Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Brad Berreman
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF DECEMBER 23, 2011::

Fantasy football never ceases to be surprising. For evidence of that, just take a look at what happened with kickers during Week 15. Each of the top three fantasy-point earners during the week were in the bottom half of the year’s scoring leaders before the week. Ryan Succop, Dan Carpenter, and Graham Gano led the way in scoring for the week, with 14, 12, and 12 points, respectively. Meanwhile, two of the top five kickers before the week, Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould, managed a total of three fantasy points combined.

We’re not going to bore you with any references to boxes of chocolate, but you get the picture. Hopefully, a bit of normalcy prevails this week, with loads of intriguing divisional contests at our fingertips in in a crucial week for fantasy football owners. Let’s move on to our rankings to try and make sense of all this.

Standard Scoring

17-39 Yard Field Goal: 3 points |  40-49 Yard Field Goal: 4 points
50-plus Yard Field Goal: 5 points |  Extra Point: 1 point

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1. David Akers (San Francisco 49ers) @ Seattle

Akers leads all kickers in fantasy points this season, and his 38 field goals and 44 attempts are the most in the NFL. The 49ers have a terrible red zone offense, which leads to all of these field goal attempts, and in fact Akers has attempted at least four field goals in five of the team’s last seven games. With so many opportunities, Akers is fantasy gold at the kicker position.
Point Projection: 14 points

2. John Kasay (New Orleans Saints) vs. Atlanta

Only four players have made more field goals this season than Kasay, who is tied for second in the league in extra points, and third in fantasy points. He plays the Falcons this weekend, against whom he had his highest fantasy-point total of the season back in Week 10. In that contest, Akers was 4-for-5 in field goals and made two extra points, and playing behind the Saints’ offense makes him a consistent fantasy option.
Point Projection: 14 points

3. Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders) @ Kansas City

Despite missing two games, Janikowski is tied for second among kickers in field goals made from at least 50 yards with six. He’s tied for sixth in the NFL with a field goal percentage of 88.9, and 15 of his 24 field goals this season have come from 40 yards or beyond. Kicks from long distance means points on the score sheet for fantasy owners, and no kicker in the league has a leg as good as Seabass does.
Point Projection: 13 points

4. Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia

Bailey is second at the kicker position in fantasy points this year, second in field goals made, and third with 10 field goals from between 40 and 49 yards. The rookie has made at least a pair of field goals in seven of his last eight games, and has not had fewer than seven fantasy points in any of those contests.
Point Projection: 13 points

5. Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers) vs. Chicago

Crosby is the NFL’s leader in extra points made with 57, and despite his season-low one fantasy point last week against the Chiefs, remains an excellent option for fantasy owners. He had nine fantasy points when he played the Bears in Week 3, and Chicago has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points in the league to kickers, including at least seven points in six of their last seven games.
Point Projection: 12 points

6. Mike Nugent (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Arizona

Nugent leads all kickers with a field goal percentage of 93.1, and is third in the league in field goals made. He’s also eighth in fantasy scoring at the kicker position, and faces a Cardinals team this week that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points in the league to opposing kickers. Needless to say, there’s a lot to like about Nugent this week, and fantasy owners should take advantage of the potential for him to have a big game.
Point Projection: 11 points

7. Neil Rackers (Houston Texans) @ Indianapolis

Even though he’s missed one field goal in each of his last three games, Rackers is tied for fifth in the NFL in field goals made this season, and just once this year has had a game with fewer than five fantasy points. His opponent this week, the Colts, have given up the eighth-most fantasy points in the league to kickers.
Point Projection: 11 points

8.  Jason Hanson (Detroit Lions) vs. San Diego

Just three kickers have booted more PATs than Hanson this season, which is where he’s gotten most of his fantasy points from of late. Earlier this season, he was the top fantasy scorer at his position, but has fallen to 11th because he’s made just three of six field goals over his last five games. But Detroit’s offense is too good to stall, meaning Hanson should be a pretty safe play for fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 10 points

9. Nick Novak (San Diego Chargers) @ Detroit

Novak plays the Lions this week, and only two teams have allowed more fantasy points to kickers than they have. Detroit has allowed at least nine fantasy points to an opposing kicker in nine of their 14 games this season, which certainly bodes well for Novak, who is tied for ninth at his position in fantasy scoring this season. He’s accumulated at least seven fantasy points in each of his last five contests.
Point Projection: 10 points

10. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Miami

Gostkowski is fifth in the league in fantasy points among kickers, and his consistency is something that all fantasy owners can appreciate. Only one time this season has Gostkowski had a game with less than seven fantasy points, and that was back in Week 8. The Patriots have a re-match with the Dolphins this week, and when the two teams played during Week 1, Gostkowski amassed seven fantasy points after going 1-for-2 on field goals and making five PATs.
Point Projection: 9 points

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We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 15 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,200 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Week 16 $350 Contest  (click to register)

11. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) @ New Orleans

Only two kickers have a higher field goal percentage than Bryant’s 92.0 for the season. He’s booted at least one field goal in every game since Week 5, and is seventh in the NFL in extra points. Bryant and the Falcons should be involved in a fairly high-scoring affair with the Saints this week, and the last time the two teams played he made three field goals and had 10 fantasy points.
Point Projection: 9 points

12. Olindo Mare (Carolina Panthers) vs. Tampa Bay

Mare hasn’t made a field goal in either of his last two games, but he has a good match-up this week with the Bucs. Tampa has allowed at least four extra points in five of their last six games, and the Panthers should be able to run the ball at will on them. That should allow Mare, who is ninth in the league in PATs, plenty of opportunities for fantasy points.
Point Projection: 8 points

13. Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears) @ Green Bay

Gould is the only kicker in the league with more than three attempts from 50 or more yards to have made each of them (he is 6-for-6), and is one of just four kickers to have made all their attempts from 50+. That’s helped put him sixth in fantasy scoring at the kicker position, but without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, the Bears’ offense has stalled, and Gould has a total of only 10 fantasy points in his last three games.
Point Projection: 8 points

14. Dan Carpenter (Miami Dolphins) @ New England

Only once this season has Carpenter had a game with fewer than six fantasy points, and he’s had amassed at least 11 points in two of his last three games. Despite an injury that cost him a pair of games, he’s tied for 10th in the NFL in field goals made, and is a solid 7-for-8 in kicks between 40 and 49 yards.
Point Projection: 7 points

15. Rob Bironas (Tennessee Titans) vs. Jacksonville

Only one team has allowed fewer fantasy points to kickers this year than Jacksonville, the team that Bironas will be going up against this week. He’s a solid fantasy, with at least six fantasy points in each of his last eight games, and has had four outings with double-digits in that time. More than half of Bironas’ 23 field goals this season have come from at least 40 yards, but only three teams have allowed fewer field goals from 40+ yards than Jacksonville. Bironas has a high risk/reward factor for those fantasy owners willing to take a gamble in an extremely important week.
Point Projection: 7 points

16. Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) @ Buffalo

Though only three kickers have fewer fantasy points this season than Prater, he’s been very good of late, with double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four contests. He’s also facing a Bills team that is struggling terribly, and who has allowed 13, 8, and 12 fantasy points to kickers over their last three games.
Point Projection: 7 points