Fantasy Football Drafts are looming right around the corner and there’s plenty of research to be done. Luckily for you, The Sports Bank has you covered with updated rankings for the 2011 season.
This week, we take a look at the kicker position. Whether you’re in a super-competitive league or one of those leagues that doesn’t really matter, here’s all you need to know about the top 30 field-goal machines in the game of fantasy.
Fantasy Elites
– These are the players that should be gone in the late rounds of almost any league. In my opinion, these are the only kickers that are worth drafting before the last two rounds of any draft. (BW = Bye Week)
1.) Nate Kaeding (San Diego Chargers – BW: 6) – Similar to teammate Antonio Gates (#1 ranked TE), Kaeding is simply the best at what he does. Five double-digit performances in 2010 is enough for me to put one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers right at the top.
2.) Rob Bironas (Tennessee Titans – BW: 6) – Bironas is one of those guys who doesn’t let his fantasy owners down. Despite being part of a terrible Titans team, Bironas still chipped a solid 7.5 fantasy points per contest in 2010.
3.) Neil Rackers (Houston Texans – BW: 11) – If you want consistency, you should draft Rackers. He was a force in Arizona and now is showing his value on an up-and-coming Houston team.
4.) Josh Brown (St. Louis Rams – BW: 5) – Brown rounds out the elite kickers because the Rams are never scared to send the guy out for a field goal. Luckily for his fantasy owners, he makes considerably more than he misses.
Fantasy Second Tier
– These players are on the brink of becoming elite and may be a season or two from getting there or just recently leaving their elite status. Fantasy-wise, these kickers can surely get you through the year and quite possibly bring you greatness at the position.
5.) Sebastian Janikowski – (Oakland Raiders – BW: 8) – Last season’s top kicker (9.4 fantasy points per game) looks to defend his crown and bust into the class of elite kickers.
6.) Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers – BW: 8) – With the Packers offense being so high-powered, the question is whether Crosby will get his field goal attempts and when he does, will he make them?
7.) Garrett Hartley (New Orleans Saints – BW: 11) – When Hartley’s on, he’s good. When he’s not, he’s bad.
8.) Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots – BW: 7) – Similar to the Packers, the Patriots have a super efficient offense. Expect Gostkowski to rack up a lot of PAT’s and see the occasional field goal.
The Rest
– Getting risky now as you may have to play the spot-start game or rely on two different of the following kickers.
9.) Billy Cundiff (Baltimore Ravens – BW:5)
10.) Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts – BW: 11)
11.) Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons – BW: 8)
12.) Dan Carpenter (Miami Dolphins – BW: 5)
13.) Alex Henery (Philadelphia Eagles – BW: 7)
14.) Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears – BW: 8)
15.) Nick Folk (New York Jets – BW: 8)
16.) Jay Feely (Arizona Cardinals – BW: 6)
17.) David Buehler (Dallas Cowboys – BW: 5)
18.) Ryan Longwell (Minnesota Vikings – BW: 9)
19.) Jason Hanson (Detroit Lions – BW: 9)
20.) Ryan Succop (Kansas City Chiefs – BW: 6)
21.) Jeff Reed (San Francisco 49ers – BW: 7)
22.) Lawrence Tynes (New York Giants – BW: 7)
23.) Matt Prater (Denver Broncos – BW: 6)
24.) David Akers (San Francisco 49ers – BW: 7)
25.) Shayne Graham (Washington Redskins – BW: 5)
26.) Shaun Suisham (Pittsburgh Steelers – BW: 11)
27.) Phil Dawson (Cleveland Browns – BW: 5)
28.) Josh Scobee (Jacksonville Jaguars – BW: 9)
29.) Rian Lindell (Buffalo Bills – BW: 7)
30.) Olindo Mare (Carolina Panthers – BW: 9)
Do you disagree with any of my rankings? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.
Fantasy Research Archive:
2011 Fantasy Football Top 30 By Position (Quarterbacks)
2011 Fantasy Football Top 30 By Position (Running Backs)
2011 Fantasy Football Top 30 By Position (Wide Receivers)
2011 Fantasy Football Top 30 By Position (Tight Ends)
2011 Fantasy Football Top 30 By Position (Defense/Special Teams)