Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

It’s tough to recall a time when the the kicker has played a bigger role in the NFL and fantasy football season. In what can be considered a remarkable statistic, 17 kickers topped 100 fantasy points in standard scoring leagues and 13 of those kickers averaged over seven fantasy points per game. Leading the way was San Diego Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding who connected on 32 field goal attempts and scored 155 fantasy points. Kaeding averaged 9.7 fantasy points per game and this would have made him a top-20 running back, a top-12 wide receiver and a top-4 tight end. So for those of you who think finding a kicker to lead your fantasy team is a dime a dozen, you’re wrong. Based on these numbers, if you had a consistent kicker, you were likely to get RB2 or WR2 value from him on a weekly basis.

With that being said, it’s time for our annual installment of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. In this edition, we take a look at THE GOOD kickers who either matched or exceeded our preseason expectations.

THE GOOD

1. Nate Kaeding (San Diego Chargers)  — Entering 2009, we pegged Kaeding as our fourth rated kickers in our Preseason Cheat Sheet Magazine but when it was all said and done no kicker scored more fantasy football points. Using a combination of a high powered San Diego offense and an accurate leg Kaeding was at the top of every major kicking category. He tied for the league lead in field goals made with 32, he was second in extra points made with 50 and his 155 fantasy points were tops at the position. Kaeding had 10 games in which he knocked down two or more field goals and in nine of those games he scored double-digit fantasy football points. From Week 8 and beyond Kaeding was a perfect 18-of-18 on field goal attempts and on the season the big legged kicker converted on nine kicks that were over 40 yards.

With the Chargers offense ranking in the top-5 in points scored (28.4 points per game) this season and showing no signs of slowing down you can expect Kaeding to be a hot commodity heading into 2010. He has attempted 30 or more field goals in each of his last two seasons and kicked 45 or more extra points in all six seasons. On draft day 2010 you can expect Kaeding to be the first kicker to placed on your Commish Kit Draft Board.

2. David Akers (Philadelphia Eagles) — It was a season to remember for Akers and the fantasy football owners that plugged him into their lineup on a weekly basis. He was second overall with 147 fantasy points and no kicker was more consistent throughout the season. Leading up to the last game of the season Akers had kicked at least one field goal in every game and he had six or more points in each of his first 15 games. If it wasn’t for a shutout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 Akers would have had a perfect season. On the year, the southpaw drilled 32 field goals, had 11 games with two or more FGs and led the league with 11 made kicks from 40-49 yards. Finally, when it counted most Akers didn’t disappoint. During the fantasy playoffs (Week 14-16) Akers made all six of his field goals and averaged 9.7 fantasy points per game. These totals helped many fantasy football owners cash in on championship weekend.

In 2010 Akers will enter his 13th NFL season but the veteran has showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s been better with age and with the Philadelphia Eagles offense continuing to improve you can rely on Akers to once again be a top kicking option. He might not be as consistent as he was in 2009 but even if Akers was to see a slight dip in production he still should be targeted as a top-5 kicking option.

3. Jay Feely (New York Jets) — In 2008. with the Jets offense being led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre, Feely was able to be a consistent fantasy football performer. However, with Favre leaving New York for the Minnesota Vikings the consensus was that Feely would lack opportunity in 2009. Because of this, he was ranked 26th in our Preseason Cheat Sheet Magazine and was not recommended to get drafted. Boy, were we wrong! With rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez under center the Jets were able to move the football just enough to be in kicking position and because of this Feely tied for a league high 32 made field goals. He nailed at least one field goal in 14 of 16 games this season and had five games in which he kicked three or more. In the end, Feely’s 129 fantasy football points was tied for fifth at the position and his 36 field goal attempts was tied for second.

With the emergence of running back Shonn Greene and a year under Sanchez’s belt you can expect the Jets offense to be more efficient in 2010. Our early prediction for Feely is that he will remain a top-10 kicker but don’t be surprised if there is a decline in field goal attempts with an increase in extra points.

4. Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) — After being quite Jekyll and Hyde in 2008 many fantasy owners stayed away from Prater. Likely snagged of your leagues waiver wire the Denver Broncos place kicker was able to put together his finest NFL season. Prater took advantage of the Broncos’ inability to punch the ball into the end zone and finished with 129 fantasy football points, which was tied for fifth best at the kicker position. Not shabby for a guy our staff projected to finish as the 22nd best kicker in our Preseason Rankings. What can be attributed to Prater’s rise in the rankings was his production over the seasons final six weeks. From Week 12 through Week 17 Prater was 15-of-16 on field goal attempts and scored a league high 65 fantasy points during that span. Ptater’s hot leg led to 30 made field goals and made him arguably the most sought after kicker when it counted most, the fantasy playoffs.

The Broncos’ struggles in the red zone led to Prater getting a consistent amount of kicking chances in 2009 but it will it’s still too early to tell if this will continue in 2010. He only connected on 32 extra points and another year in the Josh McDaniels system could help the offenses red zone efficiency (more potential touchdowns). If this is the case you can’t expect Prater to attempt 14 field goals inside of 29 yards like he did in 2009. Entering 2010, consider him a low-end No.1 kicker and one that you can rely when the match-up is favorable.