continuing on from above...
GB - Mason Crosby
How do you finish 2nd in EP attempts and 8th in FG attempts and finish as K14? When you lead the league with 9 missed FG's. Actually, Crosby has been quite a letdown in terms of fantasy since the start of the 2015 season. His finishes are 9, 14, 14, 14, 16, 20, and 25. He was a monster his first 8 seasons (1, 4, 4, 4, 5, 8, 11, 17). His training camp competition this year is Dominik Eberle, but unless Mason completely blows, I see no way the Packers won't keep him as their starter. He hasn't missed a game in his entire career (241 games), and he will surpass Favre in week 15 for most games ever played as a Packer. He will also surpass Morten Anderson in week 8 for most consecutive games played by a kicker, and that's great PR. Crosby currently has an undisclosed injury and Eberle is doing the training camp kicking, so stay tuned.
P.S. Mason is the oldest looking 37-year old I have ever seen. He makes "Santa Claus" Vinatieri look young.
HOU - Ka'imi Fairbairn
Fairbairn's 15 minutes of fame was the 2018 NFL season. He led the league in FG's and FG attempts (37/42) and finished K1. His other 4 seasons in the league (all with the Texans) have amounted to K14, K19, K20, and K29. Last year, the league averages for FG% and EP% were 85.1 and 93.4. Fairbairn's lifetime averages are 83.8 and 91.0. No other kicker names have surfaced in Houston that I am aware of, but I prefer my fantasy kicker from a team with a strong offense, so I will not be drafting Ka'imi.
IND - Rodrigo Blankenship
Rodrigo came out of the gate strong, with a K5 finish as a rookie in 2020. Things continued, and he was K8 after week 4 of 2021. Then the wheels came off in the 2nd half of week 5. Two missed FG's and one missed EP later, he suffered a hip injury and was replaced by Michael Badgley for the remainder of the year. This year, Rodrigo is the frontrunner and his competition is Jake Verity. Jake is a 2nd year player who spent his rookie season as Justin Tucker's backup. Rodrigo does not have a strong leg, so I will be following this camp battle intently, and wouldn't be totally shocked if Verity emerges.
JAX - Ryan Santoso
An UDFA coming out of college in 2018, Santoso has been linked to DET (twice), TEN (twice), NYG, CAR, LAR (got himself a SB ring), and now JAX. He had 2 tenures with Montreal of the CFL as well. The only action he has seen is 4 games last year, and was promptly cut by DET after missing a game winning FG in OT. At 6'5" and 258, Ryan is not your typical kicker. He will be battling rookie UDFA Andrew Mevis. Honestly, unless you're a Jaguars fan, does this kicker battle even matter? In the last 15 years, only 1 guy has been a fantasy-worthy kicker in Jacksonville (Josh Lambo's K7 finish in 2019). No one else finished in the top 12.
KC - Harrison Butker
Butker is 2nd only to Tucker in lifetime FG percentage, and has been very consistent in his yearly percentages (89, 89, 90, 91, and 93). The last 2 years aren't as good as his first 3 though. One look at the numbers for 2021 and you can see why. He finished K15 as 20 other kickers had more FG attempts. He would've finished even lower if not for his 49 EP attempts (behind only Succop, Bass, and Crosby). 2020 was quite similar, as he finished K11 and 18 others with more FG attempts. Looks like Butker will be going off the board around K6 or K7, and here is the only competition I could find:
https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2022/06/11/kansas-city-chiefs-justin-reid-emergency-kicker-practice-field-goal-jan-stenerud/
LV - Daniel Carlson
Carlson's career got off to a rocky start in 2018. Kicking for the Vikings in only his 2nd game, he missed 3 FG's and was waived the next day. Five weeks later, he was signed by the Raiders, and was their starter the last 10 weeks. During that time, he was K10 with 16/17 FG's and 18/18 EP's. His 94.1% FG accuracy set a new team record. 2019 was forgettable for Daniel, as he struggled, but the team stuck by him. That decision paid off big time in 2020 and 2021 when he was K1 in back-to-back seasons. Entering his 5th year, he is 5th all time in FG accuracy, and has no competition to speak of. The only waiver wire he will be on is in leagues without kickers.
LAC - Dustin Hopkins
The Chargers are a kicker carousel. 10 different players have kicked over the last 5 years. Dustin was brought over from WAS after Tristan Vizcaino missed 5 EP's in a 4-week stretch. Once with LAC, Dustin was K5 from weeks 8 thru 18. He is studly from short range, connecting on 96.3% lifetime under 40 yards. The problem is his long range accuracy. He is a mere 50% from 50+. Enter long-legged rookie UDFA James McCourt. As a Chargers nut, this is the kicker camp battle I am most interested in. I plan on drafting whoever wins, as I see a top 10 finish from a great offensive team.
LAR - Matt Gay
Gay's rookie season in 2019 was with TB and he finished K6, despite missing 8 FG's and 5 EP's. He ranked 24th in FG%, and only 47-year old Vinatieri missed more EP's. You can't fault TB for releasing him prior to the 2020 season. Gay was signed to LAR to replace injured Kai Forbath, and he hasn't looked back. Since signing, his FG% with the Rams is 92, and his EP% is 98.5. Footballguys lists UDFA Cameron Dicker on the kicker depth chart, but further research suggests he is in camp trying to become the new punter. That would make sense, considering 2021 punter Johnny Hekker is now with the Panthers. Gay will surely be drafted quickly when kickers start flying off the board.
MIA - Jason Sanders
Jason has owned the kicking job with the Dolphins since joining the league in 2018. He has been great kicking EP's every year (hasn't missed more than 1 in a season), but he is night and day when it comes to FG accuracy from year to year. In his 4 seasons, here are his percentages: 90, 77, 92, 74. He is good from long range, and I haven't found any competition for him, but I can't see how MIA won't bring someone in after he went 23/31 (74.2%). Overall, I am lower on him than most, but if he is alternating good and bad years, this year is supposed to be good.
MIN - Greg Joseph
Greg's 4-year NFL career has taken quite a few turns. He has been connected to MIA, CLE, CAR, TEN, TB, MIN, and even the Seattle Dragons of the XFL. He settled in MIN last year, and finished tied for K6 with Bass & Boswell. The Vikings brought in undrafted rookie Gabe Brkic to compete, but have already waived him. Currently, Greg is the only kicker on the team, so we'll see who comes out of the woodwork. He has a strong leg, as evidenced by going 7 for 9 from 50+ last year. I think he will be a value pick come draft day (assuming he still has the job).
NE - Nick Folk
Nick has been kicking in the NFL since 2007. Amazingly, he found the fountain of youth with the Patriots, and has recorded his highest 2 FG percentage seasons of his career in 2020 and 2021. At 37, he went 5 of 8 from 50+. Prior to that he had never even made 4 in a season. One thing that stood out to me was how similar his 2020 and 2021 seasons were, but how different the outcomes were. In terms of FG%, he went 92.9 and 92.3. In terms of EP%, he went 90.9 and 89.4. His finishes were K1 and K18. Kickers are at the mercy of the offense. I know NE recently signed Tristan Vizcaino, but Folk would outkick him with both legs cut off.
Once again, it's time to post before logging off. Keep us updated with any new info, thanx.
Zuerlein
