If you participate in a dynasty league, you likely aren’t drafting this year. You are selecting rookies and players who may not have been on a roster at the end of last season. But all dynasty leagues have to start sometime, and many will begin in 2012. When drafting a dynasty team, you will certainly want to consult the standard fantasy football rankings for this year. Of course you want to be mindful of the future but you also want to win now. You want players that will give you a shot to take the title immediately. But since there are future seasons to consider, you want to tweak the 2012 rankings slightly to give more value to players who will benefit you down the line. You’ll notice that quarterbacks and wide receivers are valued more heavily here than in my standard rankings. This is of course because they typically have much longer fantasy careers than running backs. The wideouts and signal-callers at the top of this draft list should provide value not just in 2012 but in 1016 and beyond. If your dynasty league is already under way, you can use these rankings to judge trades.
| RANK | NAME | POSITION | TEAM | AGE | COMMENTS |
| 1 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | GB | 28 | Lock up a top quarterback for the next seven years. This is a no-brainer. |
| 2 | Calvin Johnson | WR | DET | 26 | Receivers have much longer lifespans than running backs. Johnson will be first rounder for a long time. |
| 3 | AJ Green | WR | CIN | 24 | Already a top tier receiver. He will be around for a while. |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy | RB | PHI | 24 | You have to balance this year against the future. McCoy gives you both. |
| 5 | Hakeem Nicks | WR | NYG | 24 | Improved every year so far. Nicks will give you production for many years. |
| 6 | Arian Foster | RB | HOU | 25 | Take the win this year if you can get it. |
| 7 | Jimmy Graham | TE | NO | 25 | Do you want to lock up tight end for the next decade? Graham is your guy. |
| 8 | Ray Rice | RB | BAL | 25 | At least three years of top production left. |
| 9 | Matt Stafford | QB | DET | 24 | He's already there. Stafford to Johnson will be a connection for the ages. |
| 10 | Ryan Matthews | RB | SD | 25 | He will grow with this offense. |
| 11 | Cam Newton | QB | CAR | 23 | He may slightly disappoint this year. But he will only get better. |
| 12 | Darren McFadden | RB | OAK | 25 | Some years, he may be injured. In the long run, he'll win you weeks. |
| 13 | Adrian Peterson | RB | MIN | 29 | You probably get at least 8 games of a solid AD in 2012. Then you get another 2-3 years. |
| 14 | Greg Jennings | WR | GB | 28 | With service from Rodgers, Jennings is a lock to produce each year. |
| 15 | Brandon Marshall | WR | CHI | 28 | Even in bad situations, Marshall gets you 1,000 yards. |
| 16 | Larry Fitzgerald | WR | ARI | 28 | There is a good chance that things will be brighter for Fitzgerald in 2014. |
| 17 | Jamaal Charles | RB | KC | 27 | A new quarterback in KC in 2013 could up the value of Charles significantly. |
| 18 | Matt Forte | RB | CHI | 26 | With the defenses in the NFC North, Chicago is the place to be for running backs in the near future. |
| 19 | Tom Brady | QB | NE | 34 | Still 3-4 years left in this beast. |
| 20 | Maurice Jones-Drew | RB | JAC | 27 | He's got 2012, and most likely 2 of the following 3 years. |
| 21 | Dez Bryant | WR | DAL | 23 | He's made a logical progression in his first two years. Unrealistic expectations will get you a star on the cheap. |
| 22 | Julio Jones | WR | ATL | 23 | Showed raw talent in his rookie campaign. If he gets it all together, a force for a decade. |
| 23 | Drew Brees | QB | NO | 33 | As with Brady, he'll guide your team for a few years. Then grab a young gun in 2016. |
| 24 | Mike Wallace | WR | PIT | 26 | Regardless of what team he ends up on in 2013, Wallace has talent. |
| 25 | Chris Johnson | RB | TEN | 26 | Should continue to produce 1,000 yards for the foreseeable future. |
| 26 | Roddy White | WR | ATL | 30 | Receivers typically produce into their thirties. |
| 27 | Phil Rivers | QB | SD | 28 | His worst year placed him in the top ten. |
| 28 | DeMarco Murray | RB | DAL | 24 | Not proven yet, but does figure heavily in the Cowboys near future. |
| 29 | Eli Manning | QB | NYG | 31 | In dynasty, you can keep your qb till he's 35. |
| 30 | Tony Romo | QB | DAL | 32 | Keep an eye on your future in dynasty, but win now first. |
| 31 | Andre Johnson | WR | HOU | 31 | Injuries are mounting, but there is still a time for AJ to thrive. |
| 32 | Vincent Jackson | WR | TB | 29 | Over the next five years, he will have better scenarios than the one he walks into this season. |
| 33 | Aaron Hernandez | TE | NE | 22 | The Pats have implied they want Hernandez to fill the Welker role. |
| 34 | Marshawn Lynch | RB | SEA | 26 | Beast Mode should help you somewhere along the line. |
| 35 | Jeremy Maclin | WR | PHI | 24 | More value down the line than Desean Jackson. |
| 36 | Stevie Johnson | WR | BUF | 26 | Should mature over the next few years. |
| 37 | Steven Jackson | RB | STL | 29 | Younger than you'd think, SJAX may have a few years left in the tank. |
| 38 | Trent Richardson | RB | CLE | 21 | Taking rookies for the long haul is risky. Richardson might be the exception. |
| 39 | Jay Culter | QB | CHI | 29 | Just coming into his own as a top-notch qb. |
| 40 | Antonio Brown | WR | PIT | 24 | Wallace will be gone by 2013. Brown will be the guy for years. |
| 41 | Miles Austin | WR | DAL | 29 | He'll be around for a while. |
| 42 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | NE | 23 | For the long haul I don't trust this fragile but talented player. |
| 43 | Marques Colston | WR | NE | 29 | He's the number two, but on an offense that can support two stars for the foreseeable future. |
| 44 | Fred Jackson | RB | DEN | 31 | Surprisingly old, but 2012 counts in dynasty leagues. |
| 45 | Ben Tate | RB | HOU | 23 | Talented young ball-carrier could end up anywhere in the next few years. |
| 46 | Dwayne Bowe | WR | KC | 27 | If you can sit through this year, Bowe just might find himself in a better situation. |
| 47 | Jermichael Finley | TE | GB | 25 | Should put up solid numbers at the tight end spot every year with Rodgers. And if he learns to catch…. |
| 48 | Justin Blackmon | WR | JAC | 22 | Unproven in the NFL but showed tons of talent in college. Gabbart will improve or lose his job. Either way, Blackmon looks good down the road. |
| 49 | Rashard Mendenhall | RB | PIT | 25 | Will miss time this year. Will produce the following few years at a discount. Track his Injury |
| 50 | Victor Cruz | WR | NYG | 25 | If 2011 wasn't a fluke, Cruz is one to hang on to. |
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