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. Despite all of the “THE GOOD” performances, there were some forgettable ones. In fact, six NFL teams replaced kickers due to performance issues and 10 teams used multiple kickers throughout the 2009 season.

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 UGLY kickers who by the end of the season were either watching from their recliners or barely hanging on to their jobs.

1. Jason Elam (Atlanta Falcons) — Fresh off a career year in ‘08, fantasy owners were thinking big things from Elam. In fact, as a staff he graded out as the fifth best kicker entering 2009. However, things didn’t go as planned for the 11 year veteran. Elam missed two field goals in Week 1 and was never able to find his groove. In his worst year as a professional, Elam converted on just 12 of 19 field goal attempts and for the first time since ‘06 he missed an extra point. Atlanta stuck with him through Week 12, but ultimately his fifth missed field goal in as many games led to his release and a spot in our “Cut Them Loose” list.

2. Nick Folk (Dallas Cowboys) — No kicker was more frustrating to watch than Folk. At times his performance reached the peak of the mountain, while others it hit rock bottom. If you owned Folk you cheered when he scored 68 fantasy football points for your team over the first eight games and cringed when he missed seven of his last 11 field goal attempts in a Dallas uniform. Finally, in Week 16, after missing a field goal in six straight games, the Cowboys brass got smart and released their struggling kicker. His 87 fantasy points ranked tied for 24th at the position, far off his projection of being a top 10 fantasy kicker in 2009. 

3. Shaun Suisham (Washington Redskins / Dallas Cowboys) — After missing 10 field goals in ‘08, Suisham entered his fourth season with the Redskins on thin ice. Early on, he silenced the critics by drilling 13 straight kicks but it was his inability to kick in the clutch that led to Suisham melting his job away. He missed two FGs in a 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and the deal breaker was a missed 23-yard field goal that would have given the New Orleans Saints their first loss. New Orleans went on to win the game and the next day Suisham was handed his pink slip.

Unlike Elam and Folk, Suisham was fortunate to latch on to a new team after the Redskins released him. Signed in Week 16 by the Cowboys, Suisham didn’t fare much better. In four games with the Cowboys (playoffs included), he was just five of eight in field goal attempts and is likely to enter training camp facing stiff competition for his job.

4. Steven Hauschka (Baltimore Ravens) — At the end of last season, the Ravens decided to part ways with 18-year veteran Matt Stover which opened up the door for Hauschka to take over as the place kicker in Baltimore. Hauschka made ownership look good when he started the season eight of 10 on field goal attempts, but it all went downhill in Week 9. In consecutive weeks, he missed a 38-yard field goal and 36-yard field goal which rightfully ended his tenure in Baltimore after just nine games. Hauschka connected on just 69.2 percent of his field goals and his inaccuracies from 40 yards and in will likely keep him out of a job for some time.

5. Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts) — Vinatieri wasn’t expected to do much in 2009; however, a slow start combined with an injury turned him into a non-factor. Ranked 14th at the kicker position in our Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets, the 14-year veteran failed to make two of his first nine field goal attempts before a knee injury forced him to miss nine straight games. The plan was to have Vinatieri back for the playoffs but that never materialized. He did return in Week 16; however, a blocked extra point and a weak leg forced the Colts to keep Vinatieri inactive while Matt Stover resumed kicking duties. It’s tough to place a guy whose season was cut short due to injury on “THE UGLY” list; however, Vinatieri’s 6.3 fantasy points per game average deserves to be scrutinized.

2009 The Good:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

2009 The Bad:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

2009 The Ugly:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

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