The NFL is finally back. With it, my disdain for kickers has been renewed. This first week did not offer too terribly much by way of kicking disasters, but there are still some to unpack.
First off, I have no idea if anybody took my advice regarding drafting a fantasy football kicker, but I am willing to stand by it. Draft a rookie kicker in the final round of your draft (save real picks for real players). When a kicker is a rookie, he has not yet been indoctrinated into the Fraternity of Suck. My rookie kicker this year, with an average draft position over 2,000, is Dominic Zvada of my beloved New York Giants.
The Giants were so gruesomely dominant over the Cowgirls this past Sunday night, that I, unfortunately, only got to cash in on my four extra points. Given the fact that he was dueling against fantasy football royalty (Brandon Aubrey) and finished with quadruple his point total, I am satisfied.
Is Brandon Aubrey the biggest kicking loser of the week, though? It is hard to hold it all against him. His three attempts were all extra point attempts. He made two of them and missed one that was elongated by a penalty. Still, if he wants people to believe kickers belong on the field with the real football players, he should probably hit the 47-yard uncontested shots down the middle.
If Aubrey is not our big loser though, then who is? I know some folks in New Orleans are pretty upset about Daniel Carlson missing a potential walk-off, but I am not convinced he is it. A 62-yard attempt is still a long kick. Also, it is worth factoring in that the zebras showed up in force to ensure Detroit would win that game no matter what.
Now to Atlanta. Nick Folk took over the kicking duties for the Falcons this year. This is the same Nick Folk that was essentially forced into retirement nine years ago and then tried to revive his career through the AAF. Needless to say, he is past his prime. He was the only NFL kicker this week to miss multiple field goal attempts. Rest assured though, if your local nursing home is looking for a kicker, the Falcons might be ready to part ways with him in just a number of weeks.
Next week will bring us another slate of games and plenty more opportunities for kickers to show their true worth. Hopefully we see some new faces here at the bottom, but I really hope Nick Folk is not holding his breath for that.
