Fantasy Football 2012: 5 NFC North Stars Who Won't Produce to Their Potentials

There's no question about it, the NFC North is absolutely loaded with fantasy football studs—and with arguably three of the top 10 quarterbacks playing in this division, you'd be hard-pressed to accurately predict which studs will have down years.

Well, luckily for you I'm going to try and do just that. And with help from a couple knee injuries, I've compiled a list of five NFC North division studs that won't produce to their full potentials like we've seen them do in years past. 

Sit back, grab your fantasy magazine and red marker, and get ready for five guys you might want to take a harder look at before you go out and pursue them on draft day. 

Jordy Nelson, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers

Don't get me wrong, I'm someone who reaped the benefits Jordy Nelson produced in abundance last season. It helped me win a championship, so you can see how it would pain me to include him on this list.

Let's be real though, the likeliness that Jordy Nelson repeats his 1,263 yard and 15 touchdown campaign from 2011 is slim to none. 

I believe that Nelson will have a solid follow-up year—so I'm not writing him off completely—but he's inevitably going to be over-drafted for the production he's actually going to spit out.

There are just too many balls going around in Green Bay for me to feel comfortable taking Nelson in the late second or early third round. 

2012 Projection: 70 receptions, 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns

Adrian Peterson, Running Back, Minnesota Vikings

My heart sank when Adrian Peterson blew out his knee last season, and he wasn't even on my fantasy team—so I couldn't imagine what Peterson owners in playoff contention must have felt. 

There are just too many unknowns for Peterson entering this season. Will he miss any time? When he does come back, will he even be 100 percent?

We also must not forget that if he does come back in time for Week 1 of the season, he'll be returning from an ACL tear in less than nine months—an injury that takes most athletes a full year to fully recover from. 

That, and his offense as a whole isn't necessarily the greatest either.

When mulling over whether or not to draft Adrian Peterson, proceed with extreme caution. 

2012 Projection: 1,150 yards, seven touchdowns

Jahvid Best, Running Back, Detroit Lions

Jahvid Best is a giant headache. No joke, it's like this guy is immune to consistent football. 

He has the ability of an elite running back, I'm not going to question that. But he can't take a hit without aggravating concussion problems that have been lingering since college. 

The days of Jahvid Best as the premier running back in the Detroit Lions offense are done, with a loaded backfield of capable runners coupled with the fact that they Lions are a heavy pass-first offense.

Let's just say, you shouldn't even be tempted to draft Best to your team unless you're filling bench spots in the late rounds. 

2012 Projection: 600 yards and two touchdowns.

Matt Forte, Running Back, Chicago Bears

Let me first say this: Matt Forte's knee is not the deciding factor for him being included on this list, however it was a considering factor. 

The main reason for Forte's presence is because the Chicago Bears accomplished something this offseason that they've never done, ever. 

That accomplishment was actually having a good offseason. 

The Bears now have a passing offense that must be respected, with the additions of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, so that instantly takes away from some of Forte's touches in the passing game—a place where he thrived from in fantasy football. 

Second, the addition of Michael Bush as the backup and short-yardage running back is sure to vulture a few of Matt Forte's touchdowns. 

Forte will still put up No. 1 running back numbers, they just won't be top-five like we're used to seeing from him: Look for more like back-end top 10 out of No. 22 this year. 

2012 Projection: 1,200 yards and four touchdowns; 45 receptions, 450 yards and two touchdowns

Percy Harvin, Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings

Percy Harvin's 2011 production is one of the most confusing things I've seen in a while. He put up numbers like crazy—87 receptions, over 1,200 total yards and eight touchdowns—yet he barely played even half the snaps in the Vikings offense. 

For Harvin this year—and for me to give him my stamp of approval—I'm going to need to know that the migraines are in check. If they are, I'll feel a little bit better about giving him a vote of confidence on being a bonafide fantasy starter. 

However, a lot of his production rests on the progression of Christian Ponder as a quarterback, and that for me is the biggest unknown surrounding Percy Harvin.

Percy Harvin is always going to get his touches when he's on the field, I'm just not so sure he's going to do as much with those touches as he did last season. 

2012 Projection: 70 receptions, 1,100 total yards, five total touchdowns