Week 1 Lineup calls: Kicker's top starts, sleepers and flops

Lineup calls: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST

Any fantasy owner who has played this game for a couple years has seen a playoff run ended by the exploits of a kicker.

No, I’m not talking about Garrett Hartley. That was not an attempt to jab at the Minnesota Vikings fans among you.

Fantasy matchups are frequently decided by the narrowest of margins, just like the real on-field action. It’s painful to watch the last players selected in your draft having such a large impact, but that’s the nature of the beast. It’s why you scream about the slowdown of an offense to set up a short field-goal attempt in the waning minutes of a game. You’re not nearly as salty when a guy trots out and boots a 50-yarder. It still stings, but he earned the points. That’s what you tell yourself, anyway.

Remember, kickers are people, too.

Let’s set up the Week 1 Lineup Calls at this throwaway, but still important, position

Top 5 Kickers

(not named Mason Crosby, Stephen Gostkowski, Ryan Longwell, Garrett Hartley and David Akers)

Rob Bironas vs. Oakland

The Oakland defense is improved, but it shan’t shut down Chris Johnson altogether. Vince Young was efficient after reclaiming the starting role, and I expect to see Bironas trotted out for multiple field goal tries. He converted at least one field goal in every game last season except the 59-0 debacle against New England.

Matt Prater at Jacksonville

I certainly don’t anticipate a huge scoring barrage from the Broncos, but I do expect to see a few long, protracted drives with Knowshon Moreno returning and Kyle Orton at the helm against the middling Jacksonville defense. Prater has enough leg to boot longer field goals, and I suspect that he gets a workout here.

Robbie Gould vs. Detroit

The Bears need only to solve the red zone mystery (read: bucket of interceptions) to make Gould a kicking superstar in the fantasy realm. He converted multiple field goals in seven different games last season while getting shut out on four occasions (Blasted turnovers!). The new-look Mike Martz offense has looked, shall we say, suspect, during camp, but confidence appears high that the passing game will kick in come the regular season. I can only say this. Cutler passed for 3,700 yards last season in a question-filled offense. I expect the unit to move the ball against the Lions and to afford Gould multiple tries. He kicked five field goals against last year’s edition of the Lions.

David Buehler at Washington

Buehler has been one of the top-performing stars of the preseason, as many a Dallas drive has stalled. I expect him to continue to be busy out of the gate, as the Cowboys await the return of their starting offensive line and the Redskins figure out the world of Albert Haynesworth. Buehler connected on four field goal tries in the preseason finale, including several from longer distances.

Dan Carpenter at Buffalo

Carpenter didn’t frequently convert long field goals last season, but he made the most of his chances with 25 conversions in 28 tries. The two-headed backfield returns and should help the Dolphins win the field position battle to set Carpenter up for multiple tries.

Kicker Sleepers

Neil Rackers vs. Indianapolis

Rackers takes over as the placekicker behind the potent Houston offense, forcing the Texans to wave goodbye to the last member of the original team (Kris Brown). He joins a squad, much like his tenure in Arizona, where you count on multiple PATs as a solid base and that he’ll continue to boom long-distance tries. I’m anticipating a shootout in this contest.

Phil Dawson at Tampa Bay

The Browns certainly aren’t flashy, but they’ve been much more efficient this preseason behind Jake Delhomme. This is a good spot against a young, developing Tampa Bay defense where the Cleveland defense should be able to control field position. Dawson kicked well down the stretch for the Browns as the team started to gel under Eric Mangini (four straight multi-field goal games to close 2009).

Jason Hanson at Chicago

If you believe in Matthew Stafford (don’t start singing), then you bring veteran kicker Hanson along for the ride, provided that he’s cleared for the opener. Hanson has been a steady plug-in option behind pedestrian quarterbacks and can still be trotted out for longer attempts. Stafford’s growth and the arrival of Jahvid Best should make Hanson a factor in Chicago.

Sebastian Janikowski at Tennessee

The Raiders are expected to be more productive behind Jason Campbell this season. I don’t think that it necessarily translates into a ton of points, but you will see more consistent (and probably shorter) attempts from Janikowski. The Titans played much better football in the second half of last season, and I don’t believe the Raiders suddenly become red zone juggernauts. Still, Campbell’s accuracy should at least extend a pair of drives into Janikowski’s extended range in this one.

Kicker Flops

Billy Cundiff at New York Jets

Cundiff won a heated competition with veteran Shayne Graham this summer, with the announcement of the winner coming in the final cuts. Overall, I think Cundiff has the ability to rank as one of the season’s biggest bargains, but I’m not sure how much of an impact he’ll have in what could be a very low-scoring affair. Will the run game be able to get a push against the New York front? Will Joe Flacco be able to find space downfield now that Darrelle Revis has rejoined the New York secondary? It’s possible that Cundiff’s posts a big game and receives multiple tries following stalled drives, but I can’t project big-time production.

Lawrence Tynes vs. Carolina

Tynes was a monster last season, producing 45 PATs and 27 field goals for Eli Manning’s offense. I’m moderately concerned about the offensive line and the potential for slowdowns against what was a top-10 defense a season ago. Tynes was shut out only once all season. That came in 2010.