Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With nearly five weeks of Live Q & As in the books, the number of kicker questions asked can be counted on one hand. Don’t get us wrong, we get it - kickers are not the glory position in fantasy football, but with all the heart break stories we’ve heard, we can’t help but think that an extra point here or there by your fantasy kicker could turn some of those “Ls” into “Ws.” The good news is that you’re on the right track to making that happen by checking out the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Week 5 Kicker Rankings. So, let’s get to it.

1. Ryan Longwell (Minnesota Vikings) @ St. Louis

While it didn’t work for the Jets, the Brett Favre experiment is panning out nicely so far for the Vikings (though, we still have to see if Minny experiences a late season melt down) as Minnesota ranks 4th in points scored, averaging 29.5 points per game. The Bruno Boys always state the importance of playing for a high-powered offense when it comes to fantasy kickers, and Longwell meets that requirement. A match-up with the lowly Rams is what propels him to the top spot in week 5.
Point Projection: 14 points

2. Lawrence Tynes (New York Giants) vs. Oakland

The top fantasy kicker through four weeks with 40 fantasy points, Tynes would have even more if he could connect on all of the opportunities the Giants have given him. So far, for the season, Tynes is just 10 of 13 on FG attempts. Still, even if he misses one in week 5, he’ll rack up the fantasy points as the Giants get set to face a Raiders’ team that’s in shambles.
Point Projection: 14 points

3. David Akers (Philadelphia Eagles) vs Tampa Bay

Coming off a bye week, the Philadelphia Eagles are rested and, more important, healthy. With Donovan McNabb back under center and Brian Westbrook in the backfield, the Eagles should be firing on all cylinders this weekend, which should translate to a good week for Akers as the Bucs have given up the most fantasy points to kickers on the year.
Point Projection: 13 points

4. Nick Folk (Dallas Cowboys) @ Kansas City

The Post-T.O. era in Dallas has been one filled with a lot less explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball. The Kansas City Chiefs, though, present the perfect remedy for that. With the Chiefs allowing 28 points per game, look for the Cowboys to finally light up the scoreboard, giving Folk a good chunk of fantasy points.
Point Projection: 10 points

5. Jason Elam (Atlanta Falcons) @ San Francisco

With just 15 fantasy points in three games, Elam is no where near the kicker he was in 2008. However, we’re not throwing in the towel just yet on the Falcons’ kicker. Look for Elam to get a few more FG attempts than normal this week as the Falcons offense sees some drives stall against what has been an impressive 49ers’ defense.
Point Projection: 10 points

6. Rian Lindell (Buffalo Bills) vs. Cleveland

Plain and simple, the Cleveland Browns do not sport one of the better defenses in the league. In fact, only the Detroit Lions have allowed more points than Cleveland, who is allowing a shade under 30 points per game at 29.5. Lindell should bounce back after just scoring 4 combined points the last two weeks to be a solid fantasy option in this one.
Point Projection: 8 points

7. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) @ Denver

Gostkowski hasn’t tallied less than 6 fantasy points per contest this season, a stat that’s helped him to the #2 spot among fantasy kickers through four weeks of play. On the flip side though, the Broncos have only allowed opposing kickers to put up 4.3 fantasy points per week. Gostkowski is s must start kicker, but we’d temper expectations in this one.
Point Projection: 8 points

8. Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts) @ Tennessee

The Colts offense has been highly efficient, leading to more extra points for Vinatieri than field goals, but the beauty is that the Colts high efficiency has meant that poor drives still get them into field goal range. The Titans have been no where close to as dominant defensively as they were last season, so look for the Colts’ high-scoring ways to continue.
Point Projection: 7 points

9. Joe Nedney (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Atlanta

Following two double digit outings to start the year, Nedney has sputtered the past two weeks, notching just 6 and 4 fantasy points. In what looks to play out as a dog fight between the Falcons and Niners on Sunday, look for Nedney to perform slightly better than Weeks 3 and 4, but not back to the double digit outings he had to start the season.
Point Projection: 7 points

10. Josh Scobee (Jacksonville Jaguars) @ Seattle

Scobee had a big Week 4, connecting on 4 extra points to go along with a 3 of 4 performance on field goals. If David Garrard continues to play as impressively as he did against the Titans, then Scobee should continue to hold fantasy relevance moving forward.
Point Projection: 7 points

11. Steven Hauschka (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cincinnati

The Raven’s offensive improvement has actually hurt Hauschka some as he’s attempted no more than 2 FGs in any contest this season. Still, with a group of top tier kickers on bye, Hauschka warrants a fantasy play this week as the Bengals have allowed on average a healthy 7.5 fantasy points to opposing kickers per week.
Point Projection: 7 points

12. Jay Feely (New York Jets) @ Miami

Feeley looked to be a quality play last week against the Saints in an expected shootout but the Jets could only manage 10 points and Feeley could only muster 4 fantasy football points. The veteran has yet to miss a field goal in six chances this year and the Dolphins have allowed a league high 12 field goal attempts in four games, meaning Feeley should see plenty of kicking chances in this football game.
Point Projection: 7 points

13. Neil Rackers (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Houston

The Texans do allow opponents to score; unfortunately, for Rackers, they’re more privy to giving up the TD (11) than they are the FG (5). This, though, should be a shootout in the desert, making Rackers a borderline start.
Point Projection: 7 points

14. Kris Brown (Houston Texans) @ Arizona

Brown currently ranks 21st among all fantasy kickers, which some might find surprising considering the vast success the Texans’ offense has had of late. The reason Brown ranks so low - the 1 point outing he had in week 1 against the Jets, the one team that was able to slow down Houston. The Cardinals won’t be able to mimic New York’s success against the Texans, which means Brown should be around the 8 points he’s averaged over the past 3 weeks.
Point Projection: 6 points

15. Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) vs. New England

The Broncos currently are sitting at 4-0, but let’s get one thing straight, it’s not because their offense is lighting up the scoreboard. In fact, Prater has attempted 10 FGs to only 7 extra points, meaning the Broncos see quite a few of their drives stall. This week should be no different against the Patriots in what should be yet another low-scoring, grind it out affair for the Broncos.
Point Projection: 6 points

16. Jeff Reed (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Detroit

Expect this to be a game in which Reed is lining up for more extra points then field goal attempts. The Lions have allowed a league high 17 touchdowns in four games and the Steelers offense looked awfully good in Week 4. Look for Reed to boot in 3-4 extra points to go along with a field goal but don’t rely on him to score you loads of fantasy football points on Sunday.
Point Projection: 6 points