Earlier this week, we took a way-too-early look at the projected 2012 first round in fantasy football. There are a bunch of fresh names in there, which means some of the mainstays must be gone.
Here are some highly-touted players from 2011 that will need to be avoided in 2012:
1. Adrian Peterson — Tore his ACL on Christmas Eve, making him a strong candidate to start the 2012 season on the PUP list. Toby Gerhart will be asked to at least carry a portion of the load even when Peterson gets back.
2. Jamaal Charles — Tore his ACL on Sept. 18. He may be ready for Week 1, but the Chiefs are expected to add talent to the running back spot this offseason.
3. Chris Johnson — Lost some of his speed and all of his motivation after getting his monster contract. Too much risk here for a Round 1 pick again.
4. Darren McFadden — That mid-foot sprain turned into a Lisfranc injury, the Raiders fired Hue Jackson and Michael Bush may be retained via the franchise tag. Not good.
5. Rashard Mendenhall — Tore his ACL in Week 17 and we know Isaac Redman can really play.
6. Roddy White — Julio Jones is a better talent and Roddy is on the downslope of his career.
7. Michael Turner — Holy cow, it’s hard to watch Turner run. His speed through the hole is embarrassing. The Falcons need to explore other options to jumpstart their running game next year.
8. Frank Gore — No longer part of the passing game and no longer explosive either, a la Turner. Stay away.
