"Welcome to the sixth-annual Top-50 keepers spectacular. A few thoughts on the changing nature of NFL offenses before we get to the proceedings:

With three passers over 5,000 yards and another within 70 of reaching the mark, we realize 2011 was the year of the quarterback. Change happens quickly in the NFL, and last season brought a confluence from the lockout after-effects, illegal-contact rules inhibiting pass defenders, innovative play-callers, and a continuation of the trend away from workhorse running backs.

The league's two most prolific passers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, were buoyed by the acumen of their front office and coaching staff in targeting athletic tight ends and almost immediately exploiting mismatches and loopholes created by the strict rules limiting contact by linebackers by defensive backs at the point of the catch.

While the tight-end position has been revolutionized, fantasy football continues to witness the decline of the running-back driven draft. The league's most prescient coaches now institute plans to keep their most effective runners healthy for December and January through tandem attacks that play to a back's specific back's skill-set."