2007 Top Fantasy Football Kickers
Super Bowl Kickers Adam Vinatieri and Robbie Gould Lead the Pack
One cannot overstate the importance of a good fantasy football kicker. A good kicker will ensure that your team wins those games by 2 or 3 points instead of losing them.
1. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts (2006 Stats: PAT-38/38, FG-25/28, 113 points)
Adam Vinatieri is still the most reliable kicker in the league. He's got the strength and the accuracy to hit from as far as 52 to 54 yards. More importantly, he's got the concentration and poise to never miss a 38-yarder, not under any circumstances. Plus, he plays on the Indianapolis Colts, a team that will constantly get him into field goal position and give him many, many PAT opportunities. The only worry for Vinatieri and his fantasy owners is that Peyton Manning and the gang will score aTD every time they break midfield.
2. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears (2006 Stats: PAT-47/47 FG-32/36; 143 points)
Last season, more than half of of Robbie Gould's field goals came in the first five weeks of the season. Yet, despite slowing down for the rest of the year, mostly because of Rex Grossman's woes, Gould still led the NFL with 143 kicking points. He should repeat, or possibly even exceed, his 2006 numbers this season. Rex is a year older and should be less turnover prone. The Bears are still a very tough team whose defense will get them into field goal range even when their offense cannot, and they have a very easy schedule. All of this should add up to field goal attempts for Gould, and for this guy, an attempt is almost an automatic score.
3. Nate Kaeding. San Diego Chargers (2006 Stats: PAT-58/58, FG-26/29, 136 points)
Kaeding is a very strong kicker, but hasn't always gotten the chance to kick in typical field goal situations. The departure of Marty Shottenheimer (who liked to go for it instead of kicking the field goal) should help. Kaeding kicks in a potent offense (as indicated by his 58 PATs) and will have a strong year in 2007.
4. Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams (2006 Stats: PAT-35/35, FG-32/37, 131 points)
Like Robbie Gould and Nate Kaeding, Jeff Wilkins scored most of his 2006 field goals early in the season. Wilkins hit 18 of his 32 total FGs by Week 5, including 6 in Game 1. All 5 of Wilkins' misses were from 41-48 yards out and 3 of his scores were from 50+. While he may not achieve the whopping 131 points he kicked last year, anything close should be a very satisfying number for his fantasy owners. Finally, Wilkins kicks better in a dome - which is a good thing for his fantasy owners because the Rams play nine of their games indoors.
5. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots (2006 Stats XP-38/38 FG-25/28;113 points)
This year, the Patriots' offense should be high-octane. They have a whole new squad of fast and athletic receivers, including Randy Moss and Donte Stallworth. They've got a quicker, slashing-type halfback in Laurence Maroney who will get them into good field position. They also have one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and this year he is finally surrounded by guys who can really catch the football. The Patriots should push the ball up and down the field at will, all season long. That will create a lot of scoring opportunities for Gostkowski.
6. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati Bengals (2006 Stats XP-40/42 FG-25/30; 115 pts)
Graham's only 2006 miss from less than 40 yds (39) came in the last game of last season with only 8 seconds left. It was a kick that would have put Cincy in the playoffs. But Graham missed and put the exclamation mark on a tough season for Bengal fans and players. However, Shayne Graham is a solid NFL kicker and the Cincy offense will turn things around this season, provided that Cincinnati and head coach Marvin Lewis learned from last season's off-field issues. The Cincy offense will be one of the NFL's top scoring machines, and Graham will be very productive.
7. David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles (2006 Stats: XP-48/48, FG-18/23, 102 points)
Akers seemed to have lost his field goal brilliance, making just 18 of 23 last year. Moreover, three of his 2006 misses came from less than 40 yards (including a 23 yard miss in the last game of season). But, due to Akers' past success and his still young age for a kicker (32), he can't be discounted. The Philly offense is still formidable (especially with a healthy Donovan McNabb) and Akers surely can't have already lost his once incredible leg.
8. Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals (2006 Stats XP-32/32, FG-28/37, 116 points)
Don't be scared by the 9 field goals that Rackers missed in 2006. Of those misses, 6 were from 50 yards and beyond. and the other 3 were from more than 40 yards. Arizona has several strong weapons on offense and should score more points and create more field goal opportunities for Rackers this season. Remember, this guy had 6 field goals of 50 or more yards in 2005.
9. Jason Elam, Denver Broncos (2006 Stats: XP-34/34, FG-27/29, 115 points)
Not only was Jason Elam extremely accurate last season, he was also very consistent from week to week. Fantasy owners with Elam on their roster didn't experience the "feast or famine" nature of the typical fantasy kicker. Elam scored at least one field goal in all 16 games of the 2006 season. It's tough to predict, but the change at QB from Jake Plummer to the stronger arm of Jay Cutler should help Elam and the Denver offense in 2007. The Denver Broncos have scored at least 115 team kicking points for the last 10 seasons, a trend which bodes well for fantasy owners looking at Elam and seeking a consistent kicker in the later rounds.
10. Mike Nugent, New York Jets (2006 Stats: XP-34/35, FG-24/27, 106 points)
After shaking early jitters in game 1 of 2006 (field goal misses of 34 and 30 yards plus a missed extra point), Nugent missed only 1 FG for the remainder of season - and that was from 52 in Cleveland. Nugent has a young booming leg and came on toward the end of season with 16 field goals over his last 6 games (including makes of 54 and 52 yards). Nugent will quickly become one of the best kickers in the NFL. it's just a question of how many chances the Jets give him.
There they are: your top 10 Fantasy Football Kickers
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