Latest 2012 Fantasy Football Rankings for Every Position

The third week of the NFL preseason is in the books. With opening night less than two weeks away, not only is fantasy football draft season rounding the final turn, but we've seen about as much from the starters in the exhibition season as we're going to.

Truly savvy (and patient) fantasy drafters postpone their drafts for as long as possible in order to get the maximum amount of information before assembling their squads. And with that information in hand, here's an updated look at fantasy football rankings for the 2012 season.

Please note that these rankings are for point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

Aaron Rodgers and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

There hasn't been much movement at the top of the fantasy quarterback rankings, as Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers remains king of the mountain.

However, fantasy owners of one top-five signal-caller got quite a scare over the weekend when Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions injured his hand against the Oakland Raiders. He is expected to be fine for Week 1, though, according to ESPN.

There has been some movement in the top 10. On the heels of three strong preseason performances, Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons is making a move up the list, while Michael Vick's inability to stay healthy before the season even starts has caused the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback to tumble a bit.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

4. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

5. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

6. Eli Manning, New York Giants

7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

9. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

10. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

11. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

12. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

13. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

15. Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins (R)

16. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

17. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

18. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts (R)

19. Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders

20. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice and the Top 20 Running Backs

As the reigning fantasy champ at the running back position, Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens enters this season as the top dog in my running back rankings. In 2011, Rice topped 2,000 total yards and scored 15 touchdowns.

With that said, the big storylines this preseason have been the paltry stats of Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson—who has struggled to find running room—and the apparent return to health of Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs, who has looked very much like the back who gained over 1,900 total yards in 2010.

Oh, and Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars still hasn't reported to camp, so the fantasy tumble of 2011's rushing champ continues unabated.

1. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

2. Arian Foster, Houston Texans

3. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

5. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

6. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

7. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

8. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders

9. Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints

10. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys

11. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

12. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

13. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (R)

14. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns (R)

15. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants

16. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

17. Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills

18. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

19. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

20. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins

Calvin Johnson and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

After a 2011 season in which he caught 96 passes for nearly 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns, there's absolutely no question who the top wide receiver in fantasy football is in 2012.

There's Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions, and then there's everyone else.

However, there's some uncertainty after "Megatron." Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans is already dinged up again, and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals appears to be mired in the fifth circle of lousy quarterback hell, leaving both superstars bumped by Julio Jones, who is rocketing up the charts.

Mike Wallace of the Pittsburgh Steelers still has yet to report, but Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports that he's expected Tuesday, which is enough to get the fourth-year pro back onto the back end of the list.

Also, after catching a pair of touchdown passes from Peyton Manning in the Denver Broncos' third preseason game, Eric Decker gets a nice bump. And it looks like anointing DeMaryius Thomas as the receiver to have in the Mile High City may have been a tad premature.

1. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

2. Wes Welker, New England Patriots

3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

4. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

5. Andre Johnson, Houston Texans

6. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears

7. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

8. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons

9. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers

10. Victor Cruz, New York Giants

11. Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints

12. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants

13. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings

14. Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

15. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers

16. Steve Johnson, Buffalo Bills

17. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

18. Eric Decker, Denver Broncos

19. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs

20. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jimmy Graham and the Top 20 Tight Ends

After their ridiculously productive 2011 seasons, it's not surprising that Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints are the top two tight ends in fantasy football this year, with one—and sometimes both players—going in the first round of fantasy drafts.

There hasn't been a whole lot of shakeup at the tight end position, other than the fact that Graham has overtaken Gronkowski as the first tight end off the board as more fantasy drafters become leery of "Gronk's" ability to back up his record-setting 17 scores from a season ago.

I've had my doubts about his doing so all along, so Graham remains perched atop my fantasy tight end rankings.

1. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

2. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

3. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots

4. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

5. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

6. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

7. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys

8. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers

9. Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions

10. Fred Davis, Washington Redskins

11. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans

12. Jacob Tamme, Denver Broncos

13. Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans

14. Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

15. Dustin Keller, New York Jets

16. Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles

17. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

18. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

19. Coby Fleener, Indianapolis Colts (R)

20. Lance Kendricks, St. Louis Rams

David Akers and the Top 20 Kickers

Ah, the kickers...the red-headed stepchildren of fantasy football.

Fantasy kickers can be notoriously unpredictable, but David Akers has been the rare exception to that rule over the past few years.

The 14-year veteran has posted top-three fantasy finishes at his position in each of the past four seasons. That, combined with the fact that the 37-year-old made 11 more field goals than any other kicker last year, is more than enough for Akers to claim the top spot among kickers for 2012.

1. David Akers, San Francisco 49ers

2. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots

3. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers

4. Jason Hanson, Detroit Lions

5. Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers

6. Garrett Hartley, New Orleans Saints

7. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders

8. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys

9. Alex Henery, Philadelphia Eagles

10. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears

11. Neil Rackers, Washington Redskins

12. Matt Prater, Denver Broncos

13. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons

14. Shayne Graham, Houston Texans

15. Lawrence Tynes, New York Giants

16. Billy Cundiff, Baltimore Ravens

17. Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals

18. Rob Bironas, Tennessee Titans

19. Rian Lindell, Buffalo Bills

20. Shaun Suisham, Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers and the Top 20 Defenses

Part of the reason I don't generally advocate taking a team defense early in fantasy drafts is that they can be wildly unpredictable from one season to the next. Personnel changes, injuries and scheme switches can have a dramatic impact of how a defensive unit performs on the field.

However, not only were the San Francisco 49ers one of the elite defenses in the National Football League last season, but they return all 11 starters this year and play in an NFC West that isn't exactly filled with powerhouses.

Good enough for me.

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. Green Bay Packers

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Houston Texans

6. Chicago Bears

7. New York Giants

8. Buffalo Bills

9. Detroit Lions

10. New England Patriots

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Seattle Seahawks

13. Denver Broncos

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Dallas Cowboys

16. San Diego Chargers

17. Minnesota Vikings

18. New York Jets

19. Atlanta Falcons

20. New Orleans Saints