FanHouse John Carney

It's no secret that kicker is the most fickle and unpredictable position in fantasy sports. Even the most seemingly sure-fire starters can throw up a terrible stat-line due to exterior variables (like Nick Folk last week, though he did miss a field goal).

Still, we have to plow forward and the best we can do is judge the stats in front of us or hope to find a high-scoring affair. In Week 12, we have a doozy of a Monday Night Football game with serious shootout potential. So we'll roll with those two kickers atop the rankings.

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Stephen Gostkowski has been one of the highest point-scoring kickers this season, so you'll always find him toward the top of the rankings. This week seems even more sure-fire, though, for two reasons. First of all, the Patriots' once-vaunted offense seemed to be back on track prior to a bye week, in which they were able to rest and further prepare. Secondly, only the Browns, Chiefs and Raiders have allowed more kicking points than the Pats' opponent this week, Miami. Gostkowski as the top kicking option is a no-brainer.

1. Stephen Gostkowski, NE vs. MIA
2. Lawrence Tynes, NYG vs. SD
3. Mason Crosby, GB at TB
4. John Carney, NO vs. CAR
5. David Akers, PHI vs. DAL

Just as we gave you Jay Feely last week, we're going against the Raiders to find a quality kicker for the Week 8 fantasy football rankings. The silver and black have now allowed 14 field goals and 19 extra points in seven games, tying them with the Chiefs for the most points allowed to opposing kickers.

This week, Nate Kaeding of the Chargers gets to kick against the Raiders at home. He's coming off two straight double-digit weeks in scoring, where he's hit six field goals and six extra points. Thus, the veteran is an absolute no-brainer to sit atop the ranks for this week.

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After a 37-7 drubbing of his Chiefs on Sunday, running back Larry Johnson spent post-game energy focused on his Twitter stream instead of reflecting on the 1-6 start to the season in Kansas City. He called out head coach Todd Haley in a way most employees don't recover from when speaking poorly of their employers.

"My father played for the coach from "rememeber the titans". Our coach played golf. My father played for redskins briefley. Our coach. Nuthn"

Johnson is obviously upset at how the Chiefs are playing. He may even be upset at the fact that he's not getting enough touches. But, we won't know what's bothering Johnson because not only did he delete his controversial tweets, he also protected his Twitter stream from being viewed unless Johnson gives explicit permission. According to Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star, he's also not happy with the media asking about his tweets.

In last week's fantasy football kicker rankings, I mentioned that the Raiders were fantasy gold at all positions. Well, the boys in the black and silver stepped up and proved it wasn't a hard-and-fast formula, holding the Eagles to nine points. We're talking Week 7 kicker rankings here, though, so do you notice anything about those nine points? Like, say, three field goals? David Akers even missed two, so the Raiders yielded five field goal attempts.

This week, the Jets visit Oakland. Expect them to modestly move the ball, mostly on the ground, and give Jay Feely his fair share of field goal attempts. Thus, we've ranked him fourth behind three sure things.

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Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across Fleaflicker fantasy leagues between Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Knowing who is on the move during this 24-hour period often provides a valuable edge with regard to outperforming or underperforming players, injuries and depth chart shifts. So do as the man says, "Don't just stand there..."

The Adds

Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Steelers, 3,178 adds) - Enough already about the Steelers moving away from their longtime pound-the-rock mantra and relying on the pass. Mendenhall finally showed up and put the backfield debates as to who should tote the ball to bed. Willie Parker's inability to get the ground game moving (3.1 yards per carry) coupled with an inability to overcome injuries finally got the best of him as Mendenhall should see the bulk of the touches going forward with Parker playing second fiddle. It's hard to argue with 165 and two touchdowns -- so why try?

With all the offensive stars New England has, you would think someone like Tom Brady would be leading the team in total points. But it's kicker Stephen Gostkowski that's blazing the trail, with 30 points through three games. He nailed all four of his attempts last week against Atlanta en route to a 14-point showing, and with another tough defense on tap his leg should be golden again. If this keeps up, he'll have no problem matching his 148 points from last season.

1. Stephen Gostkowski, NE vs. BAL
2. John Carney, NO vs. NYJ
3. Nate Kaeding, SD @ PIT
4. Ryan Longwell, MIN vs. GB
5. Matt Prater, DEN vs. DAL

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Remember what mom always used to say? "You can't keep an old kicker down." OK, no way she never said that, but we did. John Carney is a 45-year-old shining example of why you never draft kickers before the last couple of rounds. Carney wasn't even on most radars after the Garrett Hartley suspension, yet he already has 21 points through two games of the season. Backed by a high-powered New Orleans offense, Carney should be one of the rare consistent kickers you leave in your lineup. I also think the same goes for Nate Kaeding, who has never dipped below 112 points in a season. Your Week 3 kicker ranking buffet is after the jump.

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Kicker is a position where you should have ample options in free agency, as no one should ever draft a backup kicker. If you actually did draft a backup kicker, go cut one of them and pick up the highest-rated QB, RB or WR you can find.

Kicking performances are very hard to predict on a weekly basis -- a kicker can pick up any number of points each week, and how his offense and defense do really doesn't impact a kicker's numbers. The offense can get shut down, yet the kicker can hit three FGs and have a great game, even though his team lost 35-9. Or the offense can keep reaching the end zone, yet your kicker only ends with four or five points. All that being said, here's my best guess:

1. Stephen Gostkowski, NE vs BUF
2. Nate Kaeding, SD at OAK
3. John Carney, NO vs DET
4. Neil Rackers, ARI vs SF
5. Jason Elam, ATL vs MIA

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Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Though 2006 was arguably the best season in New Orleans Saints history, the campaign was only the beginning of this streak of NFL competitive relevance in the Crescent City. Despite steps backwards in 2007 and 2008, the team has quietly been adding front-end talent and admirable depth since that NFC Championship appearance against the Bears. Now, as Drew Brees put it, "...we're at this stage in our careers where this is kind of our prime. ... So this is our window of opportunity. This is our chance to walk together forever, to go down in history together." After over 40 years and just two playoff wins, is this the year the Saints finally break through?

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