Last year, Andre Johnson was probably a late first-rounder or early second-rounder in the eyes of most fantasy players. He was a bit too risky for my taste.

This year, he may come at the price of a late second- or third-round choice. Virtually nothing about Johnson's upside has changed, and little about the risk involved has changed.

The 2012 campaign is shaping up as a great one in which to draft perhaps the best receiver in the league.

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Chris Johnson, via The Nashville Tennessean's Jim Wyatt, told his adoring public that he expects to be a big part of the offense this year. Duh. He also acknowledged that the O has become less run-centric since he arrived.

That isn't a bad thing for Johnson, who in 2012 is a good bet to return to the status of top-three fantasy back. The story reminded me of my affinity for Jake Locker, too, though.

Usually, when a team holds a legit QB competition in training camp, the horses are just a couple of fantasy ponies. That isn't really the case here, however.

The Tennessee Titans upgraded the passing game's weapons this offseason. Matt Hasselbeck was a decent QB2 on occasion in 2011, at least enough so that he could receive attention in deep leagues as a QB3. He qualifies as an aging colt. Locker, to me, looks like a thoroughbred of 2 1/2.

Saddle up. Locker is on my list of players worth a final-round stab in a 12-team league with 16-man rosters. He'd pay handsomely, like with 16 to 20 fantasy points a game, at least, if he were named the starter at any point, especially early on. He's a definite target in fantasy leagues that are any deeper than that.