Fantasy Football: Where Should You Draft Rob Gronkowski in 2012?

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has become this year's Arian Foster for fantasy football, emerging seemingly out of nowhere and carrying teams into the playoffs.

Gronkowski has been shattering tight end records through out his 2011 season campaign, leaving many fantasy players and analysts to ponder just where to draft the Patriot come next season? Well, you'd be a fool to pass on him if he fell to the early second round.

Michael Vick was touted as a must-draft in the first round by many analysts and Web sites heading into draft time this season and in many standard league scoring, Gronk has outperformed the Philadelphia quarterback this year.

The second-year player out of the University of Arizona has 15 touchdowns with two games left to play, as well as almost 1,200 yards receiving. By the end of this season, barring any miracles, he will have outperformed Roddy White, Brandon Marshall, Hakeem Nicks and Vincent Jackson in both statistical categories.

Those names are No. 1 wide receivers on their respective teams, and it's time people realized that though Gronk plays tight end, he's also New England's No. 1 guy in the passing game.

Yes, Wes Welker technically occupies that title and continues to produce consistent numbers each year, but the No. 1 Patriot and one of the first 20 guys taken in your draft next season should be Gronkowski.

He'll be a name many will look at and have gut feelings against him due to the position he plays, the offense he plays in that "spreads the ball around" and be a surefire candidate to make many "most likely to regress" columns next year, but don't buy into that.

Don't be taken by the fact he's in New England or that he's a tight end, he's the go-to guy on one of the best offenses in the NFL and even if he doesn't shatter records again next season, he'll still be one of the best receiving options in all of fantasy.