back in fantasy football. He has a tendency to get "dinged up" and Aaron Rodgers will throw the ball to whoever is open. That means there will be days when Donald Driver scores 2 TDs and Greg Jennings catches three passes for 47 yards. My advice to you? Deal with it.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Rob Gronkowski (TE - NE)

Round 2, Pick 5: Andre Johnson (RB: PHI)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 9 (PPR)

My guess is that Johnson ends up as a Round 1 draft pick if he proves to be 100 percent healthy through training camp. But for now, all I can remember are the injuries. Johnson has officially fallen into Michael Vick/Donovan McNabb territory in that you can bank on him missing at least 2-to-4 games per season. If Johnson misses even two games, it hurts his chances of even being a top-10 fantasy WR.

Don't forget that the Texans are a run-first team now. Expect Arian Foster and Ben Tate to get tons of work in the red-zone. A return to health by Owen Daniels should also earn him some red-zone targets. Johnson should still be an elite WR1 when healthy, but expect his targets to be down from previous seasons.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Tom Brady (QB - NE)

Round 2, Pick 6: Maurice Jones-Drew (RB: JAC)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 8 (PPR)

If he ends his holdout before the second preseason game, Jones-Drew should easily vault back into Round 1. But for now, it's worrisome. Historically, skill position players do not perform well after holding out. Chris Johnson and Michael Crabtree are two recent examples.

For Jones-Drew there are also concerns about how he will hold up physically. He's among the NFL leaders in touches over the past five seasons and at some point he will begin to break down, especially on a team without a solid NFL QB. Teams know that Jones-Drew is getting the ball and he's paid the price for it.

But as long as he's healthy, practiced and playing he should be a lock as a RB1 in PPR leagues.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Aaron Rodgers (QB - GB)

Round 2, Pick 7: Marshawn Lynch (RB: SEA)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 30 (PPR)

If Marshawn Lynch started catching the ball more, he could vault into Round 1. Lynch has always had talent, he's just been inconsistent or in a timeshare. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has found the "magic formula" for Lynch. Give him the ball. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Lynch has an excellent shot to score more TDs than any RB, WR or TE in the NFL. If Matt Flynn proves to be an upgrade at QB, Lynch could find more room to run than he did last year. He proved to be "match-up proof" in 2011 and he's one of the few RBs that has a backfield all to himself.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Larry Fitzgerald (WR - ARI)

Round 2, Pick 8: Victor Cruz (WR: NYG)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 29 (PPR)

I've loved Hakeem Nicks almost as long as his mother has. Dude is awesome, a dominant physical talent. But we're seeing a very Andre Johnson-like trend with Nicks. Enter Victor Cruz. After coming out of nowhere in 2011, Cruz was Eli Manning's top target, not Hakeem Nicks.

Now Nicks could miss all of training camp and the preseason. Cruz wants a new contract but he's not going public about it. You know he's going to be going hard and he should enter the season as the Giants No. 1 WR. Last year was not a fluke. In fact, Cruz's route running was average at best in 2011. He can still get better.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Ryan Matthews (RB - SD)

Round 2, Pick 9: Brandon Marshall (WR: CHI)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 21 (PPR)

This isn't all based on Brandon Marshall teaming back up with Jay Cutler. Marshall was actually pretty damn good for the Dolphins last season, despite facing a revolving door at the QB position. He just couldn't find the end zone.

That might not change much in 2012, but Marshall could be a dominant PPR option. Cutler has shown that he will throw the ball up to his guy and let him try to make a play. And he will do that a lot. Marshall struggles with mental mistakes and drops at times, but we should get to see the happiest, most focused Marshall that we've seen since his Denver days.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Ray Rice (RB - BAL)

Round 2, Pick 10: DeMarco Murray (RB: DAL)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 25 (PPR)

Injury. Risk. City. Murray battled injuries in college and that carried over into his rookie season. But when he started for the Cowboys he was one of the best (fantasy and in reality) RBs in the NFL. Sure the TDs weren't there but Murray was dynamic with the ball in his hands.

Murray enters the season as the clear-cut starter for the Cowboys. This is a loaded offense that has rebuilt it's offensive line over the past two seasons. If Murray stays healthy, he has elite RB1 potential, especially in PPR leagues. Felix Jones could see some time on passing downs, but his ship has sailed at this point, he's only a handcuff.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Calvin Johnson (WR - DET)

Round 2, Pick 11: Trent Richardson (RB: CLE)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 22 (PPR)

My brain is screaming at me, "too high for a rookie!" But fair or not, the player Richardson has always been compared to is Adrian Peterson. If Richardson can replicate what Peterson did his rookie year (while splitting time with Chester Taylor), he should be a fine Round 2 pick in PPR leagues.

Sure, the Browns don't have the easiest schedule. But they have a good offensive line and Richardson will be the focal point of their offense. The touchdowns might not be plentiful, but Richardson catches the ball well enough and can make big plays happen. If Browns rookie QB Brandon Weeden proves to be the real deal, Richardson could exceed even the highest of expectations as a rookie.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - Arian Foster (RB - HOU)

Round 2, Pick 12: Darren Sproles (RB: NO)

Expert Consensus Ranking: 38 (PPR)

Of course it goes without saying that Sproles drops like a stone if Drew Brees holds out into the season. But otherwise, Sproles is PPR gold. In a league that counts return yardage, he could be the No. 1 RB or WR. In standard leagues Sproles is a decent option, but in PPR leagues, he's a legitimate RB1.

Sure, the Saints will keep Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas involved. But Sproles has established himself at the head of the pecking order and he's the only game in town on passing downs, which in New Orleans, happens quite often. Sproles actually gets more work in the red-zone than you would think, and he could reach double-digit TDs through various methods.

Previous Selections By This Team:

Round 1 - LeSean McCoy (RB - PHI)

So Who Goes Next?

Remember, this is a draft. So I'm not just listing players in the order I would rank them. Who a team has previously selected will absolutely impact who they draft next. Especially this early in the draft. Late in the draft you might want to go with more of a "best player available" philosophy.

It seems like Round 2 will be the dumping ground for RBs with question marks and a ton of talent at WR. Once you get much deeper into the RBs, you're looking at timeshare/split backfield situations. Sure, there is a drop off at the WR position, but it's not nearly as deep.

With Graham and Gronkowski gone in Round 1, there shouldn't be any TEs going in Round 2. Both Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford have a shot to go in Round 2, depending on how things play out.

Thanks for reading and good luck to you this season. Again, please use the comments feature if you have anything to add or care to ask any relevant fantasy football questions.

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