RG3, sprained but willing (USA Today Sports Images)

First of all, this is one of those posts that we intend not as a lecture, but a discussion. I don't claim any special access or insider knowledge where the Washington Redskins are  concerned, and I'll freely admit that I was way too conservative in my forecast for Robert Griffin III entering the year.

As of this moment, Griffin is the top-scoring fantasy entity in standard leagues, regardless of position. It's easy to build a case for him as this season's fantasy MVP, based on year-to-date performance and draft value. He's awesome. A special dual-threat talent, gifted with almost unlimited fantasy potential. I have nothing bad to say about the player. He's returned a ridiculous profit for those who drafted him.

But RG3 owners nonetheless face a dilemma this week, as a result of this nasty hit from Week 14. Griffin, as everyone now knows, managed to escape that horrific play with merely an LCL sprain — not a trivial injury, obviously, but we feared much worse last Sunday.

Danario Alexander (USA Today Sports Images)

If there's one thing you can count on from NFL analysts, it's this: Every year, we declare that there's never been a season like the current one. So loaded with surprises. So full of unimaginable events. Who could have predicted any of this? No one.

Of course this is the stance most of us have to take, because it's our job to predict things, and the NFL remains stubbornly unpredictable. The only thing truly consistent about the modern league, year to year, is its tendency to shock us. (Well, that and the Patriots. But they were clearly sent by Skynet).

Today, our mission is to discuss the biggest breakout stars and surprises of 2012 (five of each), with a few thoughts on their fantasy value next season — although you can obviously disregard anything we say about 2013, which will no doubt be the most ridiculously surprising year in league history. Just like every other year.

We begin with a player who didn't enter the season on anyone's sleeper list, because he wasn't even on an NFL roster...

Josh Gordon, your fantasy friend (USA Today Sports Images)

Programming note: It's a travel day for the author, so this week you're getting a just-the-facts version of Target Practice, free of bullets. I could have pushed this feature back a day, but I like to get the numbers posted before Tuesday's waiver deadline. You'll find both weekly and year-to-date target totals after the jump. But first, an important fantasy PSA about an under-owned receiver...

OK, so Cleveland rookie Josh Gordon may not have had a monster day in Week 14, but his 8-catch, 86-yard effort was useful enough. The key stat for Gordon on Sunday was his season-high 12 targets, which gives him 77 for the year and 33 over his last four games. The rookie is now on pace for a 900-yard campaign, yet, as of this writing, he's still available in 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

[Outside the Game: Redskins rookie RB Alfred Morris stays humble]

I realize that thousands of fake teams shut down in the final weeks of each season, but I'd like to think that we still have enough active owners out there to boost Gordon's ownership into a proper range — let's say north of 60 percent. He'll face Washington in Week 15, the league's 31st ranked pass defense, so the match-up ahead is plenty friendly. He'll be a top-24 receiver on my board, easy.

If Gordon sees another double-digit target total — and he hasn't drawn less than seven in any game since Week 9 — we're in for a big day. Use as needed, gamers.

F-Jax and CJ, pregame (USA Today Sports Images)

Within the fantasy community (and probably within the global community of Bills fans), there's been much consternation this season regarding the Buffalo backfield. It's been a year-long issue, with only occasional breaks.

Fred Jackson, when healthy, receives a larger share of the touches. CJ Spiller, however, has been substantially more productive. Jackson is averaging 3.8 yards per carry and 6.4 per catch; Spiller's averages are 6.6 and 10.4. And as we all learned late last season, when Fred was sidelined in the final weeks, Spiller's productivity doesn't really slip when he's seeing 15-20 touches per game. He's a terror, basically.

Well, following Buffalo's Week 14 loss to St. Louis, the team's backfield has become much simpler to read, for all the wrong reasons. The rushing workload will tilt heavily in favor of Spiller down the stretch, because Jackson sustained yet another injury, this time to his right knee. He'll miss "a minimum of two to three weeks" according to Bills head coach Chan Gailey.

Or, in other words, the remainder of the season.

Jackson is an easy guy to root for, so you hate to see his year conclude this way. This is an easy situation to spin for fantasy purposes, of course -- we've had the Jackson/Spiller fire drill a few times over the years. Spiller gets a serious bump in value, as he'll receive all the work he can handle in the closing weeks.

Cam Newton, piling up points (USA Today Sports Images)

Cam Newton accounted for 403 yards of offense in Week 14, rushing for 116, passing for 287, completing 23 of his 35 throws, and generally looking like a dual-threat fantasy monster. Newton gained 72 of Sunday's yards on this third quarter touchdown run, embarrassing the Falcons defense via read-option. He picked up another 53 on a fourth quarter screen pass to DeAngelo Williams that essentially clinched the win for Carolina.

Over the past four weeks, Cam has delivered eight passing TDs, three rushing scores and zero turnovers. He's now on pace to finish the season with 3,963 yards through the air and 788 on the ground, with 28 total touchdowns — not bad for a guy who, just a few weeks ago, seemed stuck in a sophomore slump.

Cam has favorable match-ups remaining with Oakland and New Orleans (Weeks 16-17), so there's a decent chance the second-half surge will continue, carrying his owners through the fantasy playoffs. If you bought low, congrats. We salute you. Take a victory lap, champ.

Newton was the top-scorer at his position in Week 12 (37.44 points), he finished second in Week 13 (29.08), and he's likely to lead the field again in Week 14 (37.08). So this is really an obscene scoring binge, with history-making potential. If you don't own Cam, let's hope you can avoid him in December.

RG3 under pressure, pre-injury (USA Today Sports Images)

The Redskins pulled off a remarkable comeback win on Sunday against the Ravens, but the game's outcome was overshadowed by a brutal injury to Washington's franchise quarterback, Robert Griffin III.

On second-and-19, inside the final two minutes of regulation, Griffin scrambled for a 13-yard gain, but he took a wicked hit from 340-pound Haloti Ngata at the end of the run, directly on his right knee. Here's a clip of the play. (Warning: It's nasty).

All-Day, beasting again (USA Today Sports Images)

As of this writing -- with the second quarter barely underway in Minnesota -- Adrian Peterson has already put 22.6 fantasy points on the board in standard scoring leagues. So his ridiculous season is getting a bit more ridiculous.

On the Vikings first two possessions, All-Day carried eight times for 74 yards, visiting the end zone twice. He's now up to 106 on 12 carries, extending his streak of 100-yard rushing efforts to seven games. 

Here's the highlight run, a 51-yard gain where Peterson made an inhuman cut, then absolutely humiliated Chris Conte via stiff-arm (pictured above).

Peterson of course entered the week as the NFL's leading rusher, so it's no great surprise to see another binge. Woe unto those facing him in the fantasy playoffs in Week 14. That probably won't end well. At this point, if the Bears can simply hold AP to, say, 200 yards and three scores, that would seem like a pretty remarkable feat.

James Starks, pre-injury (USA Today Images)Oh, wait, what? You weren't expecting to ride a James Starks surge in the fantasy playoffs?

OK then. In that case, your world won't be turned upside down by this latest Starks news, first reported on Tuesday by ESPN Milwaukee:

According to an NFL source, Starks was later diagnosed with a knee injury, suffered during Sunday's 23-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, and it's serious enough that he might not play again the rest of the season.

"It's not an ACL," the source said, adding that the early evaluation was that the injury would not require surgery.

So the hits just keep comin' for the Packers. This is obviously a tough break for the team and for Starks, who was coming off the best single-game fantasy performance of his career (82 scrimmage yards, TD). Alex Green presumably steps back into the featured role in Green Bay's backfield, where he's previously underwhelmed. The schedule ahead isn't ideal for the Pack, though the Week 16 home matchup vs. Tennessee is friendly enough.

Green Bay is reportedly about to pluck Ryan Grant off the discard pile, but fantasy owners don't need to react to that transaction.

In fact, if you just continue to dismiss the Packers running game altogether, you can probably still have a successful run through the fantasy playoffs. Moving on...