FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT KIT

There’s plenty to like about Gostkowski. He tacks on points for one of the more productive offenses in the game, has converted better than 86 percent of his field goal attempts over the past three seasons, and during that same span has ranked no worse than sixth in the league in scoring. If, however, the weather makes you squeamish, avert your gaze: after an October 24 game in San Diego, Gostkowski will be outside for nine of his next 10 games, visiting Cleveland and Pittsburgh in November and Chicago and Buffalo during the fantasy playoffs. Where’s that guy with the snowblower when you need him?

The last time we saw Kaeding he was being administered the Heimlich in the San Diego locker room following his three-miss fiasco in the Chargers’ 17-14 playoff loss. If your fantasy league factors in postseason performance you’ll want to avoid Kaeding; he’s missed at least one field goal in five of his eight playoff games (including three potential game-tying or game-winning boots) and sports a miserable 53% postseason accuracy rate. If the playoffs don’t matter in your league, forget all of the above: Kaeding is the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history (87.2%) and kicks for one of the league’s more potent offenses. If you want to come up with quibbles, consider that Kaeding closes the season in Cincinnati and Denver; he’s made just 65% of his kicks in temperatures 40 and below. Also, over the past 30 years no kicker has repeated as league scoring champ, and Kaeding finished first in 2009.

Crosby struggled with his midrange kicks last year, missing five of 14 attempts from 40-49 yards; still, that wasn’t enough to prevent him from finishing among the top seven point scores for the third straight season. He has a big leg, converting three of five from 50 and out last year, and has been given 17 attempts of 50 yards and beyond so he may be worth a little more in distance scoring leagues. He also toils for one of the league’s better offenses, one that’s produced an average of 36 field goal attempts and 48 PAT tries over the past three seasons. As an added bonus three of Crosby’s first four games following the Packers’ Week 10 bye will be played indoors, where he’s hit 91% of his career kicks. Even if Crosby converts at the same 75% clip he hit last year—lowest of his career and worst among the top dozen scoring kickers in the league—that still puts him in line for another top-five finish.

The Saints could have looked really foolish last year after kicking 21-year veteran John Carney to the curb in favor of Hartley late in the 2009 season. Instead, Hartley converted the overtime field goal that sent New Orleans to the Super Bowl, at which point the four-game suspension that opened his season was all but forgotten. Riding the wave of confidence that a clutch kick and a Super Bowl ring can bring, Hartley has the added bonus of tacking on points for the offense that produced the most extra point opportunities each of the past two seasons. Because he kicked in just five games last season, Hartley might not show up at the top of your kicker sort; however, it’s his job in New Orleans now, which means a boatload of point-scoring opportunities.

Akers hit a rough patch in the mid-oughts; his accuracy rate drifted down into the 75% range, he missed four games with an injury, and he averaged just 93 points per season over a three-year span. The past two years, however, have been much kinder with Akers setting and then resetting his career best points mark and ranking second in kicker scoring each of the past two seasons. Will the Philly offense be as productive with Kevin Kolb manning the wheel? Early expectations are “yes”, but even if the Eagles don’t generate as many touchdowns it could actually translate into more points (via field goals instead of PATs) for Akers. Don’t let a second-half schedule that includes four games in Philly and one each in Washington, Chicago, and New York scare you off; Akers is statistically a better kicker outdoors.

Longwell’s fantasy value is tied directly to his former Green Bay teammate; last year, with Brett Favre helming the Vikings’ offense, Longwell rode a career-high 54 PATs to a personal best of 132 points. Sure, Tarvaris Jackson instead of Favre could translate into more field goal attempts, but it would also mean fewer scoring chances in general. You might even be able to find a Favre-related reason Longwell posted the best accuracy rate (92.9%) of his career. Longwell is definitely enjoying the climate-controlled environment; he’s made eight straight from 50 yards and out and missed a total of nine indoor kicks since joining the Vikings four seasons ago. With that sort of track record, it’s worth noting that Longwell will play four of his final five games of the season inside.

Need a unique rationale to make the Glasgow-born Tynes your fantasy kicker? In the immortal words of Scott McBlottoson, if it ain’t Scottish it’s crap! Tynes has bounced back from a knee injury that relegated him to kickoff duties in 2008, posting his most productive campaign in 2009. There’s also the fact that Tynes has never missed an indoors kick, though it’s tempered by a schedule that has Tynes in a climate-controlled environment just once from Week 10 on.

(-Risk) Rackers will likely win the kicking competition now that Kris Brown has plantar fascitis in his foot. Rackers position may not be completely safe all season since the team was looking for deeper kickoffs.

Only three kickers have ranked in the top 10 in scoring each of the past three seasons; while the inclusion of Steven Gostkowski and Mason Crosby in that group should come as no surprise, the appearance of Bironas just might. Neither he nor the Tennessee offense are particularly sexy, but the Titans have fed Bironas a steady dose of attempts and he’s knocked them through at a steady mid-80s clip. Bironas isn’t the guy you have to leave your draft with, and it’s unlikely you’ll go out of your way to get him. But if you want to draft a kicker and put the position on autopilot (save, of course, for a Week 9 bye), Rob’s your guy. Hey, slow and steady worked out for the tortoise; why not for your fantasy squad?

Prater has been rock-solid in his two seasons since taking over as the Broncos placekicker, and both his accuracy and attempts increased last year. He has a big leg, which plays well in Denver’s high altitude; Prater has connected on seven of nine attempts from 50 yards and out the past two seasons. With Denver restructuring its offense around a young nucleus there may be some growing pains for Prater, though if you’re a glass-half-full type you’ll see those struggles as leading to more trey attempts. But considering that Denver’s offense paced Prater to a top-10 ranking last season, there’s little reason for anything other than optimism.