FanHouse's crack squad of savvy fantasy football personnel put our five heads together and amassed consensus rankings for non-keeper, standard scoring leagues. We'll update as the season gets closer, but this is our "incredibly early yet still fun" version. Last season, the consensus top two picks pretty much anywhere you looked were Shayne Graham and Nick Folk. Folk's average draft position was utterly insane -- going as high as the 10th round in some leagues. Folk ended up 23rd in kicker points, while Graham ended up 30th.
Even though I'd rather outlaw the kicker from fantasy for life, I can't make you do that, but I will say absolutely do not draft one until the last round. This position should be an afterthought because there is simply too little predictable method to the madness.
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| Player |
Team |
| 1. Rob Bironas |
Titans |
| Good running game, good defense, decent-at-best passing game, strong and accurate kicker -- sounds like a winner. |
|
| 2008: 40 XP, 29-33 FG -- 15 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 2. Stephen Gostkowski |
Patriots |
| With a full season of Tom Brady -- remember, Matt Cassel struggled for the first few games -- extra points go up and field goals go down. |
|
| 2008: 40 XP, 36-40 FG -- 9 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 3. Mason Crosby |
Packers |
| Not many kickers have had a better first two seasons. |
|
| 2008: 46 XP, 27-34 FG -- 5 of 40-49, 3 of 50+ |
|
| 4. Robbie Gould |
Bears |
| I'll admit the Bears fan in me skewed this one because I ranked him first. The defense will improve, the offense will improve, and he rarely misses anything. He's a solid option. |
|
| 2008: 41 XP, 26-29 FG -- 8 of 40-49 |
|
| 5. David Akers |
Eagles |
| The Eagles offense is really good, but they do lack a true red-zone target. That bodes well for some FGs. |
|
| 2008: 45 XP, 33-40 FG -- 8 of 40-49, 2 of 50+ |
|
| 6. Neil Rackers |
Cardinals |
| This just in: The Cardinals can score some points. |
|
| 2008: 44 XP, 25-28 FG -- 6 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 7. Ryan Longwell |
Vikings |
| Only Jason Hanson hit more from 50+ last season, and the Vikings offense is now better. |
|
| 2008: 40 XP, 29-34 FG -- 6 of 40-49, 6 of 50+ |
|
| 8. Jason Elam |
Falcons |
| He's still reliable, but now he's indoors for more than half his games (they always visit New Orleans, remember). Very solid option. | |
| 2008: 42 XP, 29-31 FG -- 10 of 40-49, 1 50+ |
|
| 9. Nate Kaeding |
Chargers |
| He loses accuracy much more than others when the ball gets farther away from the goal-posts. Fortunately, the Chargers get him close often. | |
| 2008: 46 XP, 27-32 FG -- 3 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 10. Garrett Hartley |
Saints |
| His half-rookie year was unreal, and you know the Saints will be in scoring position very often. | |
| 2008: 28 XP, 13-13 FG -- 4 of 40-49 (only 8 games) |
|
| 11. Kris Brown |
Texans |
| Great offense plus not-so-great defense equals loads of points needed. |
|
| 2008: 37 XP, 29-33 FG -- 8 of 40-49, 2 of 50+ |
|
| 12. Adam Vinatieri |
Colts |
| His name exceeds his production anymore. Let someone else take him. |
|
| 2008: 43 XP, 20-25 FG -- 4 of 40-49, 2 of 50+ |
|
| 13. Nick Folk |
Cowboys |
| This year he actually holds great value. Many owners were stung by him last season and will look the other way. |
|
| 2008: 42 XP, 20-22 FG -- 10 of 40-49, 2 of 50+ |
|
| 14. Rian Lindell |
Bills |
| The Bills inconsistent offense hurt Lindell last year, but now they added T.O. |
|
| 2008: 34 XP, 30-38 FG -- 10 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 15. Shayne Graham |
Bengals |
| Getting Carson Palmer back is a huge step back in the right direction for this solid kicker. |
|
| 2008: 15 XP, 21-24 FG -- 9 of 40-49 |
|
| 16. Jeff Reed |
Steelers |
| Like Vinatieri, the name outperforms the on-field production. | |
| 2008: 36 XP, 27-31 FG -- 8 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 17. Matt Bryant |
Buccaneers |
| Needs to fend off Mike Nugent for the job. If he does, he's worth a look in all leagues. | |
| 2008: 35 XP, 32-38 FG -- 5 of 40-49 |
|
| 18. Josh Brown |
Rams |
| If you get bonus points for long field goals, he's a great option because the Rams' offense sucks. They'll claw their way to 40+ yard field goals all season. |
|
| 2008: 19 XP, 31-36 FG -- 10 of 40-49, 6 of 50+ |
|
| 19. John Kasay |
Panthers |
| He doesn't miss much. The question is, will the Panthers score too many TDs to make him a great option? | |
| 2008: 46 XP, 28-31 FG -- 11 of 40-49, 1 of 50+ |
|
| 20. Jason Hanson |
Lions |
| It's really a shame he's been relegated to Detroit his whole career. He's one of the most underrated kicker of all time. If the Lions are playing a terrible defense during your kicker's bye week, give him a strong look. |
|
| 2008: 25 XP, 21-22 FG -- 6 of 40-49, 8 of 50+ (that's 14-for-14 from 40 yards or more) |
|
21. Dan Carpenter, Dolphins
22. Sebastian Janikowski, Raiders
23. Matt Prater, Broncos
24. Joe Nedney, 49ers
25. Phil Dawson, Browns
26. Lawrence Tynes, Giants
27. Josh Scobee, Jaguars
28. Shaun Suisham, Redskins
29. Olindo Mare, Seahawks
30. Jay Feely, Jets
31. Connor Barth, Chiefs
32. Steven Hauschka, Ravens
