You have Marques Colston ranked ahead of Calvin Johnson in the postseason rankings? That's enough for me to flush them down the toilet! -- @ThatGUNN3R (via Twitter)
Michael Fabiano: The current NFL.com rankings are not for typical postseason fantasy football leagues. Instead, they're for the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge -- it's free to join and you could win a trip to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans! The key to finding success in this game is picking the players that you think will be the most productive on teams that will go the deepest into the postseason. That's the reason Colston is ranked first among wide receivers, one spot ahead of Megatron. It's obvious that Johnson is the better option in traditional fantasy leagues, but I think the Saints are going to beat the Lions and make a run at the Super Bowl. As a result, Colston has a better chance to outscore him overall -- keep in mind, the longer the players in your starting lineup last in the playoffs, the more fantasy points you will receive. Think about Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last season -- if you started them in the Wild Card round and kept them active throughout the postseason, you racked up some serious point production. Check out my NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge column for more details.
I'm in a keeper league and need to decide between Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford. Who should I retain? -- D. Perez Gimenez (via Facebook)
M.F.: This is a difficult decision, but I would side with Newton based on his overall skill set. The Auburn product was a dual threat in fantasy land during his rookie campaign, throwing for a solid 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 706 yards and an NFL-record 14 touchdowns. It's those rushing totals that make Newton so valuable, which was evident in his third-place finish (based on fantasy points) among all players on NFL.com. In fact, the only two players who scored more fantasy points were Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. That's some terrific company. I think Newton will have more value than Stafford in re-draft leagues as well.
Are Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson still worth first-round picks in fantasy leagues next season? -- @ANDR3WS13RRA (via Twitter)
M.F.: Great question. Right now, I can't see Peterson being taken in the first round -- he might not even be worth a second- or third-round selection, depending on his recovery from major knee reconstruction. A.D. underwent a successful procedure to repair his damaged ACL, MCL and meniscus this past Friday, but there are no guarantees that he'll be back in time for the start of the 2012 season. Even if he does make a miraculous return, will Peterson be the same powerful, violent runner he was before the ailment? In most cases, it takes a player a full season to regain full mental and physical confidence in a reconstructed knee. Look at Wes Welker, who made a fast return from a similar operation only to post his worst reception and yardage totals as a member of the Patriots. So even in a best-case scenario, Peterson won't be worth more than a second-rounder. As for Johnson, I think he can sneak into the end of the first round -- despite being the biggest disappoinment in 2011 fantasy leagues. He'll have a full offseason, training camp and preseason to prepare for the 2012 campaign, and at 26 he's still plenty young and talented to return to an elite level from a fantasy perspective. And with so many backfields going the route of the committee, Johnson is still going to be a valuable asset in fantasy leagues.
Where would you draft Jamaal Charles next season? Would you keep him over Rob Gronkowski? -- Y. Lewis (via Facebook)
M.F.: Unlike fellow running backs Peterson and Rashard Mendenhall, Charles will have had a lot of time to recover from his knee operation. In fact, I think he could be drafted ahead of both of them. However, I still wonder if Charles will have the same speed and explosion he did before suffering a torn ACL back in September. His success in the stat sheets is based on his ability to cut, avoid tacklers and break long runs. If he can't do that with as effectively, well, Charles could be far less productive as he's been in the past. As for keeping him ahead of Gronkowski, I think that's a definite no. The Patriots tight end has scored a combined 28 total touchdowns in his first two seasons, and he scored more fantasy points than every wide receiver outside of Megatron in 2010. To get that kind of production from a tight end is a huge advantage in fantasy leagues.
I need to keep one of Tim Tebow or Michael Vick. Thoughts? -- @Chad_Johnson8 (via Twitter)
M.F.: No one has been on the Tebow bandwagon more than I have this season, but even I have lost a little faith in the Broncos quarterback over the last two weeks. He's struggled to produce on the field, and it seems like defensive coordinators are learning how to contain him. It's Tebow's skills as a runner that add greatly to his fantasy appeal, and he's been held to 50 yards on the ground in those last two games. Without his rushing totals, Tebow becomes a quarterback who completes an awful 46.5 percent of his passes. Not good. A better performance this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers might ease my mind, but at this point I would retain Vick.
Which quarterback are you rolling with in the NFL Playoff Challenge? I'm going with Drew Brees. I think the Lions-Saints game is going to be a shootout! -- T. Casanova (via Facebook)
M.F.: I'm right there with you on Brees. If we have learned anything, it's that No. 1 seeds are no lock to reach the title game. Just one No. 1 seed from the NFC has reached the Super Bowl since 2007 -- ironically, that was the Saints in 2009 -- so picking Aaron Rodgers and the Packers isn't a guarantee for success. Instead, it's often the hot team that reaches the finals, and that hot team this season is the Saints. New Orleans has won eight straight games, and faces the Lions at home in Wild Card weekend. The last time Brees went up again Detroit (Week 13), he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns and scored an immpressive 25.68 fantasy points.
Seeing that only two running backs had 300-plus carries this season, would you now rank quarterbacks, wide receivers and maybe even some tight ends higher for 2012? -- @vlombardijr (via Twitter)
M.F.: I have always focused on running backs in the first round, and I'll continue to do that next season -- but not at the expense of an elite quarterback. Look at all of the question marks at running back heading into 2012. Charles, Peterson, and Mendenhall are coming off major knee reconstruction. Darren McFadden is about as durable as a house of cards, and other prominent runners like Fred Jackson, Matt Forte and Jahvid Best all saw their seasons end with injuries. Chris Johnson is coming off his worst season as a pro. Michael Turner will be 30 and has recorded 300-plus carries in three of his last four seasons, so he's a major bust candidate. Guys like Frank Gore and Steven Jackson aren't getting any younger, either, and Marshawn Lynch's great 2011 season doesn't guarantee anything in 2012. So at this point, the only running backs you can trust in the first round are Arian Foster, Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy and Maurice Jones-Drew. Due to this backfield situation, quarterback like Rodgers, Brees, Newton, Tom Brady and even Stafford have first-round appeal. There's just one wide receiver I would take in Round 1, though, and that's Calvin Johnson. But you're going to see more elite quarterbacks, wideouts and tight ends taken earlier than ever before next season. It should be interesting.
With Mendenhall out for the season, what sort of value do you think Isaac Redman will have for the NFL Playoff Challenge? -- T. Payne (via Facebook)
M.F.: If there's a potential sleeper at the running back position in the AFC, it's Redman. He'll see the bulk of the carries for a Steelers team with a legitimate chance to win a few games in the postseason. I'm not sure his team will reach the Super Bowl with a banged-up Ben Roethlisberger under center, and I wouldn't start Redman in the Wild Card round ahead of someone like Arian Foster or Darren Sproles. In fact, I'd prefer to start Rice because I'll get double points from him in the Divisional Round after his bye week. If there are some playoff upsets and the Steelers are still alive, though, Redman will definitely be someone to consider.
If you had to pick one Giants wide receiver for the NFL Playoff Challenge, and one to draft next season, would you select Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz? -- @sstrickler71 (via Twitter)
M.F.: It's hard not to go with Cruz in the postseason, as he's proven to be the top option in the pass attack for Eli Manning. In fact, he's recorded a combined 342 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. Cruz also recorded seven games with 100-plus yards overall. On the flip side, Nicks hasn't posted 100-plus yards in a game since Week 14 and recorded just three such performances in 2011. In terms of next season, however, I would still draft Nicks over Cruz -- but it's close. The reason being that Nicks has more of a pedigree in fantasy land, and there's no guarantee that Cruz won't be a one-year wonder. What's more, I'd have a hard time believing that Cruz can duplicate the 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns he scored this season. So while Cruz is the player to start in the NFL Playoff Challenge, Nicks is the Giants wide receiver to draft first in 2012.
Which running back should I keep for next season: Michael Bush, Shonn Greene or Marshawn Lynch? -- T. Payne (via Facebook)
M.F.: I have little faith in Greene posting a huge fantasy season maybe ever, so the decision here comes down to Bush and Lynch. As it stands, I'd retain the Seahawks running back. But if Bush, who is a free agent, signs with a team that allows him a chance at a featured role, then he'd be the back to keep. He was tremendous in the absence of Darren McFadden, finishing with over 1,400 scrimmage yards and eight total touchdowns despite starting just nine games. I also think Bush would have more upside in that scenario than Lynch, who exploded during what became a contract year and will be hard pressed to find the end zone another 13 times next season.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
