Drafting a kicker early rarely, if ever, makes sense in the real or fantasy world, despite what Oakland owner Al Davis may have thought about Sebastian Janikowski a few years back. Much like the tight ends, kicker is becoming a deep position. The gap from the top five to the sixth through 10th at the position isn’t that big, meaning it behooves owners to wait until the rest of their team is rounded out before delving into the world of extra points and field goals. And making this even more true lies in the instability at the position. Aside from maybe himself, who had a clue that Atlanta’s Jay Feely would lead the NFC in field goals? At bargain basement prices, he proved to be nearly as valuable as the Rams’ Jeff Wilkins.

1. Mike Vanderjagt, Indianapolis
The Colts upgraded their potent offense yet again during the offseason and Vanderjagt, who finished second among kickers with 125 points (two behind the Rams’ Wilkins), stands to see his point total increase. He converted 3 of 4 from beyond 50 yards and drilled at least 25 field goals in each of the last three years.

2. Jason Elam, Denver
A regular among the kicking leaders, Elam stands to continue his status with nearly the entire Denver offense back at full strength. He scored 124 points without Ed McCaffrey and Terrell Davis and two banged-up stars in Rod Smith and Brian Griese. Elam is also a great grab in leagues that reward distance kicks, as he’s boomed 8 of 13 kicks from 50 yards or beyond over the last three years.

3. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland
Want consistency? How about 112 and 111 points in his first two NFL seasons? If Janikowski can control the gout that has forced him to the sidelines at times, he’d be a lock to boost his scoring total into the 120-130-point range. With the loss of head coach Jon Gruden, look for Janikowski to see an uptick in his field-goal attempts and a slight drop in extra-point tries.

4. Martin Gramatica, Tampa Bay
Like the Buccaneers offense, Gramatica sputtered in 2001. After converting 8 of 11 from beyond 50 yards from 1999-2000, he missed all three attempts in ’02. His point total dropped faster than a bad stock from a career high 126 in ’00 to just 97 a year ago. What we’ll all come to learn at the end of the year is that Gramatica belongs this high on the list.

5. Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis
The knock on Wilkins is that his team scores too many touchdowns and doesn’t afford him many field-goal attempts. He attempted 58 extra points, but only six other teams attempted more than 40. That said, it’s tough to pass him up, given the frequency that opportunity knocks. He led kickers with 127 points and will again be near the top thanks to Kurt Warner & Co.

6. David Akers, Philadelphia
The Eagles proved they were on the verge of something big when they advanced to the NFC Championship Game last year. Look for the offense, led by the ever-dangerous Donovan McNabb, to continue making progress and put Akers (55 of 64 on field-goal attempts since 2000) in prime scoring position.

7. Olindo Mare, Miami
After leading the NFL with an unbelievable 144 points in 1999, Mare really had nowhere to go but down. However, a 48-point dropoff over two years isn’t quite what anyone had in mind. His field-goal attempts have dwindled (46-31-21) while his extra-point tries have climbed (27-34-40). With Norv Turner in the fold, the Dolphins may take one more leap up the touchdown ladder, further hurting Mare’s totals. He’s clearly a kicker who could fall down this list come opening day.

8. Mike Hollis, Buffalo
Looks like Hollis not only jumped ship at the perfect time, he jumped aboard another at the perfect time. The addition of Drew Bledsoe puts the Buffalo offense right up with the upper tier in the NFL. Consequently, the dependable Hollis will turn around his dwindling point total (130 in 1999, 105 in 2000, 83 in ’02) with the surging Bills.

9. Jay Feely, Atlanta
The frontrunner for the “Where the Hell Did He Come From Award?” Playing for a team that scored just 28 touchdowns, Feely made the most of his 37 field-goal attempts, converting 29 (including 2 of 4 from beyond 50 yards). With Michael Vick at the helm, Feely should match last year’s 115 points.

10. Adam Vinatieri, New England
The hero of last year’s Super Bowl, Vinatieri lived out every kicker’s dream when he booted New England to the title. What will he do for an encore? Well, he has been one of the most consistent kickers in the game and converted 77 of his last 96 field-goal attempts (80.2 percent). Suffice to say that another 100-point campaign is on the horizon.

11. Matt Stover, Baltimore
A regular at the top of the kicker rankings for years—he had 135 points in 2000—Stover will see a sizable dropoff in 2002 and has been bounced from the Top 10. The Ravens have very little big-play ability, and if the offense can’t move the chains, Stover won’t get the opportunities.

12. Paul Edinger, Chicago
Riding the coattails of a much-improved offense, as well as his own maturity, Edinger increased his scoring by 28 points in his second season. He rung up a solid 112 points and has missed just 11 of his 58 career field-goal attempts (81.0 percent).

13. Ryan Longwell, Green Bay
Which was the aberration, Longwell’s career-best 131 points in 2000, or his 104 in ’01? Given the complete turnover on the Green Bay wide receiving unit, the Packers could struggle to points on the board. Don’t be surprised if Longwell struggles to reach the century mark.

14. Joe Nedney, Tennessee
The Titans’ offense sputtered, and so did Nedney to some degree. He converted just 20 of 28 field-goal attempts (71.4 percent), well below the 89.2 percent he booted through the uprights in 2000. If the Titans really can turn their offense around, Nedney has the potential to be a steal.

15. Phil Dawson, Cleveland
On potential Dawson deserves to be ranked a little higher on this list. However, the Browns offense will have to show that it has the tools to become a feared unit. Dawson has seen his point total more than double over the last three years from 47-59-95 and is on the verge of a breakout like the Browns.

16. John Kasay, Carolina
Apparently the torn ACL Kasay suffered in 2000 had little bearing on his career as a kicker. He bounced back by booting 23 of 28 field-goal attempts and racked up a more than respectable 91 points for a 1-15 team. He’ll return to triple digits in ’02.

17. Jason Hanson, Detroit
His field-goal attempts have declined in each of the last four years and he plays for the Detroit Lions, a team struggling to just get out of its own way. With a new starting quarterback at the helm and questions with the wide receiving unit, it looks like another down year for Hanson.

18. John Hall, N.Y. Jets
His leg strength has never been a question, however, his accuracy has. Hall’s just 45 of 63 over the last two years on field-goal attempts (71.4 percent), and he’s never really had a stranglehold on his job going back to the days when Bill Parcells roamed the sidelines. A shaky start could put Hall on the real-life waiver wire.

19. Kris Brown, Houston
It’s funny how the NFL works. Brown led the NFL in field-goal attempts (44) and finished second conversions (31), yet he couldn’t have been shuffled out of town any faster had he bought his own plane ticket. Now in Houston, there will be far less pressure to perform, and that’s nothing but a good thing for Brown in the long run.

20. Morten Andersen, Kansas City
Father Time has yet to visit Andersen, who has changed teams yet again. Now plying his trade for Dick Vermeil in Kansas City, Andersen has the potential to sniff the 100-point barrier after consecutive 98-point seasons with the disappointing Falcons and Giants.
 

Steve Siniski is the managing editor of Football Forecast and a senior editor for College & Pro Football Newsweekly.