Fantasy Football Week 2 Kicker Projections: How Does Sebastian Janikowski Follow Up His 63 Yard Boot?

The kicker. Sometimes I wonder why we even put kickers on fantasy rosters. I guess it's to round out that "whole team" concept of fantasy football. Let's not bash them too much, they take enough abuse as it is. Ever watch them at a team practice? They basically stand around flipping footballs to each other until their 15-minute segment. But when you need one in the clutch as a team, then they're the most important guys in the world. Witness Nick Folk's 50-yard boot to beat the Cowboys in Week 1. So we'll include them in our fantasy projections every week.

SB Nation's partner, numberFire.com, asked their giant computer-brain to crunch the numbers and to spit out some player projections for the upcoming week. They have the massive database of numbers, and the algorithms to break it all down, providing you with a statistical projection for Week 2.

Last week, we had a record day for kickers. Well, a record for one kicker. Sebastian Janikowski tied the NFL record with a 63-yard FG. Do any leagues give bonus points for 60+ yard FGs? But that boot is only good enough to get Janikowski to fifth in this week's rankings.

The Falcons Matt Bryant and the Texans Neil Rackers top this week's projections. David Akers is designated as a hot pick in his new home. The ex-Eagle and perennial point-scorer in fantasy is now plying his trade for the 49ers.

Over in San Diego, kicker Nate Kaeding is done for the year, his replacement looks to be Nick Novak.

* Fantasy Points Projections are based on the Yahoo! and ESPN default scoring settings. Quarterbacks are scored with 1 point for every 25 passing yards, and 4 points for every touchdown. For running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, they are scored with 1 point for every 10 total yards, and 6 points for every touchdown. This is a non-PPR projection.

Top Kickers powered by numberFire.com
Rank	Player	Opponent	Points
1	Matt Bryant (K, ATL)	vs. PHI	9.07
2	Neil Rackers (K, HOU)	vs. MIA	9.03
3	Mason Crosby (K, GB)	vs. CAR	8.87
4	Shaun Suisham (K, PIT)	vs. SEA	8.08
5	Sebastian Janikowski (K, OAK)	vs. BUF	7.97
6	Billy Cundiff (K, BAL)	vs. TEN	7.95
7	Dan Bailey (K, DAL)	vs. SF	7.90
8	Nick Folk (K, NYJ)	vs. JAX	7.55
9	Lawrence Tynes (K, NYG)	vs. STL	7.37
10	Dan Carpenter (K, MIA)	vs. HOU	7.08
11	Adam Vinatieri (K, IND)	vs. CLE	6.89
12	Stephen Gostkowski (K, NE)	vs. SD	6.83
13	David Akers (K, SF)	vs. PIT	6.82
14	Alex Henery (K, PHI)	vs. ATL	6.57
15	Josh Brown (K, STL)	vs. NYG	6.50
16	Ryan Longwell (K, MIN)	vs. TB	6.47
17	Connor Barth (K, TB)	vs. MIN	6.47
18	Rob Bironas (K, TEN)	vs. BAL	6.32
19	Dave Rayner (K, DAL)	vs. SF	5.87
20	Robbie Gould (K, CHI)	vs. NO	5.72
21	Josh Scobee (K, JAX)	vs. NYJ	5.57
22	John Kasay (K, NO)	vs. CHI	5.11
23	Ryan Succop (K, KC)	vs. DET	5.06
24	Graham Gano (K, WAS)	vs. ARI	5.05
25	Jay Feely (K, ARI)	vs. WAS	4.92