As previously stated, nine kickers averaged over eight fantasy points per game last season. Sebastian Janikowski, David Akers, Josh Brown, Adam Vinatieri, Matt Bryant, Neil Rackers, Dan Carpenter, Nick Folk and David Buelher. Just to round this out and have an even number, Mason Crosby would be the 10th highest scorer.
Of these 10 kickers, seven* of them were on one of the 2010's top 10 highest scoring offenses. So, if you are going strictly by top scoring team, you can see that you stand roughly a 70 percent chance of having a highly-rated kicker.
*The kickers from the Patriots (highest scoring team) and Giants (eighth highest scoring) would probably have made the top 10 kickers if their seasons were not shortened by injury, which would increase this number to either 80 or 90 percent.
These are statistics from the 2010 season, so predicting the highest scoring offenses in 2011 is where this strategy gets tricky. It is possible to single out the powerhouses, though, and choosing their kicker to be your starter is the strategy that I have always gone by.
Using this strategy, it is safe to assume that kickers like Gostkowski (Patriots), Crosby (Packers), Henery (Eagles), Bryant (Falcons), Janikowski (Raiders) and Rackers (Texans) would be among the top 2011 performers when all is said and done.
In Week 1 of the NFL, five of the top scoring fantasy kickers were on the top 10 scoring teams.
