As we near fantasy football playoffs it is important to get a gauge of where your players are. The tendency, as always, is to start those with name recognition, but 2012 has been a much different monster than previous seasons. 

Rookie and unknowns are making their impacts felt around the world of fantasy football. Without a top-tier QB1 option? Well, maybe try your luck in the postseason with someone like Colin Kaepernick. Need a viable RB2 or FLEX option after yours fell the way of the injury plague? Bryce Brown might be a solid option . Need an under-the-radar wide receiver to step up and go from depth player on your roster to starter? Andre Roberts might be a solid add. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at the top 100 fantasy players through the first 12 weeks of the 2012 NFL season. 

* Alex Smith has been replaced as the 49ers starter by Colin Kaepernick

* Ben Roethlisberger has missed the last two games due to injury. 

* The statistics for Matt Ryan and Drew Brees reflect Thursday night's game. 

There are currently five quarterbacks in the top 12 that weren't considered starter quality fantasy players back in August. One of the most surprising, outside of Robert Griffin III, has to be considered Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals. He has been among the best QB1 options throughout the last couple weeks and should be able to help you a great deal moving forward if you decide to go with him over what was your QB1 entering the season. 

As I mentioned above, Colin Kaepernick, who faces some pretty bad pass defenses for the remainder of the season, could actually make or break your playoff hopes. This, of course, depending on whether you were lucky enough to pick him up off waivers a couple weeks back. If not, you might find yourself playing against a quarterback that will give your opponent points through the air and on the ground. 

RGIII has now joined Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers as the three best fantasy options this season. Drew Brees, by virtue of his last two performances (two touchdowns, seven interceptions) has fallen a bit. You simply cannot have a quarterback that throws interceptions at that pace and rely on him to provide you with consistent fantasy points. In fact, I would even draw the conclusion that Brees should be passed over for the remainder of the season if you have a viable QB2 option. Andy Dalton, the aforementioned Kaepernick as well as Cam Newton come to mind first. 

* Willis McGahee is out for the season with a torn MCL

* Both Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew have missed ample time with injuries.

* LeSean McCoy has missed the last two games with a concussion. 

Doug Martin as the No. 1 overall fantasy running back through 12 weeks? That has to be a typo, right? What "Muscle Hamster (don't tell him I said that) has done is simply remarkable. Without sounding too much like a bandwagon-jumper, which I am not, Martin should be able to keep this production up throughout the remainder of the season and into your fantasy football postseason. 

I would definitely caution against relying too much on Arian Foster, though considering where his ADP is at, you probably will have to. History tells us a story of running backs with a lot of carries slowing down towards the end of the season. Additionally, the Houston Texans are currently 10-1 and in great shape to earn the No. 1 playoff spot in the AFC. This seems to indicate that they will lower the amount of carries he sees moving forward. 

Adrian Peterson, on the other hand, has been the biggest fantasy running back surprise of them all. No one expected him to return to form like this after tearing up his right knee less than a year ago. What the future Hall of Fame running back has done is nothing short of extraordinary. 

One running back to keep a keen eye on down the stretch is Frank Gore, who still ranks sixth at that position in fantasy points. The San Francisco 49ers lost his primary backup Kendall Hunter to a season-ending injury against the New Orleans Saints last week. While Brandon Jacobs and LaMichael James might be decent options, expect Gore to carry the load in San Francisco's playoff run down the stretch. I am looking at huge production from the Pro Bowl running back. 

The wide receiver position represents the old guard meeting some of the new up-and-comers. While A.J. Green is the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver, the likes of Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson have made late pushes. Both of those two players should definitely bring you top-tier WR1 production down the stretch. 

Vincent Jackson makes me wonder if he was the real reason Philip Rivers was a Pro Bowl quarterback for the San Diego Chargers. What he has done with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thus far this season may lead me in that direction. Jackson is averaging over 20 yards a reception, something I think we can all agree is huge in fantasy football. Though his PPR numbers aren't too great, those big passes from ##Josh Freeman do come in handy. 

As I mentioned in a column yesterday, this has been a down season for fantasy tight end's. Just look at how Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis have fared this season. Equally as important, both Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski with the New England Patriots have struggled with injuries at times. 

Others up-and-coming players have been, well; Decent at best. Fred Davis has been lost for the season, while Brandon Pettigrew continues to struggle making a consistent fantasy impact. 

The one fantasy tight end that you can always count on is Tony Gonzalez, who continues to play at an extremely high level. I really wouldn't be doing a service here if I recommended anyone moving forward. Just go with your gut, my friends.