NFL Fantasy Football 2010: Ranking the Kickers

The NFL regular season is almost here and with that many of us are calling up buddies trying to scrounge up a fantasy football league or searching for an online site to join. This year the consensus No. 1 pick is Chris Johnson followed by Adrian Peterson.

After the first two picks there are a number of different players that could warrant the third spot. Ray Rice, Frank Gore, Maurice Jones-Drew or possibly even a quarterback or wide receiver if you're gutsy. One thing for certain is that you won't be drafting a kicker in the first round or any of the rounds following that until the end of the draft is near.

Every year there is a person in your draft that jumps too early on a top rated kicker, which is greeted by laughter or a panic in which everyone grabs a kicker within the same round or the next couple. With the performance of kickers being so random it's wise to wait until the final round or two before selecting one.

If you value the kicker position more than others here are the guys that you should be looking at.

Tennesse Titans' Rob Bironas

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SEATTLE - JANUARY 03: Rob Bironas #2 of the Tennessee Titans kicks during the game against the Seattle Seahawks on January 3, 2010 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

When choosing a kicker it isn't just about the ability of the kicker to make the kicks but also the number of opportunities that he will get. Bironas had 32 field goal attempts last season, which put him five behind David Akers who finished with the most attempts.

The Titans' kicker has a big leg, which is evidenced by his five field goal makes of 50 plus yards last season putting him one behind Sebastian Janikowski who finished with the most. Bironas is on a team that has a solid offense that will be able to move the football into field goal territory.

Good offenses should be a factor when choosing a kicker but not the deciding factor. For instance Peyton Manning often leads long drives that result in touchdowns so if you're picking a Colts' kicker in a way you are betting against Manning being able to put the ball into the end zone.

Seeing that Vince Young doesn't have very many reliable red-zone targets, and that Chris Johnson is going to be facing eight-man fronts, it's likely that Tennessee is going to have their fair share of drives that stall. Tennessee will present enough chances for Bironas to make a difference on your team.

San Diego Chargers' Nate Kaeding

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SAN DIEGO - DECEMBER 20: Nate Kaeding #10 of the San Diego Chargers kicks the game winning field goal with three seconds left in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals as Mike Scifres holds on December 20, 2009 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Californ

Nate Kaeding has been one of the better fantasy kickers the past few seasons. He's accurate, has good distance on his kicks, and on a team that gives him a chance to put the ball through the uprights. The Chargers offense lost L.T. this past season and Vincent Jackson isn't coming back anytime soon but that won't affect Kaeding.

Ryan Matthews looks to be the real deal and the absence of Jackson will likely increase the value of Kaeding. San Diego is another solid offense that will be able to move the ball but they certainly aren't going to be cashing in touchdowns like the New England Patriots will be.

Simply put, Kaeding is a good bet year in and year out.

Oakland Raiders Sebastian Janikowski

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KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 14: Kicker Sebastian Jankikowski #11 of the Oakland Raiders watches a field goal with holder Shane Lechler #9 during the first half fo the game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 14, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansa

If you had Sebastian Janikowski on your fantasy team last season you didn't receive nearly the production that he is going to produce this season. Playing on a team that was miserable last season didn't help the talented kicker out but it did lead to him attempting some long kicks. Janikowski was six of eight last season from 50 yards out, which shows he's still got one of the best legs in the game.

Accuracy has been a problem in the past for Janikowski but he seemed to right the ship last season connecting on 26 out of 29 field goals. The Raiders addition of Jason Campbell is a tremendous upgrade over JaMarcus Russel and will likely result in a more efficient offense in Oakland.

Janikowski could very well go through another spell of inaccuracy this season or the Raiders offense could flat out stink again. But since taking a kicker isn't a risk at all he is the type of guy that could dramatically help you on Sunday's if he sinks a couple of 50-yard FG's.

Minnesota Vikings' Ryan Longwell

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MINNEAPOLIS - JANUARY 17: Kicker Ryan Longwell #8 of the Minnesota Vikings kicks a field goal against the Dallas Cowboys during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on January 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.The Vikings defe

Brett Favre may be back but Sidney Rice won't be for the first half of the season and who knows what the Vikings will get out of Percy Harvin. Even if Harvin is able to play he is not the threat Rice is in the red-zone. Favre's creaky ankle is likely to cause him trouble throughout the season, which will influence some of his passes.

This is why Ryan Longwell is one of the top fantasy kickers heading into the season. He only attempted 28 FG's last season making 26 of them. The chances of Minnesota calling on their kicker more often this season is going to happen with all the injuries to the offense.

Another reason to take Longwell is because 10 of his games this season will be played in a dome, which is the greatest advantage a kicker can have. Not that Longwell struggles in bad weather he did kick for the Green Bay Packers for numerous years.

He probably won't score the highest amount for his position but it's a good bet that he will turn in another solid season and finish in the top five in fantasy points for kickers.

Philadelphia Eagles' David Akers

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CINCINNATI - AUGUST 20: David Akers #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles is pictured during the NFL preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 20, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Eagles' kicker is one of the game's best. He attempted a league-high 37 FG's a year ago making 32 of them. Kevin Kolb is taking over for Donovan McNabb, which won't be a big impact on Akers. Philadelphia still has the weapons to score points and the transition for Kolb seems to be going smoothly at this point.

Akers doesn't have the big leg that some other kickers possess but what makes him valuable is the stability he brings to the position. Instead of adding and dropping kickers weekly it's a better bet to settle on a guy like Akers who may not be as sexy as a name like Mason Crosby but will likely give you similar production if not better.

While it's likely his production takes a dip from a year ago it shouldn't be too drastic. He's still going to get his 30 plus attempts and depending on how Kolb does his PAT's could go up.

Trust in the veteran, trust in David Akers.

Two Kickers to Avoid

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CHICAGO - DECEMBER 13: Mason Crosby #2 of the Green Bay Packers kicks an extra point out of the hold of Matt Flynn #10 against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 13, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Packers defeated the Bears 21-14. (Photo by Jo

Mason Crosby

He is ranked in the top five in almost all magazines but why? Playing for an explosive team in Green Bay is going to hinder his production more than help it. The biggest reason to stay away from Crosby is the weather in Green Bay to go along with accuracy issues he's battled. For his career he's made 85 out of 109 FG's, which comes out to 78 percent.

Stephen Gostkowski

Unlike Crosby, Gostkowski is a much more accurate kicker nailing 85.1 percent of his kicks over his career. The troubling factor with Gostkowski is the fact that he doesn't get enough attempts. Now you're probably saying he attempted 40 FG's two years ago and made 36 of them. What can't be forgotten about that season is that Matt Cassel was quarterbacking New England and not the masterful Tom Brady. Also, Bill Belichick's tendency to go for it on fourth down hurts Gostkowski's value.