Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

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

WEEK 5 RANKINGS  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF

The Year of the Rookie Kicker continued in Week 4, with St. Louis kicker Greg Zuerlein being the week’s star. Among his four field goals in the team’s win over Seattle were kicks from 58 and 60 yards, and not only were those the two longest field goals in team history, but he became the first kicker in NFL history to make two field goals of 58 or more yards in the same game. He’s now tied with Jason Hanson for the lead in fantasy scoring among kickers, and with Hanson on a bye this week, he could be alone at the top following this weekend’s slate of games.

Let’s see who else will creep closer to the top of the leaderboard in this week’s rankings.

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

1. David Akers (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Buffalo

Akers had an uncharacteristically off day last week in the 49ers whipping of the Jets, going just 2-for-4 on field goal attempts. One was a 55-yarder, which is no gimme, but he also missed a 40-yard kick. We don’t believe for one second that he’ll repeat his bad day this week against Buffalo, and think he’ll have plenty of opportunities to put the ball through the uprights against a Bills team that is 30th in the league in scoring defense.
Point Projection: 15 points

2. Greg Zuerlein (St. Louis Rams) vs. Arizona

We spoke about Zuerlein’s accomplishments last week in the intro, but here are a couple more numbers, if you’re not convinced. He’s tied for the league lead in field goals made with 12, and no kicker has booted more field goals from 40 or more yards than Zuerlein. Apparently, the Missouri Western product still hasn’t done quite enough to turn fantasy owners into believers, because he’s still available in far too many leagues. If he’s around in your league, grab him before someone else does.
Point Projection: 14 points

3. Matt Bryant (Atlanta Falcons) @ Washington

Bryant is tied for fourth in fantasy scoring on the season after a 14 point effort in Week 4. He made all three of his field goals in the Falcons win over the Panthers, including the 40-yard game winner after Carolina inexcusably let Roddy White beat them deep with Atlanta pinned at their own 1-yard line. Bryant should be good for plenty of points this week against the Redskins, who are one of just six teams in the league allowing 30 or more points per game.
Point Projection: 14 points

4. Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens) @ Kansas City

Tucker missed a 47-yard field goal last week in Baltimore’s win over Cleveland, marking the first miss of his very short career. There was also a botched snap on an extra point, so Tucker didn’t exactly have the day we envisioned for him last week. But there’s nothing like playing a team that is 31st in scoring defense to right the ship, and that’s what Tucker and the Ravens face this week in Kansas City.
Point Projection: 14points

5. Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots) vs. Denver 

Gostkowski missed from 42 and 49 yards last week, but still managed eight fantasy points thanks to his 30-yard field goal and seven PATs. That’s the benefit of having a kicker that plays behind a high-powered offense, and even though seven extra points isn’t going to happen often, PATs offer redemption for kickers who may be having an off day. We expect Gostkowski to rebound this week in the highly anticipated Manning vs. Brady showdown.
Point Projection: 14 points

6. Nick Novak (San Diego Chargers) @ New Orleans 

Novak came back into the NFL – and the consciousness of fantasy owners – with a bang last week, making all three of his field goals and four PATs in San Diego’s win over the Chiefs. With Nate Kaeding possibly headed to IR, Novak immediately becomes an attractive fantasy option, including this week in what should be a fairly high-scoring contest in New Orleans on Sunday night.
Point Projection: 13 points

7. Blair Walsh (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Tennessee 

Like fellow rookie Tucker, Walsh missed his first field goal last week, from 46 yards. But he made two other kicks, including one from 49 yards, and he’s still 5-for-6 from 40 or more yards. He’s having an excellent season and should continue to be used, including this week against a porous Tennessee defense.
Point Projection: 12 points

8. Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers) @ Indianapolis 

Crosby didn’t attempt a field goal last week in Green Bay’s win over New Orleans, and it was the second time in four games that he’s failed to attempt one. He’s not having the season many expected because the Packers offense isn’t doing anything close to what it did last season. But maybe they found their groove last week, and we like the match-up this week for the team – and Crosby – against the Colts.
Point Projection: 12  points

9. Garrett Hartley (New Orleans Saints) vs. San Diego

Hartley was 2-for-3 in field goals last week against the Packers, even though he should have been 3-for-3. At the end of the fourth quarter, Hartley made a 43-yard field goal that was wiped out by an unnecessary holding penalty. That moved them back 10 yards, but a penalty on the Packers moved them back in five yards (still with us?), so Hartley had a 48-yarder to put the Saints ahead, but missed. Despite the fact he’s just 3-for-5 in his last two games, we’re sticking with Hartley, mostly because he has so many opportunities kicking behind the Saints offense that he can still be productive even with a miss or two.
Point Projection: 11 points

10. Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears) @ Jacksonville

Gould registered 11 fantasy points on Monday night in Chicago’s thrashing of the Cowboys. He made two field goals and four extra points, and is now 11th in fantasy scoring at his position. He’s made all eight of his field goals, has a big leg, and has been one of the most reliable kickers in the game in recent years. Just plug him in your lineup and play.
Point Projection: 10 points

11. Matt Prater (Denver Broncos) @ New England

Prater’s three field goals and four PATs last week in Denver’s win over the Raiders left him in second place for the week in fantasy scoring. He’s had double-digit fantasy points the last two games, and the Peyton Manning Affect is starting to take hold. The Denver offense should only get better as Manning gets more comfortable, and that should mean good things ahead for Prater and his fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 10 points

12. Shayne Graham (Houston Texans) @ New York Jets 

Graham made his only kick last week in the Texans win over the Titans, a 33-yarder. But he did kick five extra points, and is now tied for 12th in fantasy scoring on the season. He hasn’t had fewer than eight fantasy points in a game this season, and is a solid option behind Houston’s offense.
Point Projection: 9 points

13. Mike Nugent (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Miami

Nugent connected on a pair of field goals last week in Cincy’s win over Jacksonville, with each coming from 35 yards out. He’s a good kicker who has yet to miss this season, but of the seven field goals he’s made, only one has come from 40 or more yards, so his fantasy scoring numbers are down a smidge from what they could be. Still, any fantasy owners who have their regular kickers on bye this week could do worse than Nugent for a fill-in.
Point Projection: 9 points

14. Lawrence Tynes (New York Giants) vs. Cleveland

Tynes is currently fourth among kickers in fantasy scoring, but has been too inconsistent. He’s had two weeks with 15 or more points, and two weeks with five or fewer points. Fantasy owners need some kind of reliability, and Tynes hasn’t shown it this season after his miserably unproductive year (fantasy-wise, anyway) in 2011. We do think he’ll have a solid game in Cleveland, but would only use him if our regular kicker was on a bye, or if our regular kicker stunk and there was little else available on the waiver wire.
Point Projection: 8 points