Fantasy Kickers and Defenses

Fantasy Kickers and Defenses

Instead of giving you rankings like I have at other positions, I’m approaching these spots differently. I’m going to talk about strategy rather than specifics on whom to pick.

The first thing you need to do is decide on where you want to pick these positions. Is it important for you to draft the first kicker and defense? Are you planning on starting the same kicker and defense week after week? Or are you planning on playing matchups using the waiver wire?

In my opinion, offensive players win you games and championships. Very rarely do kickers and defenses make a massive difference. Plus, it’s fairly unpredictable when it comes to performance at those spots. Kickers, for example, don’t get a chance to kick field goals unless the offense stalls in field goal range. They are dependent in that way on others.

My issue with defenses is that things depend so much on matchups. For example, the Jets are normally a good defense, but if they play the Packers or somebody like that I won’t trust them much that week. Meanwhile, any defense will look good against a team like the Jaguars.

So for me, I will pick offensive players up until the last two rounds. Only then will I draft my kicker and defense. Throughout the year, I will then play the waiver wire. I will play good matchups week after week for defenses, and play kickers who get hot. Drafting this way, I get a very high dose of quality position players on my bench, and have a higher chance to come away with late round stars.

If you are going to pick a kicker and defense early, you need to look at your league’s scoring system. When it comes to defenses, what are sacks and turnovers worth? Does giving up a lot of points hurt or is it minimal? What special teams stats count?

Another good idea is to look at a team’s schedule. Do they play in a high scoring division? Do they have good or bad matchups throughout their schedule? Do they play teams that make a lot of turnovers or give up a lot of sacks?

For kickers, the team he plays for makes a big difference. Do they attempt a lot of field goals? Do they move the ball well? Are they a high scoring team? Does he play in a dome or in a cold, windy stadium?

So when drafting your kicker and defense, decide on your strategy, check your league’s scoring setup, and do a little research. If you do those things, you’ll do fine. If not, it still may not matter depending on how you draft at the more important positions. J

Andrew