Top 10 Unconventional Fantasy Predictions:
#4 . . .
Greg Zuerlein will be among the top 5 fantasy kickers this season.
They say kickers are worthless. In nearly every draft in America, guys like Steve Johnson and Miles Austin are flying off the boards before someone grabs a kicker. According to good ol’ fashioned statistics, that’s insane.
It might shock some people that in standard scoring leagues, the top two kickers last year scored more points than all but the top 12 RBs and top 11 WRs. Elite kickers can return upwards of 3rd round value, as opposed to the 12th or 14th rounds where they’re so frequently relegated. Don’t believe me? If Stephen Gostkowski qualified as an RB, WR, or TE, he would have been the 21st highest scoring Flex player in fantasy last year, better than Jordy Nelson, Reggie Bush, and Alfred Morris.
That’s what makes Greg Zuerlein such an intriguing play this year, particularly in fantasy leagues rewarding bonus points for longer kicks. His chances from 50+ yards out plummeted from 13 in 2012 to two last year. If Sam Bradford and Kenny Britt stay healthy, the Rams’ offense should be good enough to keep Zuerlein off the sidelines, racking up an average of 10 fantasy points per game and placing him among the game’s elite kickers—while also placing him among the top 30 flex players.
#4 . . .
Greg Zuerlein will be among the top 5 fantasy kickers this season.
They say kickers are worthless. In nearly every draft in America, guys like Steve Johnson and Miles Austin are flying off the boards before someone grabs a kicker. According to good ol’ fashioned statistics, that’s insane.
It might shock some people that in standard scoring leagues, the top two kickers last year scored more points than all but the top 12 RBs and top 11 WRs. Elite kickers can return upwards of 3rd round value, as opposed to the 12th or 14th rounds where they’re so frequently relegated. Don’t believe me? If Stephen Gostkowski qualified as an RB, WR, or TE, he would have been the 21st highest scoring Flex player in fantasy last year, better than Jordy Nelson, Reggie Bush, and Alfred Morris.
That’s what makes Greg Zuerlein such an intriguing play this year, particularly in fantasy leagues rewarding bonus points for longer kicks. His chances from 50+ yards out plummeted from 13 in 2012 to two last year. If Sam Bradford and Kenny Britt stay healthy, the Rams’ offense should be good enough to keep Zuerlein off the sidelines, racking up an average of 10 fantasy points per game and placing him among the game’s elite kickers—while also placing him among the top 30 flex players.