See where NFL MVP Adrian Peterson lands in our early rankings
The 2012 NFL season may have just ended, but that doesn't mean it's too early to starting thinking about next season. Even though teams have just started adjusting their rosters, free agency has yet to begin and the draft is still more than two months away, here's Athlon Sports' early fantasy football rankings for 2013.
As it stands now, Arian Foster and not NFL MVP Adrian Peterson tops our rankings, while Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco comes in at No. 89. Fifteen quarterbacks are ranked higher than Flacco, including Robert Griffin III, who falls in at No. 37 (eighth at his position). Griffin, who was the AP's Offensive Rookie of the Year, is without a doubt the biggest question mark at this point, since his return timetable from his January knee surgery is still unknown. Griffin is the prime example as to why this list will go through many changes between now and the fall.
As for how things currently look, a few early observations. Quarterback appears to be rather deep and the same could be said to a degree for wide receiver. Once you get past the 15 or so running backs it is anyone's guess and tight end is another intriguing position to watch as the offseason plays out.
| Rk | Player | Position | Team | Comment |
| 1 | Arian Foster | RB | HOU | Edges out A.D. b/c of less tread on the tires. |
| 2 | Adrian Peterson | RB | MIN | Be wary of 2,000-yard "curse." |
| 3 | Marshawn Lynch | RB | SEA | |
| 4 | Doug Martin | RB | TB | Can he avoid sophomore slump? |
| 5 | Calvin Johnson | WR | DET | Top fantasy WR had just 5 TDs. |
| 6 | Jamaal Charles | RB | KC | Is he Reid's McCoy in KC? |
| 7 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | GB | Still had 39 TDs despite WR injuries. |
| 8 | Drew Brees | QB | NO | Led NFL in INTs and fantasy points. |
| 9 | Tom Brady | QB | NE | Could be in market for new No. 1 WR. |
| 10 | Ray Rice | RB | BAL | Pierce's touches went up at season's end. |
| 11 | LeSean McCoy | RB | PHI | Interesting to see how Kelly uses him. |
| 12 | C.J. Spiller | RB | BUF | Should get lion's share of carries over FJax. |
| 13 | A.J. Green | WR | CIN | |
| 14 | Brandon Marshall | WR | CHI | If Bears fix OL, watch out. |
| 15 | Trent Richardson | RB | CLE | Needs more support from passing game. |
| 16 | Julio Jones | WR | ATL | |
| 17 | Demaryius Thomas | WR | DEN | Big target should continue to improve. |
| 18 | Dez Bryant | WR | DAL | Really came on late in the season. |
| 19 | Alfred Morris | RB | WAS | Will Griffin's injury/absence impact him? |
| 20 | Cam Newton | QB | CAR | |
| 21 | Maurice Jones-Drew | RB | JAC | If healthy, he should get lots of touches. |
| 22 | Stevan Ridley | RB | NE | |
| 23 | Peyton Manning | QB | DEN | |
| 24 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | NE | Health starting to become an issue. |
| 25 | Percy Harvin | WR | MIN | Is he long for Minny? |
| 26 | Vincent Jackson | WR | TB | Delivered in his first year as Buc. |
| 27 | Andre Johnson | WR | HOU | A reliable No. 2 WR would help him and team. |
| 28 | Chris Johnson | RB | TEN | |
| 29 | Matt Forte | RB | CHI | |
| 30 | Roddy White | WR | ATL | |
| 31 | Jimmy Graham | TE | NO | |
| 32 | Frank Gore | RB | SF | Finished with strong postseason. |
| 33 | Demarco Murray | RB | DAL | Foot injury plagued him last season. |
| 34 | Matt Ryan | QB | ATL | |
| 35 | Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | All hinges on who his QB is. |
| 36 | Matthew Stafford | QB | DET | Don’t forget he posted 5,000-40 in 2011. |
| 37 | Robert Griffin III | QB | WAS | The No. 1 question mark in fantasy. |
| 38 | Victor Cruz | WR | NYG | Will the Giants pay him? |
| 39 | Eric Decker | WR | DEN | |
| 40 | Randall Cobb | WR | GB | His role should only increase in '13. |
| 41 | Wes Welker | WR | NE | If not Patriots, where will he end up? |
| 42 | Marques Colston | WR | NO | When healthy, he produces. |
| 43 | Darren McFadden | RB | OAK | Will he ever stay healthy? |
| 44 | Hakeem Nicks | WR | NYG | Another one who's been held back by injuries. |
| 45 | Andrew Luck | QB | IND | Reunited with Stanford OC. |
| 46 | Mike Wallace | WR | PIT | His 2013 team will dictate potential value. |
| 47 | Michael Crabtree | WR | SF | Kaepernick's clear-cut No. 1 target. |
| 48 | Tony Romo | QB | DAL | |
| 49 | Russell Wilson | QB | SEA | What can he do for an encore? |
| 50 | Colin Kaepernick | QB | SF | |
| 51 | Darren Sproles | RB | NO | Different player in '11 when Payton was HC. |
| 52 | Jordy Nelson | WR | GB | |
| 53 | Steve Smith | WR | CAR | |
| 54 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | RB | CIN | |
| 55 | Pierre Garcon | WR | WAS | Foot injury sidetracked first season in WAS. |
| 56 | Greg Jennings | WR | GB | Where will he end up? |
| 57 | Reggie Wayne | WR | IND | |
| 58 | Jason Witten | TE | DAL | |
| 59 | Ryan Mathews | RB | SD | His collarbone was not his friend last season. |
| 60 | David Wilson | RB | NYG | Came on strong late in the season, no more Bradshaw. |
| 61 | Aaron Hernandez | TE | NE | |
| 62 | Steven Jackson | RB | STL | Won't turn 30 until July. |
| 63 | Danario Alexander | WR | SD | |
| 64 | Reggie Bush | RB | MIA | Will he be his (new) team's No. 1 back in '13? |
| 65 | Willis McGahee | RB | DEN | |
| 66 | Mikel Leshoure | RB | DET | |
| 67 | Cecil Shorts | WR | JAC | |
| 68 | Eli Manning | QB | NYG | |
| 69 | Tony Gonzalez | TE | ATL | Will he back for another year? |
| 70 | Ben Roethlisberger | QB | PIT | |
| 71 | Stevie Johnson | WR | BUF | |
| 72 | T.Y. Hilton | WR | IND | |
| 73 | Andy Dalton | QB | CIN | |
| 74 | Torrey Smith | WR | BAL | |
| 75 | Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | Becomes No. 1 if Wallace doesn't stay. |
| 76 | Dwayne Bowe | WR | KC | Potential tied to 2013 team. |
| 77 | Brandon Lloyd | WR | NE | His role only increases should Welker leave. |
| 78 | Miles Austin | WR | DAL | |
| 79 | James Jones | WR | GB | |
| 80 | Lance Moore | WR | NO | |
| 81 | Mike Williams | WR | TB | |
| 82 | Danny Amendola | WR | STL | Another free agent who could be in new uni. |
| 83 | Josh Freeman | QB | TB | |
| 84 | Owen Daniels | TE | HOU | |
| 85 | Kyle Rudolph | TE | MIN | Established himself after Harvin's injury. |
| 86 | Greg Olsen | TE | CAR | |
| 87 | Jermaine Gresham | TE | CIN | |
| 88 | Matt Schaub | QB | HOU | |
| 89 | Joe Flacco | QB | BAL | Don't overrate SB MVP's fantasy value. |
| 90 | Justin Blackmon | WR | JAC | |
| 91 | Sidney Rice | WR | SEA | |
| 92 | Shonn Greene | RB | NYJ | His time is running out to prove he's a No. 1 back. |
| 93 | Jacquizz Rodgers | RB | ATL | Should see even more touches in '13. |
| 94 | Jeremy Maclin | WR | PHI | Which Eagle WR benefits most from Kelly's system? |
| 95 | DeSean Jackson | WR | PHI | |
| 96 | Vick Ballard | RB | IND | |
| 97 | Knowshon Moreno | RB | DEN | Effective after McGahee went down until he got hurt too. |
| 98 | Kenny Britt | WR | TEN | Could be running out of time/chances w/ Titans. |
| 99 | Denarius Moore | WR | OAK | |
| 100 | Josh Gordon | WR | CLE | |
| 101 | Philip Rivers | QB | SD | Can McCoy/Whisenhunt turn him around? |
| 102 | Ahmad Bradshaw | RB | NYG | Will be looking for new team after Giants released him. |
| 103 | Jay Cutler | QB | CHI | Can Trestman make him better? |
| 104 | Dennis Pitta | TE | BAL | |
| 105 | Vernon Davis | TE | SF | He and Kaepernick started clicking late. |
| 106 | Antionio Gates | TE | SD | Days as elite option are well pas him. |
| 107 | Michael Vick | QB | PHI | Won't know for sure until '13 team is determined. |
| 108 | Jonathan Dwyer | RB | PIT | Steelers have to figure backfield out. |
| 109 | Jonathan Stewart | RB | CAR | If he or Williams is traded, their ranks change. |
| 110 | DeAngelo Williams | RB | CAR | |
| 111 | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | PIT | |
| 112 | Michael Turner | RB | ATL | Veteran no longer a viable every-week starter. |
| 113 | Vincent Brown | WR | SD | Broken ankle wiped out last season. |
| 114 | Bilal Powell | RB | NYJ | Could get No. 1 job if Greene doesn't return. |
| 115 | Mark Ingram | RB | NO | |
| 116 | Carson Palmer | QB | OAK | His weapons couldn't stay healthy last season. |
| 117 | Martellus Bennett | TE | NYG | Free agent, keep eye on where he lands. |
| 118 | Seattle | DST | SEA | |
| 119 | Denver | DST | DEN | |
| 120 | Bernard Pierce | RB | BAL | Got his number called often late in the season. |
| 121 | Daryl Richardson | RB | STL | He and Pead will fight for carries if SJax leaves. |
| 122 | Brian Hartline | WR | MIA | |
| 123 | Kendall Wright | WR | TEN | Can he build off of respectable rookie season? |
| 124 | Chris Givens | WR | STL | |
| 125 | Sam Bradford | QB | STL | |
| 126 | Heath Miller | TE | PIT | How quickly can be bounce back from ACL injury? |
| 127 | Brandon Myers | TE | OAK | |
| 128 | San Francisco | DST | SF | |
| 129 | Jermichael Finley | TE | GB | |
| 130 | Brent Celek | TE | PHI | |
| 131 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | BUF | May not even be the Bills' starter in Week 1. |
| 132 | Cincinnati | DST | CIN | Young Bengals should only get better. |
| 133 | Houston | DST | HOU | |
| 134 | Anquan Boldin | WR | BAL | Veteran may have played his last game for Ravens. |
| 135 | Santonio Holmes | WR | NYJ | |
| 136 | Brandon LaFell | WR | CAR | |
| 137 | Golden Tate | WR | SEA | |
| 138 | Andre Roberts | WR | ARI | |
| 139 | Chicago | DST | CHI | Don't count on repeat of last year's fantasy output. |
| 140 | Michael Floyd | WR | ARI | |
| 141 | Alshon Jeffery | WR | CHI | |
| 142 | Jarius Wright | WR | MIN | He and Harvin could be dangerous combo. |
| 143 | DuJuan Harris | RB | GB | Took advantage of injuries to be a factor late. |
| 144 | Brandon Pettigrew | TE | DET | |
| 145 | Dwayne Allen | TE | IND | |
| 146 | Beanie Wells | RB | ARI | Never has proven he can stay healthy. |
| 147 | Ryan Williams | RB | ARI | Still not sure what he's capable of. |
| 148 | San Diego | DST | SD | |
| 149 | Christian Ponder | QB | MIN | |
| 150 | Pittsburgh | DST | PIT | Veteran unit starting to show its age. |
| 151 | New England | DST | NE | |
| 152 | Nick Foles | QB | PHI | Will be he Kelly's guy? |
| 153 | Jake Locker | QB | TEN | Can he take that next step in '13? |
| 154 | Ryan Tannehill | QB | MIA | |
| 155 | Jared Cook | TE | TEN | Where will he play in '13? |
| 156 | Jacob Tamme | TE | DEN | |
| 157 | Mohamed Sanu | WR | CIN | Opportunity knocks for someone to pair w/ Green. |
| 158 | Malcom Floyd | WR | SD | |
| 159 | Emmanuel Sanders | WR | PIT | |
| 160 | Darrius Heyward-Bey | WR | OAK | |
| 161 | Jon Baldwin | WR | KC | If Bowe leaves, Baldwin becomes No. 1? |
| 162 | Donnie Avery | WR | IND | |
| 163 | Andrew Hawkins | WR | CIN | |
| 164 | Lamar Miller | RB | MIA | |
| 165 | Ben Tate | RB | HOU | |
| 166 | Bryce Brown | RB | PHI | Kelly used two backs at Oregon. |
| 167 | Dexter McCluster | WR | KC | |
| 168 | Cleveland Browns | DST | CLE | |
| 169 | LaMichael James | RB | SF | Has he replaced Hunter as 49ers' No. 2? |
| 170 | Ronnie Hillman | RB | DEN | |
| 171 | Isaiah Pead | RB | STL | |
| 172 | Nate Washington | WR | TEN | |
| 173 | Scott Chandler | TE | BUF | |
| 174 | Coby Fleener | TE | IND | Somewhat of a disappointment in his rookie season. |
| 175 | Atlanta Falcons | DST | ATL | |
| 176 | Joique Bell | RB | DET | |
| 177 | Andre Brown | RB | NYG | Probably been passed by Wilson on depth chart. |
| 178 | Lance Kendricks | TE | STL | |
| 179 | Blair Walsh | K | MIN | Rookie's big leg made big first impression. |
| 180 | Stephen Gostkowski | K | NE | |
| 181 | Michael Bush | RB | CHI | |
| 182 | Baltimore Ravens | DST | BAL | This unit will look different in '13. |
| 183 | Daniel Thomas | RB | MIA | |
| 184 | Shane Vereen | RB | NE | Had big game against Texans in playoffs. |
| 185 | Jason Avant | WR | PHI | |
| 186 | Marcel Reece | RB | OAK | |
| 187 | Fred Davis | TE | WAS | His tenure w/ Redskins may be over. |
| 188 | Kendall Hunter | RB | SF | |
| 189 | New York Jets | DST | NYJ | |
| 190 | Matt Bryant | K | ATL | |
| 191 | Shayne Graham | K | HOU | |
| 192 | Mark Sanchez | QB | NYJ | No Tebow, no more excuses in '13. |
| 193 | St. Louis Rams | DST | STL | |
| 194 | Robert Turbin | RB | SEA | |
| 195 | Donald Brown | RB | IND | |
| 196 | Jason Hanson | K | DET | |
| 197 | Mike Tolbert | RB | CAR | |
| 198 | Matt Flynn | QB | SEA | Will he be with a new team in '13? |
| 199 | Arizona Cardinals | DST | ARI | |
| 200 | Matt Cassel | QB | KC | Will Reid even give him a chance? |
Rankings are based upon Athlon Sports' standard scoring system:
OFFENSIVE SCORING
All touchdowns are 6 points
1 point for 25 yards passing
1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving
Receptions are .5 points
Interceptions/fumbles are minus-2 points
