(Getty)
Football season is just around the corner and that means Fantasy Football Drafts are happening now.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 NFL kickers for the upcoming season based on an average of rankings from the top Fantasy Football writers in the business.
The rankings averaged are a combination of ESPN, Yahoo Sports , CBS Sports , Fox Sports , NFL.com‘s to create the most accurate list of kickers you want on your Fantasy team.
Here’s what you need to know about the kickers:
1. Matt Prater
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA (field goals attempted)- 26
FGM (field goals made)- 25
XPA (extra points attempted)- 75
XPM (extra points made)- 75
Career:
FGA (field goals attempted)- 174
FGM (field goals made)- 142
XPA (extra points attempted)- 262
XPM (extra points made)- 260
Matt Prater is by far the best kicker in the league and last year’s stats prove it. He has 75 PATs (points after touchdown) last year which was 23 more than Mike Nugent and Ryan Succop who tied for second place. Helping him out is the fact that the Broncos’ offense scores an average of 10 points more than any other team in the league, leaving Prater with plenty of opportunity.
The only thing working against Prater and the Broncos’ offense is their schedule. Since they are in the NFC West, they will be facing 3 of the top 7 defenses in the league from last season. However this is hardly a negative for Prater’s fantasy point count since the defenses could force the Broncos to turn to field goal attempts. Luckily, Prater has the highest percentage of field goals made in the NFL with a 96.2 percent success rate.
Larry Hartstein of CBS Sports said:
Broncos kicker Matt Prater nailed all four of his field-goal tries in the AFC Championship Game victory, including a 54-yarder that would have been good from at least 60. Prater went 6 of 7 from 50-plus yards during the regular season.
2. Stephen Gostkowski
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 41
FGM- 38
XPA- 44
XPM- 44
Career:
FGA- 243
FGM- 208
XPA- 400
XPM- 399
The Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski is a close second to No. 1 rated Prater. Gostkowski was the closest to Prater’s PATs record with 74 in 2007. He has always been a clutch player and holds the No. 1 position for FGMs since 2011 at 95.
He is a completely solid and probably the most dependable draft option for kicker with 38 of 41 field goals made which rank the highest in the NFL. He has a strong offense with him and got up to 89 fantasy points last year in an 8 week span.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of Gostkowski:
I have confidence that he’s one of the best kickers in the league.”
3. Steven Hauschka
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 35
FGM- 33
XPA- 44
XPM- 44
Career:
FGA- 114
FGM- 98
XPA- 164
XPM- 161
Not only do the Seahawks have the top defense in the league, but their offense is almost as impressive. Last year, the offense totaled 417 points to rank 8th in the league with a 40.7 scoring percentage of their offensive drives.
Hauschka finished last season making 93.3 percent of 40-plus yard kicks and a 100 percent success rate on his three 50-yard field goals. Hauschka is someone you want on your fantasy team above almost any player in any position after he finished last year in 4th place for most fantasy points in the league at 158. Once again, he has Percy Harvin supporting him on offense which will drive up his fantasy numbers even further.
4. Justin Tucker
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 41
FGM- 38
XPA- 26
XPM- 26
Career:
FGA- 74
FGM- 68
XPA- 68
XPM- 68
Justin Tucker is almost as solid as Gostkowski having also made 38 field goals last season. He can kick it far enough to turn around games and put up huge points in fantasy. He has made six 50-plus yard field goals including a 61 yard game winner. He actually scored even more fantasy points than Gostkowski from field goals with 136 points.
Despite his skill, he simply plays for the wrong team. The Ravens only gave him the opportunity to kick one field goal in 4 games last season which could be a substantial negative. Either way he is a clutch player and will add a lot of points to your fantasy team.
5. Phil Dawson
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 36
FGM- 32
XPA- 44
XPM- 44
Career:
FGA- 399
FGM- 337
XPA- 402
XPM- 394
Phil Dawson is a dependable veteran kicker who came up huge in last year’s fantasy league. The 39-year-old talent started slow in the 2013 season, but proceeded to lead the league with 138 points by the end of the Week 17. That means he scored 112 points from Week 5-17 since he only managed to score 16 in his first four weeks.
In doing so, he went 8 consecutive weeks with 10 or more points per game. Despute his oold age he’s still got some spark on him and could be a substantial addition to the team with the 49ers’ offense backing him.
Chris Cwik of CBS Sports said:
San Francisco kicker Phil Dawson was perfect against the Panthers. Dawson hit on three attempts, including a 49 yard field goal. He also added field goals from 33 and 34 yards.
6. Mason Crosby
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 37
FGM- 33
XPA- 42
XPM- 42
Career:
FGA- 235
FGM- 185
XPA- 350
XPM- 348
It is hard to use Crosby’s stats from last year when Aaron Rodgers wasn’t in the picture due to his collarbone injury. Rodgers’ absence affected everyone on the team, especially their kicker.
With Rodgers in, Crosby managed to score 90 points in those 8 games. For 8 games without Rodgers, Crosby could only muster up 63 points. His extra points average dropped 17 points from the previous season. So, depending on Rodgers, Crosby could be two completely different stories this season, however he is probably a risk worth taking.
Kevin Seifert of NFL Nation said:
Taken together, the researchers credited Crosby as the fifth-most underrated placekicker in the NFL since 2000. The total level of difficulty of his kicks, they argued, created the fifth-largest gap between his actual conversion rate and his adjusted level-of-difficulty rate.
7. Dan Bailey
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 30
FGM- 28
XPA- 47
XPM- 47
Career:
FGA- 98
FGM- 89
XPA- 123
XPM- 123
Dan Bailey is one of the best long-range kickers in the NFL. Last season, he was tied for the most points in the fantasy league for field goals ranging from 50-59 yards with 30 and came in second with 16 points for field goals longer than 40 yards.
Bailey is as solid as you could be, but it is his team that could cause the problem. Dallas is probably the most inconsistent and unclutch team in the league when it comes to their offense. Depending on how well the Cowboys can keep it together, Bailey could be a valuable asset.
AP Sports reported:
In three seasons with the Cowboys, Bailey has made 91 percent of his field goals (89 of 98) and all 123 extra-point attempts. He also has handled kickoffs.
Bailey has already set a team record with eight career game-winning field goals. His career long is 53 yards, which he did twice in one game.
8. Nick Novak
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 37
FGM- 34
XPA- 42
XPM- 42
Career:
FGA- 121
FGM- 98
XPA- 149
XPM- 148
Nick Novak is a phenomenal kicker- when he’s playing well. Known for his inconsistency, Novak went back and forth from single digit to double digit points in 7 consecutive games to lead the league in inconsistency, essentially.
Despite not being dependable, Novak still managed to lead the fantasy league with under-40 yard field goals with a 100 percent success rate for kicks longer than 40 yards. Again, he is a risky pick but could end up paying off big time.
Eric D. Williams of ESPN reported:
Novak also said having the same holder in punter Mike Scifres and long snapper in Mike Windt has helped create a consistent approach for every kick.
9. Adam Vinatieri
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 40
FGM- 35
XPA- 34
XPM- 34
Career:
FGA- 540
FGM- 448
XPA- 670
XPM- 660
Adam Vinatieri has been around for years, managing to hold the title of fifth place among active scoring leaders in NFL history at 2,006 points in his career. Not only that, but he seems to actually be improving. Last year he kicked 139 points even after siting out for a game. HE managed to score 60 points on kicks between 40-49 yards, over 10 points more than any other kicker.
Vinatieri’s only downfall are PATs and his small number of them. He only has 34 and has never gotten better with them, partly in fault to the Colts’ offense.
Marty Gitlin of CBS Sports said last season:
Don’t be surprised if Colts placekicker Adam Vinatieri wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 13. He was pretty much the offense for his team with five field goals in five attempts.
10. Matt Bryant
KICKING STATS
2013 Regular Season:
FGA- 27
FGM- 24
XPA- 39
XPM- 39
Career:
FGA- 303
FGM- 257
XPA- 367
XPM- 363
Matt Bryant has been a successful kicker throughout his career, only stunted by Atlanta’s offense in 2013. His opportunities were much more limited, shown by the fact that his points dropped by 11 from 2012 to 2013 to mark his lowest season yet since 2007.
Bryant’s stat percentages were fine (88.9 percent FGM) which is one of his highest success rates ever, but it is hard to score points when you’re not getting the chances to as a kicker. However given the opportunity, Bryant could make a significant impact.
Scott White of CBS Sports said:
For a second straight game, Falcons kicker Matt Bryant was limited to only four points Week 10 against the Seahawks, kicking a field goal and an extra point. He made the field goal count, though, connecting on a season-long 53-yarder in the second quarter.
To see the full list of kicker rankings from the cited sources, click the links below:
ESPN
Yahoo Sports
CBS Sports
Fox Sports
NFL.com