Fantasy football season awards: Peterson, Griffin lead the way

Robert Griffin III was the best of three stellar rookie quarterbacks (along with Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson) and is the 2012 Fantasy Rookie of the Year.

Cliff Welch/Icon SMI

The 2012 fantasy football season will mostly be remembered for stunning player comebacks, a stunning rookie class and a stunning Week 15 semifinal slate. In the end, this was the year of the rookie and the rehabilitated star, not the year of the tight end or the quarterback. Let's recap the best this fantasy season had to offer.

Three top stories

1. The Comeback Kids: On draft day, the fantasy superstar trio of Adrian Peterson, Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles looked like question marks at best and damaged goods at worst. Peterson and Charles were often picked from the third round to the fifth, with Manning going later than that. Fast-forward 17 weeks, and Peterson is arguably the fantasy MVP and unquestionably the top back, while Charles is in the top-eight at his position and Manning is a top-five quarterback who put the air back in Mile-High.

Andre Johnson also bounced back from an injury-ravaged 2011. No longer a lead receiver, he still scored for owners as a high-end WR2 and posted nearly 1,500 yards.

Next season, Peterson will be a top-two pick along with Arian Foster, while Charles will go no later than Round 2. Manning should go somewhere between the third and fifth rounds -- about twice as high as he went this year.

2. When Rookies Took Over the (Fantasy) World: The fact that three rookie quarterbacks are starting in the NFL playoffs is a snapshot of the impact this year's offensive skill players had on the league and the fantasy world. Robert Griffin III made the biggest waves most of the year, while Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson were successful starters in larger leagues.

The power trio of Doug Martin, Trent Richardson and Alfred Morris became fantasy superstars, as all three finished in the top eight in scoring among running backs.

In larger leagues or as a plug-in, Vick Ballard proved valuable and is in the Colts' plans down the road. Detroit's Mikel Leshoure was essentially a rookie after being injured for all of 2011. Leshoure scored nine times for the Lions this year and provided some life for a week running game.

The rookie wide receivers were less spectacular, but the Colts' T.Y. Hilton proved to be a good midseason pickup and solid starter, while Josh Gordon flashed for the Browns and instantly became their top receiver.

3. Black Sunday, Week 15: In most leagues, a bitter chill went through the box scores during the semifinals. On one of the biggest days of the fantasy season, the NFL delivered one of the weirdest slates of games in recent memory. Three teams (the Chiefs, Giants and Bucs) were shut out. Ray Rice managed just 38 rushing yards. And stars like Victor Cruz, Roddy White and Demaryius Thomas combined for 44 total yards.

Season awards

MVP: Adrian Peterson, Vikings -- Even if he hadn't suffered a horrific injury last season, Peterson's 2,097-yard gem of a season would have ranked as one of the all-time greats. Peterson, who scored twice in the first week, did suffer a five-week scoring drought where he averaged 108 total yards but was kept out of the end zone. Starting in Week 7, though, Peterson went on a fantasy tear for the ages, averaging 164 yards and adding nine scores through Week 16. And he did it all while Christian Ponder struggled, delivering nine games of less than 200 yards passing and three games where he passed for less than 100 yards.

MACK: Peterson headlines my way-too-early fantasy football Mock Draft

Rookie of the Year: Robert Griffin III, Redskins -- As he got banged up toward the end of the year, his numbers tapered off. But for three-quarters of the season, the former Heisman winner was the fantasy MVP. RGIII was limited to four touchdown passes in Weeks 13, 14 and 16 combined, but he'd already made the biggest splash of anyone this season. Griffin finished with 3,200 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 815 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns and amassed those numbers despite missing a game against the Browns and an entire second half against the Falcons. A big tip of the cap goes to Pro Football Weekly, which audaciously listed Griffin No. 8 among quarterbacks this preseason. Durability will be a question going forward for Griffin, who won't make it out of the third round in any draft this August. One solution? Treat Griffin like you would any star running back with an injury history and take Kirk Cousins as a late handcuff.

Five Burning Fantasy Questions for the 2013 offseason:

5. How much help will stars on bad teams, like Reggie Bush, Jamaal Charles and Larry Fitzgerald, get this offseason?

4. Do the Packers have too many good receivers; what happens to free-agent-to-be Greg Jennings?

3. What happens to the Steelers' running attack; will Jonathan Dwyer take over for Rashard Mendenhall?

2. With Kaepernick starting for a whole season and a rejuvenated Michael Crabtree, will the 49ers' offense go wide-open using the spread elements that made Cam Newton and RGIII successful?

1. Will this historic rookie class experience a sophomore slump or get even better?

Least impressive No. 1 receiver (on a great offense): WR Marques Colston, Saints

More Sizzle Than Steak Award: RB Demarco Murray, Cowboys

Most Polarizing Fantasy Player: RB Chris Johnson, Titans

Fantasy Star I Want No Part Of in 2013: 1A. RB LeSean McCoy, Eagles (I fear Bryce Brown); 1B. WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (I fear the Cardinals quarterbacks)

All-Fantasy First Team
QB Drew Brees, Saints
RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings
RB Arian Foster, Texans
WR Calvin Johnson, Lions
WR Brandon Marshall, Bears
WR A.J. Green, Bengals
TE Tony Gonzalez, Falcons
Bears D/ST

Brees, despite his struggles in Weeks 13 and 14, was more consistent than Aaron Rodgers, who started slow out of the gate, or Tom Brady, who was consistent but had only a few huge performances. Let the debate begin now as to which running back to take first in 2012, while Johnson, Green, Marshall and Dez Bryant have to be the top four pass catchers off the board next August.

All-Fantasy Second Team
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers
RB Doug Martin, Bucs
RB Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
WR Dez Bryant, Cowboys
WR Demaryius Thomas, Broncos
WR Vincent Jackson, Bucs
TE Rob Gronkowski, Patriots
Broncos D/ST

All-Rookie Team
QB Robert Griffin III
RB Doug Martin, Bucs
RB Trent Richardson, Browns
RB Alfred Morris, Redskins
WR T.Y. Hilton, Colts
WR Josh Gordon, Browns

All-Breakout Team
QB Matt Ryan, Falcons
RB Stevan Ridley, Patriots
RB C.J. Spiller, Bills
WR Demaryius Thomas, Broncos
WR Randall Cobb, Packers
WR Michael Crabtree, 49ers
TE Kyle Rudolph, Vikings

All-Disappointment Team
QB Matthew Stafford. Lions
RB Darren McFadden, Raiders
RB Matt Forte, Bears
RB Chris Johnson, Titans
WR Greg Jennings, Packers
WR Hakeen Nicks, Giants
WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
TE Antonio Gates, Chargers

All-Injured Team
QB Michael Vick, Eagles
RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
RB Ryan Mathews, Chargers
RB/WR Fred Jackson, Bills
WR Jordy Nelson, Packers
WR Hakeem Nicks, Giants
WR Greg Jennings, Packers

All-Waiver-Wire Team
QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks
RB Alfred Morris, Redskins
RB Mikel Leshoure, Lions
WR Mike Williams, Bucs
WR Randall Cobb, Packers
WR Cecil Shorts III, Jaguars
WR Danario Alexander, Chargers
TE Heath Miller, Steelers
Honorable Mention: Knowshon Moreno, Broncos

The Wait 'Till Next Year Team
QB Collin Kaepernick, 49ers
RB David Wilson, Giants
RB Isaiah Pead, Rams
RB/WR Jacquizz Rodgers, Falcons
WR Justin Blackmon, Jaguars
WR Kendall Wright, Titans
TE Coby Fleener, Colts

Way-Too-Early Top 20 for 2013
1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings
2. Arian Foster, Texans
3. Ray Rice, Ravens
4. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
5. Doug Martin, Bucs
6. Alfred Morris, Redskins
7. Trent Richardson, Browns
8. Aaron Rodgers, Packers
9. Drew Brees, Saints
10. Calvin Johnson, Lions
11. Tom Brady, Patriots
12. Stevan Ridley, Patriots
13. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
14. Robert Griffin III, Redskins
15. A.J. Green, Bengals
16. C.J. Spiller, Bills
17. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
18. Brandon Marshall, Bears
19. Matt Forte, Bears
20. Chris Johnson, Titans