Dan Bailey came out of nowhere in 2011 to become an elite Fantasy kicker, and he should continue to play at a high level thanks to the explosiveness of the Dallas offense. Bailey was the No. 7 kicker last year with 32 of 37 made field goals and 39 extra points. He had seven games with double digits in Fantasy points, and he should be drafted as a No. 1 option this year. Bailey has all the qualities you look for in a Fantasy kicker: good offense, indoor stadium and accuracy. Plan on drafting him with a late-round pick.
Alex Henery is going to need to have a big year to help the Eagles forget about giving up on David Akers. Philadelphia let Akers leave as a free agent last year, and he had a monster season for the 49ers. Henery was OK with 24 of 27 field goals and a long of 51 yards and 46 extra points, but he has a long way to go to catch Akers as an elite kicker. Fantasy owners should view Henery as a low-end No. 1 option. He has the chance to shine playing in a dynamic offense, but he was just the No. 16 kicker last season with 120 Fantasy points -- 66 behind Akers at No. 1. Plan on drafting Henery with a last-round pick on Draft Day and hope he closes the gap with Akers this year.
The Texans took Texas A&M kicker Randy Bullock in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, days after Neil Rackers signed with Washington. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Bullock was the first kicker drafted by Houston -- ever. He won the Lou Groza award, honoring the nation's top kicker, after connecting on 29 of 32 field-goal attempts in 2011. He will compete with Shayne Graham in training camp. Bottom line: Whoever is kicking for the Texans will have a chance to be productive as the Texans kickers have finished in the Top 10 in Fantasy points in each of the last two seasons. There's nothing wrong with drafting Bullock and either going with him should he win the job or replacing him with Graham if he gets it.
David Akers was among the best free agent signings in the NFL in 2011 with the 49ers. Heck, he was the No. 1 kicker in all leagues and an MVP to many Fantasy owners. Akers had 186 Fantasy points in a standard league, which was 35 points better than No. 2 kicker John Kasay. He made 44 of 52 field goals with seven kicks of at least 50 yards and 34 extra points. Akers should again be a tremendous Fantasy option coming into 2012, and he should be the No. 1 kicker drafted. Most kickers should be taken in the final round of all drafts, but we'd have no problem with an owner reaching for Akers in Round 12 or so to lock him up since he's that good.
Sebastian Janikowski continues to prove he's among the best Fantasy kickers, and he should be drafted as a starter with a late-round pick in all leagues. In 2011, Janikowski had a down year due to a hamstring problem. He still connected on 31 field goals with a career long of 63 yards (with seven kicks from 50 yards or more) and all 36 extra points. This is the second year in a row Janikowski has made at least 31 field goals, and he should continue to be an excellent weapon for the Raiders and Fantasy owners. There will be some weeks where Janikowski wins your Fantasy matchup since he had double digits in Fantasy points seven times in 2011.
Mason Crosby will be a popular Fantasy kicker after finishing as a Top 5 option in 2011, doing far better than he did in 2010. He made a career-best 85.7 percent of his field goals but still attempted 28 of them for the second year in a row. Nailing 68 of 69 extra points helped his cause though; both were easily career-highs. Crosby kicks for one of the most potent offenses in the league and should see more opportunities for three pointers than he did in 2011. He's worth a late-round pick in all drafts.
Nate Kaeding will try to rebound from last year's torn ACL suffered on a tackle in Week 1. He will likely have competition for his job from Nick Novak, but Kaeding should return as the starter as long as he's 100 percent healthy. Kaeding has made at least 25 field goals twice in his past three seasons and at least 50 extra points three times in his career. If he does kick for the Chargers this season as expected then consider him a No. 1 Fantasy option, and he should be drafted with a late-round pick.
After an injury-plagued season in 2010, Stephen Gostkowski returned in 2011 to have another outstanding year. Gostkowski made 29 of 33 field goals with a long of 50 and 59 extra points. He should be considered a No. 1 Fantasy kicker this year. Gostkowski has made at least 29 field goals three times in his six-year career, and he has at least 59 extra points twice. He should post quality stats again in 2012, and he is worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues.
Dan Carpenter enters this season as a No. 2 Fantasy kicker, but he has the potential to be a No. 1 option since he should remain a valuable weapon for the Dolphins. Miami is not going to score a lot, but the Dolphins should kick plenty of field goals. That's been the case for Carpenter recently with 59 field goals in 75 attempts the past two seasons. He only has 41 extra points over that span, which lowers his value, but Carpenter had five games with at least three field goals in 2011. He is worth drafting with a late-round pick in all leagues if you like a kicker with upside.
Neil Rackers was cut by the Texans and wound up with the Redskins. He'll compete with Graham Gano this summer. After finishing as a quality kicker over the last two years in Houston, some people will consider him to be a fine choice. But the Redskins' offense isn't as potent as the Texans, and Rackers might not have the opportunities there that he had in H-town. He's fine as a final-round pick but don't commit to him for the whole year.
Rob Bironas continues to serve as a quality Fantasy kicker worthy of a pick on Draft Day. Last season he hit 29 of 32 field goals and all 34 of his extra point attempts. The 90.6 pct. of kicks he notched was the second best of his career -- he missed just two field goals a year prior. Bironas should continue to rack up field goal opportunities, and with the way he's making kicks, there's no reason to believe he'll slack off. Treat Bironas as a good option well worth a late- or final-round pick in drafts.
Bears kicker Robbie Gould continued to be a reliable Fantasy kicker in 2011, nailing 28 of 32 field goals and hitting all 37 of his extra point attempts. Gould even nailed a career-best six of six field goals from 50-plus yards. He just barely finished among the Top 12 kickers in 2011 and should be considered a decent kicking option given the offense he plays with and his incredible consistency (he has fluctuated between 83.3 percent and 89.7 percent accuracy on field goals over his last six seasons). Gould is a safe, useful late-round pick this summer.
Garrett Hartley missed 2011 with a hip injury suffered in the preseason and now will battle the man who kicked in his place for the placekicking job in New Orleans. Twenty-year veteran John Kasay made 28 of 34 field goals and 63 extra points last year in place of Hartley and will attempt to remain in the role. Hartley has made 42 of 49 field goals over his career, but a combination of injuries, suspensions and opportunities has led him to only one year with more than eight games played. Whether it's Hartley or Kasay kicking field goals, Fantasy owners should be ready to pounce on whoever gets the gig because of all the scoring opportunities the offense will present.
Billy Cundiff's last field goal attempt will forever be remembered as a kick that could have helped push the Ravens to the Super Bowl. The 32-yard miss in the AFC title game gave the Patriots the win and Cundiff an offseason full of nightmares. As of now, the Ravens do not have any competition for Cundiff, meaning that he'll be in prime position to make up for his error. But after making just 75.7 percent of his kicks last year (not including his postseason miss) and missing five of six field goals from 50-plus yards, the feeling is that he's on very thin ice to keep the job for the whole year. Consider Cundiff a No. 2 Fantasy kicker: It's OK to draft him in the final round and use him for the start of the season, but don't hesitate to dump him if there's a more appealing choice on waivers a few weeks later.
Lawrence Tynes remains a No. 2 Fantasy kicker in the majority of leagues. He's never made more than 27 field goals in a year, and in 2011 he had just 19 made field goals on 24 attempts. He did have 43 extra points last season, which shows the potential of this Giants offense, but Tynes has a lot to prove to Fantasy owners before they should consider starting him each week. Tynes is best suited as a bye-week replacement in the majority of leagues, but if you decide to draft him do so with a last-round pick on Draft Day.
