Word to the Winners: Fantasy Football Advice

2007 NFL Free Agent's: Kickers -- By Russ Bliss

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Kicker is one of those free agent positions where no matter where you go, you stand a good chance of being just as good as you have been in the past. The only exceptions really to this are kickers who can’t adjust from playing most of their games in domes to kicking outdoors (does the name Mike Vanderjagt ring any bells?). There were 4 solid kickers in the 2007 NFL free agent class, and two of them have already signed contracts. The other two haven’t signed yet, but aren’t likely to move to another team.

Here’s who has signed so far.

Jay Feely: Feely left the New York Giants and signed a 3 year contract with the Miami Dolphins, spelling the end of Olindo Mare’s tenure in Miami. Feely is an accurate kicker with good leg strength and should be capable of close to 110 pts in 2007.

Josh Scobee: Scobee was a restricted free agent and after a solid 2006 campaign where he made 26 of 32 FGA’s, the Jaguars signed him a 5 year deal to keep him in Jacksonville. Scobee is a young kicker with very good leg strength and is coming into his own as a solid kicking option in fantasy football and should project highly in the 2007 rankings.

Martin Gramatica: After the Cowboys got burned by paying Mike Vanderjagt a hefty contract in the 2006 free agent period only to release him in November, the team turned to Gramatica and have re-signed him thru 2008. Gramatica doesn’t possess the leg strength he once had, but he was cheap, and decent enough. His 2007 fantasy football projections aren’t likely to make place higher than a decent backup kicker in fantasy football leagues.

There are a few kickers still available out there and here they are.

Josh Brown: Brown is an unrestricted free agent, but the Seattle Seahawks placed the franchise tag on him to prevent him from bolting to another team. They are attempting to get Brown signed to a long term deal and likely will have something in place before the start of training camp.

Lawrence Tynes: Tynes is a restricted free agent and the Chiefs have the right to match any offer he receives from another club. Tynes possesses a very strong leg (6 or 11 in FGA’s of 50 yards or more in his 3 year career), but lacks great accuracy. Still accuracy is something a kicker can be taught while leg strength isn’t, so Tynes still has a bright future in the NFL, and it will probably be with the Chiefs.

Mike Vanderjagt: Believe it or not, before last season’s meltdown in Dallas, Vanderjagt was the league’s most accurate regular season kicker in NFL history. Let go in free agency last year by the Colts, Vanderjagt’s problems have been his attitude and his penchant for missing the most important FG’s in games. He’s not even listed as a free agent by the NFL as he had no team to call home at the end of last season. Although he has butted heads with two teams in the NFL so far in his career, you just have to believe that he’ll get invited to some team’s 2007 NFL training camp. I include him on this list much for the same reason I included Kevin Jones in a recent fantasy football help article; I don’t want you to forget about him.

Morten Andersen: The all time NFL career leader in FG’s made after 24 NFL seasons, Andersen showcased his incredible accuracy in 2006 with the Atlanta Falcons after the team called for his help early in 2006. While very accurate, Andersen doesn’t possess the leg strength to go more than 42 yards. The Falcons haven’t made any attempt to re-sign Andersen, and it’s likely Andersen isn’t in any hurry to sign with anyone. While the demand for such limited range (after all, a 42 yard FG is actually kicked from about the 24 yard line) isn’t great, there may be another team that after week one of the 2007 regular season picks up the phone and says “Hey Mort…”

Billy Cundiff: Cundiff is a journeyman kicker who tried only 1 FG in 2006 (he missed). It’s just doubtful Cundiff actually starts the 2007 on any team in any capacity above being a kickoff specialist.

John Hall: Hall hasn’t made it thru an entire season since 2003 and was released by the Washington Redskins. Injuries have taken their toll on Hall and I’d be very surprised if he were on any NFL roster (let alone a fantasy football roster) in 2007.

Russ Bliss is Fantasy Football Starters.com's exclusive fantasy football expert, a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, and for 11 years has been the radio host of "The Red Zone, Talking Fantasy Football and the NFL," in Phoenix, Arizona.

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