FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT KIT

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.

Barth has spent parts of two seasons with the Chiefs and Bucs; in 19 games he’s amassed a total of 108 points, which—even if they had all come in one 16-game span—still wouldn’t push him into the top dozen fantasy kickers. The Buccaneers offense projects to be on the upswing with Josh Freeman throwing to a pair of rookie wideouts, but that’s hardly enough firepower to warrant fantasy consideration for Barth.

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?

How tough is it kicking for the Rams? Consider that Brown has had 35 PAT attempts since joining the Rams in 2008; that number, were it a one-season total, would still have ranked only 14th last year. Brown didn’t help himself by dipping below the 80% accuracy mark for the first time since 2005, but even if he bounces back there simply isn’t enough firepower in St. Louis to make him worth a look on drauction day

“Sleeper kicker” is a bit of an oxymoron—usually everyone in your draft is asleep by the time kickers start going off the board—but if there is such a thing Bryant would certainly qualify. He’s just two and three years removed from 131- and 118-point seasons in Tampa Bay, seasons in which he converted better than 84 percent of his kicks. A groin injury essentially cost him his job with the Buccaneers, and he eventually landed in Atlanta for the final five games of the season. The Falcons offense is solid, and if Bryant bounces back to his Buccaneer levels he could be a sneaky source of fantasy points.

Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? Don’t worry, he won’t be an unknown for long; after the nightmare that was Nick Folk a year ago, Cowboy fans will be quick to embrace Buehler—or run him out of town if he misses as frequently as Folk did. A little background on Buehler, who has never attempted a place kick in the NFL: not only was he the kickoff specialist at USC, notching 69 touchbacks (including 48 as a senior), he also played fullback, safety, and on coverage units. He converted 26 of 33 field goal attempts for the Trojans, a 78 percent clip that makes the 64% Folk posted in 2009 look every bit as bad as it was. The Cowboys’ offense should provide Buehler with ample opportunity to score; last year Dallas kickers tallied 101 points despite missing a third of their three-pointers. That big leg could come into play as well with some long distance treys, but Dallas will be perfectly happy if he hits three-fourths of his chip shots.

Carpenter quietly sports the second-highest accuracy percentage in NFL history, not to mention two 100-point seasons in as many NFL campaigns. With the Miami offense improving, Carpenter could be in line for a sneakily productive fantasy season as well. Don’t let visits to New York in December and Foxborough in January scare you; Carpenter has never missed a kick in a game played at temperatures of 61 degrees or cooler.

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.

(-Risk) Cundiff hasn’t held a 16-game kicking job since 2004 in Dallas, due in no small part to a career accuracy rate of just 73.6%. He actually had great success in Cleveland, making all six of his field goal attempts, but none was longer than 31 yards and the Browns turned their kicking chores back to Phil Dawson when he was healthy. Cundiff landed in Baltimore, where he missed five field goal attempts in seven games—enough, apparently, to earn him the job heading into 2010. The Ravens provide their kickers with a steady diet of opportunities, but if Cundiff continues to miss a quarter of his kicks he’ll be looking for a fifth NFL employer sooner rather than later.

Barth has spent parts of two seasons with the Chiefs and Bucs; in 19 games he’s amassed a total of 108 points, which—even if they had all come in one 16-game span—still wouldn’t push him into the top dozen fantasy kickers. The Buccaneers offense projects to be on the upswing with Josh Freeman throwing to a pair of rookie wideouts, but that’s hardly enough firepower to warrant fantasy consideration for Barth.

Feely has reached triple-digit points at three of his four NFL stops, but he’s pulling into Arizona at the wrong time. The Cardinals’ steady diet of PATs is likely to decline with Matt Leinart at the controls rather than Kurt Warner, and the field goal attempts that have already been dipping probably won’t turn around real soon, either. Feely’s accuracy has also been sliding since peaking at 91% in 2007 with the Dolphins. Lower accuracy, fewer attempts, and an offense that’s heading in the wrong direction; that’s hardly a recipe for fantasy kicking success.

Nick’s Folk story in Dallas did not have a happy ending; he missed seven of his last 11 field goal attempts—at least one a game from Week 10 on—and was kicked to the curb with two weeks left in the season. His collapse was somewhat surprising given that he had hit 90 and 83 percent of his kicks the previous two seasons, but he’ll get another chance with the Jets. It’s a golden opportunity, given that only two teams have provided more field goal opportunities over the past three seasons. It’s also an odd fit, given that Folk has made 92 percent of his kicks at temperatures 41 and above—and 63 percent in colder weather. Despite the presence of a Super Bowl in New York, it does get chilly there; in fact, after a November 7 game in Detroit Folk will be kicking in nothing but cold weather the rest of the way: New York four times, Foxborough, Pittsburgh, and Chicago

The Redskins actually ranked near the top of the league in field goal opportunities in 2007 and 2008, though last year they fell off dramatically. Exit Shaun Suisham, who got the boot despite an overall accuracy rate of 85 percent after missing potential game-winners against the Cowboys and Saints. Enter Gano, who kicked the Las Vegas Locomotives to the UFL title and made all four of his field goal attempts after joining the ‘Skins late in the 2009 season. The Scottish lad will have to hold off a challenge from former Chief/Ram/Argonaut Medlock, but regardless of who wins the battle there’s unlikely to be significant fantasy value here.

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?

Gould peaked with 146 points in 2006; since then he’s seen his point total drop steadily each year, even though his accuracy has remained north of 85 percent. The Bears haven’t done a great job of providing him with opportunities, and while Mike Martz’s arrival in the Windy City has cranked up the hype it’s difficult to see that changing dramatically overnight. Don’t let a schedule that has Gould kicking outdoors in Chicago or Green Bay four of the final six weeks: he’s made 85 percent of his career kicks outdoors, 90 percent of his tries when the temperature is 21 or lower, and all five of his field goal attempts when there’s precipitation.

The Lions have made some boneheaded draft picks in their history, but taking Hanson in the second round of the 1992 Draft is most certainly not one of them. However, after back-to-back 88-point campaigns Hanson is barely clinging to fantasy relevancy. It’s going to take a Pulp Fiction-like shot of adrenaline to the heart of the Lions offense to make Hanson worthy of consideration on draft day. Jahvid Best could help provide that shot, but even if you’re bullish on the Lions this year you can wait until Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson prove worthy of the faith before pulling the trigger on Hanson.

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.

Seabass hasn’t reached triple digits since the 2004 season, but that didn’t stop the Raiders from making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. While a three-year skid in which he missed nearly a third of his field goal attempts appears to be a thing of the past—he hit almost 90 percent of his kicks last year—the Raiders simply haven’t given him scoring opportunities. An upgrade at quarterback might help kick-start the Oakland offense, but it’s going to take a Gus the Field Goal Kicking Mule-type of kick to boost Janikowski into fantasy relevance.

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.

Kasay’s NFL career began when this year’s draft class was still in diapers, and it’s had plenty of ups (145 points in 1996, 130 in 2008) and downs (11 seasons in which he’s failed to reach triple digits, including two of the last three). Even if the wily veteran does have something left in the tank for his 20th NFL season, tacking on points for a Carolina offense that will be helmed, one way or another, by an inexperienced quarterback hardly promises to send Kasey back up the roller coaster of his career.

Lindell has hovered around the brink of fantasy relevance for the bulk of his career, finishing 12th and 11th in kicker scoring the past two seasons. But he’s five years removed from the last time he cracked the top 10, and Buffalo’s offense doesn’t appear to be rekindling memories of Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas any time soon. It remains to be seen how the loss of special teams guru Bobby April might impact Lindell, but it certainly doesn’t help to brighten his blip on the fantasy radar.

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.

Mare apparently peaked at the turn of the century with his 144-point season in Miami; since then he hasn’t exceeded the relatively pedestrian total of 117—even last year, when his accuracy returned to the 90-percent range for the first time in eight years. Nothing in Pete Carroll’s offense suggests the Seahawks will suddenly provide Mare with a dramatic uptick in scoring opportunities, so unless you’re into mediocre you’ll want to look elsewhere for your fantasy kicker.

Mare apparently peaked at the turn of the century with his 144-point season in Miami; since then he hasn’t exceeded the relatively pedestrian total of 117—even last year, when his accuracy returned to the 90-percent range for the first time in eight years. Nothing in Pete Carroll’s offense suggests the Seahawks will suddenly provide Mare with a dramatic uptick in scoring opportunities, so unless you’re into mediocre you’ll want to look elsewhere for your fantasy kicker.

(-Risk) Nugent has the early lead on Rayner for the kicking job in Cincinnati, in no small part because a hip injury has prevented Rayner from joining in the competition. That might be what Nugent needs; nothing in the resume of the former second-round pick of the Jets suggests he’s going to run away with the job outright. A career 79 percent accuracy rate and a personal best of 110 points offer no reason to get excited; neither does a schedule that keeps the Bengals outdoors in cold climates from November 21st on.

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.

(-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.

Reed has seemed to master the intricacies of kicking at Heinz Field, as evidenced by his 18-for-19 showing there last year. Unfortunately, that aptitude will be thwarted by a Steelers offense that will be without Ben Roethlisberger for the first month or so. While that may not seem like a big deal, it could be enough to bump Reed from “quirky but steady fringe fantasy contributor” status to “nutjob psycho who’s one more drunk and disorderly away from a suspension and whose mid-range contributions don’t warrant the trouble” status.

Scobee still hasn’t found his groove since missing half of the 2007 season with injuries. He’s madejust 69 percent of his field goal attempts the past two seasons, and when you’re toiling for an offense that isn’t exactly providing a plethora of opportunities you can’t afford to come away empty-handed that frequently. Scobee hasn’t had a triple-digit season since 2006, and he’s a strong bet to extend that streak in 2010.

Succop surpassed former Colts and Giants fullback Jim Finn as the highest-scoring Mr. Irrelevant two games into his career, then went on to set an NFL record for rookie kicker accuracy and a team record for rookie scoring. If you see a dramatic uptick in the Chiefs’ offensive prowess this season then you should consider Succop as a fantasy option, but you can probably take a wait-and-see approach with Kansas City’s scoring before you need to make a move on Succop.

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.

In the “don’t bother thinking about it” world of fantasy kickers, it was easy to slot whomever was tacking points on for the Colts at or near the top of the list and move on to more important matters. But with Vinatieiri coming off hip and knee issues that limited him to just six games last season and produced his lowest accuracy mark since 2003, it’s no longer a given. The Colts are still providing plenty of PAT opportunities but have averaged just 25 field goal attempts per season over the past three years. And if My Cousin Vinny isn’t hitting better than 80 percent of those reduced number of trey tries he’s no longer a fantasy helper. Distance leaguers, it’s worth noting that Vinatieri is just two of nine from 50 yards and out—and it’s taken seven seasons to amass those nine long-distance attempts.