Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Kyle Smith
- Edited by Marc Caviglia
- Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 6, 2012::

As usual, the final scoring margin for fantasy kickers was close. Just 38 points separated the league’s second-highest scoring kicker (John Kasay) from the 20th-highest scoring kicker (Olindo Mare). That may sound like a lot, but it comes out to an average of just 2.4 points per game, and is the reason why kickers should never be drafted until the last round. When you look, for example, the running back position, the was a 124 point difference between the second-highest scoring player at that position (Adrian Peterson) and the 20th-highest scoring player (Ahmad Bradshaw). That’s a difference of 7.8 points per game. Even David Akers, who was far and away the top-scorer at the kicker position, had fewer than five points per game more than Mare.

So the lesson here, in case you still haven’t learned it – kickers are a dime a dozen, and not much separates them on a weekly basis. Yet Bruno Boys Fantasy Football is a full-service site that leaves no stone unturned, so here are the kicker rankings for this week’s playoff games.

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. John Kasay (New Orleans Saints) vs. Detroit

The Saints collected touchdowns like hoarders collect trash, which helped Kasay come in second in fantasy scoring among kickers this season. He was ninth in field goals, but his 63 extra points was second, which helped vault him in the rankings. Kasay isn’t great from long range, having hit only seven of his 13 boots from at least 40 yards, but he’s a dependable source of points and is the best option this week.
Point Projection: 12 points

2.  Jason Hanson (Detroit Lions) @ New Orleans

Hanson near the top in fantasy scoring for much of the season, but a stretch of just 17 points in four games from Weeks 10-13 (including three points against New Orleans in Week 13) hurt him, and he wound up tied for 11th in scoring at his position. He only made a pair of field goals from between 40 and 49 yards for the year, but was fourth in extra points, so while not quite as reliable as Kasay, Hanson can still be trusted to give you a solid point total this week.
Point Projection: 10 points

3. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) @ New York Giants

Bryant tied Hanson for 11th in fantasy scoring among kickers, and was game’s most accurate booter, nailing 27 of his 29 field goals, a percentage of 93.1. He didn’t miss from under 40 yards, and in fact hit both of his attempts from at least 50 yards. Bryant accumulated at least nine fantasy points in each of his last three games, and from Week 6 on, had at least six fantasy points in all but one contest.
Point Projection: 9 points

4. Neil Rackers (Houston Texans) vs. Cincinnati

Rackers was tied for seventh in fantasy scoring at the kicker position this season based on the fact that he was tied for third in the league with 32 field goals. Just once this season did have fewer than five fantasy points in a game, and the injuries to the quarterback position in Houston didn’t hurt Racker’s status. He’s attempted at least two field goals in each of his last 10 contests, and attempted three in each of his last four games, so there’s plenty of value here for fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 8 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 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 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!!

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5. Mike Nugent (Cincinnati Bengals) @ Houston

The kicker who was tied with Rackers for seventh in fantasy scoring among kickers was Nugent. He was second in the NFL in field goals, and no player made as many kicks from between 40 and 49 yards as Nugent. But the Cincinnati offense was not a dynamic one, leading to Nugent being tied for 21st in PATs, which hurts his stock, especially this week against the Texans.
Point Projection: 7 points

6. Lawrence Tynes (New York Giants) vs. Atlanta

Tynes ended the season with the fifth-fewest fantasy points among kickers, but much of that was because he had only two field goals in the season’s first five weeks. He ended the year on a better note, but was still tied for 28th in the league in field goals made, and of the 19 kicks he nailed, just seven were from beyond 29 yards. Not making long-distance kicks, and having a field goal percentage of just 79.2 were thorns in the sides of his fantasy owners, and he isn’t a fabulous option this week.
Point Projection: 5 points

7. Shaun Suisham (Pittsburgh Steelers) @ Denver

Only six kickers had fewer fantasy points this season than Suisham, who also had the league’s worst field goal percentage (74.2). That percentage lowered to 61.9 on field goals from at least 30 yards, and even in the thin air of Denver, that’s just too low a percentage for fantasy owners to rely on.
Point Projection: 3 points

8. Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) vs. Pittsburgh

Despite playing in the aforementioned thin air in Colorado, Prater wasn’t a long-distance threat, having made just six of his 11 kicks from at least 40 yards. He was second-to-last among kickers in fantasy scoring, because he was tied for fewest field goals made among regular kickers, and tied for 26th in field goal percentage. Having Tim Tebow as his quarterback doesn’t help, because the Denver offense doesn’t move the ball efficiently or quickly, and as such Prater had just 10 fantasy points over his last three games.
Point Projection: 3 points