Fantasy Football 2012: Top Value Picks You Absolutely Must Know About

The 2012 NFL preseason has entered its third week, and with the kickoff of the regular season less than two weeks away, fantasy draft season has begun the stretch run, with thousands of leagues across the land conducting their drafts over the next couple of weekends.

The key to success in those drafts is finding value picks whose fantasy performances will outpace their fantasy price tag.

In the interest of helping fantasy owners do just that, here are a handful of players who seem to be available at something of a discount this season.

Average draft position courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Average Draft Position: Fifth Round (Pick 57, QB8)

If you're looking for a quarterback with top-five fantasy upside that's available a little later in your fantasy football draft, then cast your eyes to the NFC South and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has opened up the offense in Atlanta, and it's shown to this point in the preseason, as Ryan and the Atlanta passing game have been absolutely lights out through two exhibition contests.

Granted, it's only preseason. But with a pair of talented wide receivers in Roddy White and Julio Jones and a future Hall of Fame tight end in Tony Gonzalez, Matt Ryan has all the tools at his disposal for a huge season if the training wheels stay off the bike.

Willis McGahee, RB, Denver Broncos

Average Draft Position: Seventh Round (Pick 81, RB28)

Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee had one of his best seasons in years in 2011, topping 1,000 yards rushing for the first time since 2007 and finishing as a top-25 fantasy option at his position.

However, it appears that fantasy drafters are expecting a bit of a backslide, as the 30-year-old is presently being chosen as a mid-range RB3.

Granted, McGahee does have a fair amount of wear on his tires, but the 10th-year pro showed up to training camp in phenomenal shape and has pledged to rush for at least 1,200 yards this season.

That's a very real possibility with quarterback Peyton Manning now under center in Denver to keep opposing defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Average Draft Position: Seventh Round (Pick 83, WR31)

Even in last year's nightmare of a season, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne still managed to reel in 75 passes for 960 yards and four scores, which was good for a top-25 fantasy finish in leagues that award a point for receptions.

However, despite Wayne's track record of productivity, not only do fantasy owners apparently not think the 33-year-old can better that performance, but they seem to expect further statistical regression. Wayne has fallen outside the top-30 wide receivers being chosen in fantasy drafts.

With quarterback Andrew Luck now in Indy and wideout Austin Collie back on the shelf with another concussion, Wayne should be in for a ton of targets in 2012, making him an excellent draft-day target, especially for teams that wait to select their starting wide receivers.

Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams

Average Draft Position: 13th Round (Pick 154, WR53)

If you're the type of fantasy football owner that hoards running backs like Rosie O' Donnell hoards cupcakes, then odds are you're going to be looking for late-round value players at the wide receiver position, especially if your league requires three starters at the position.

Enter Danny Amendola of the St. Louis Rams.

The fourth-year pro appears fully recovered from the elbow injury that cost him most of the 2011 season and set to return to his role as Sam Bradford's favorite target.

That role produced 85 catches in 2010, and while Amendola doesn't possess tremendous fantasy upside, he does offer the potential for WR3 production on the cheap.

Tony Gonzalez, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Average Draft Position: Ninth Round (Pick 103, TE10)

There may well be no more undervalued player in fantasy football this season than Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Despite the fact that Gonzalez finished last season as fantasy football's fourth-ranked tight end and hasn't finished lower than sixth at his position in this century, the 36-year-old is barely cracking the top 10 players drafted at his position.

Also, while his age may raise questions about his durability with some, it's worth noting that Gonzalez only missed two games—in the last 15 years.

Seriously, what's the problem?