FanHouse JohnKasay

Another week, another fantasy football ranking with Stephen Gostkowski atop kickers. He is second overall in kicking points (three behind Lawrence Tynes), but we expect Tynes to be kicking extra points against the lowly Raiders. Gostkowski's Patriots will face a tough Broncos defense. They'll be able to move the ball, so you'll see a mix of field goals and extra points, during what will result in double-digit fantasy points for Mr. Gostkowski.

1. Stephen Gostkowski, NE at DEN
2. Neil Rackers, ARI vs. HOU
3. Josh Scobee, JAX at SEA
4. Nick Folk, DAL at KC
5. Steven Hauschka, BAL vs. CIN

---

---

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Home of Smash and Dash. Why is that important? Because that's the nickname of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, one of the most prolific running back combinations in the NFL last year. Oh, yes, and in case you didn't see the Jake Delhomme Meltdown Party against the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs last year, the running game is mildly important to the Panthers success.

---

---

Each week in the NFL, there are players that impress and players that distress. One week a certain quarterback might toss four touchdowns and run around with his finger in the air while the next he's laying on his back, holding his facemask as the other team returns one of his three interceptions for the game-winning score. With that in mind, here's Studs and Duds.

Here's Week 17 at a glance, where we point out the horses destined for the Kentucky Derby and jeer those headed to the glue factory.

Studs

Michael Bush, RB Oakland (27 carries, 177 yards, 2 TDs) -- This is the other running back in Oakland, and boy did he have a pretty nice coming out party. In his first game with more than 16 carries, Bush rolled a Tampa Bay defense in search of a playoff spot and carried the Raiders to their second consecutive win. Sure, the team went 5-11, but the last two games were something to build on, and Michael looked like a capable backfield option.

The now 0-15 Lions have many believing that a winless season is not only possible, but probable. This is 0for08, FanHouse's eye on the Detroit Lions and their quest for a winless season.

Fellow FanHouse-r Bruce Ciskie touched on this earlier but the fact is that the Detroit Lions haven't won a game in Wisconsin since 1991. That means that in the Lions' quest to not be 0-16 for the season, they will have to win in a state they've lost in 17 straight times (18, if you count their playoff loss at Lambeau in 1994).

The 0-15 Lions take on the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Their last win in Wisconsin was a season before some guy name Brett Favre arrived in Green Bay. Favre would never lose to the Lions at home during his entire stay as a Packer. It was also the season Detroit won their last playoff game and wound up in the NFC Championship game. They'd lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins.

FanHouse fantasy positional rankings are compiled weekly by the staff in order to provide answers to possible lineup questions. These are assuming most leagues use Fleaflicker's standard scoring structure. If you need clarification, you need more players ranked, or have funky league rules, feel free to shoot us an email question.

Coming off a stellar near 20 point effort and a bye week, there's no way I'm ranking anyone above Jason Elam and his bionic/ageless leg.

- The Redskins offense has sputtered enough against bad defenses recently to believe there will be several field goal opportunities for Shaun Suisham inside the comfort of a dome this weekend.

- Everyone's second favorite kicker entering the season, Shayne Graham, is returning from injury. The Bengals face a sieve of a defense in Houston. He's ranked low because of it being his first week back from injury and his having to rely upon Ryan Fitzpatrick and Cedric Benson to lead the team across mid-field ... but he's still a sleeper for a good week.

1. Jason Elam, @ PHI
2. Rob Bironas, vs. IND
3. Shaun Suisham, @ DET
4. John Kasay, vs. ARI
5. Nate Kaeding, vs. NO (London)

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Jake Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery so no one knows what to expect. At the end of 2006, some fans wanted someone new at quarterback. Before he was injured in 2007, he was off to a white-hot start. How he recovers will go a long way to a successful Panthers season. Matt Moore filled in nicely late last season and may be the team's future. Brett Basanez isn't ready for prime time. No more Vinny or Mr. Mittens. Heat Index: 5

Running backs: The Panthers have been looking for a Stephen Davis type back and may have found one in rookie Jonathan Stewart. He's the kind of bull coach John Fox likes to center his offense around. DeAngelo Williams will be more efficient as a change-of-pace back. Brad Hoover is back again as an effective fullback. Nick Goings is always around to back up anybody. Heat Index: 5

Let's face facts, folks -- John Kasay was never going to play forever. Sure, the Carolina Panthers' 39-year-old place kicker has won a ton of games for this team with his left foot, but as time goes on, his kicks don't travel quite as far as they once did, and while some kickers have played well into their 40s in the NFL, those guys are few and far between.

The length of Kasay's kicks is the main reason the Carolina Panthers plan to use someone new for kickoffs. Rhys Lloyd, an Englishman who specializes in booting the ball really, really far, did well in a one-game trial with Carolina last season, and he now has a chance to make the team's final roster.

While it's far from unprecedented for a team to carry three kickers on its roster, it's not exactly business as usual. Still, Kasay had a league-low two touchbacks and watched five kickoffs sail out of bounds last season, so Lloyd almost seems like a necessity for Carolina. Field position is just that important for a team that prides itself on defense. Perhaps the only question is how much longer Kasay will be the last original Panther.

Sean Payton cost his team a very winnable game, and I want to puke.

Of course, he had help. Devery Henderson was Devery Henderson, catching one spectacular pass and dropping another handful, including a stone-handed tip that led to Drew Brees' second interception. Jammal Brown cost the Saints four points by taking a dumb illegal formation penalty that cost the Saints a touchdown. Olindo Mare, he of 3-of-7 accuracy, crapped on a fourth-quarter 20-yard field goal attempt to end a spectacular drive that could have put the Panthers away. But the game was still winnable until, inexplicably, Payton attempted a 54-yard field goal with just over two minutes left in a 13-13 game, despite the fact that Mare has displayed all the leg strength of Stephen Hawking.

Why?! Why would you go for a near-impossible field goal, almost assuredly giving your opponent (who has a kicker very capable of hitting from 50+, by the way) the ball at midfield, when the Saints could have had Steve Weatherford (five punts inside the 20) pin the Panthers deep, relying on field position and a stout defense that only allowed 243 yards? Why?!

The Saints dominated in practically every aspect except gunshots in foot. Credit the Panthers, they kept the game close despite a paltry performance and took advantage when it mattered. Julius Peppers, who went sack-less but blocked that field goal, and John Kasay, who's underratedly clutch, deserve praise. And they did a nice job adjusting at halftime, holding Reggie Bush to 3.2 yards per carry when he was averaging over five at half. But by all accounts, this should have been a Saints victory. The Panthers kept themselves in the NFC South mix, while the Saints, 0-4 with two division losses, might want to start scouting Glenn Dorsey.