Top 10 Punters
In picking a punter that will assist your fantasy roster, you want to look for consistency. Just as kickers can get you points, in some leagues punters can be of great value. The punters on this list are guys who will consistently punt long and inside the 20 yard line (or even better, inside the ten). Not all of these punters are on great teams, but one thing they all have in common is that they are utilized to keep opponent offenses deep in their own territory. Some of these guys are strategically used to avoid easy scores on weak defenses and buy their offense time to plan a next attack, while others might be used to help strong offensive and defensive pairings retain solid field position. If you are looking for a punter who will get a lot of work, look no further than some of the teams with struggling offensive schemes: Oakland, Kansas City, Detroit, Cleveland, etc.
The listing of the Top 10 punters this season includes guys from both dominant teams (who use their punter as a weapon) and struggling teams (who are forced to utilize their punter to balance poor offensive movement). One thing they all have in common is that they net around 40 yards per punt and have a history of strategically placing punts for low return yardage.
Last season the list looked and played out as follows:
2010 Ranking
1) Shane Lechler
2) Andy Lee
3) Donnie Jones
4) Brandon Fields
5) Ben Graham
6) Jon Ryan
7) Dustin Colquitt
8) Brian Moorman
9) Mat McBriar
10) Mike Scifres
2010 Actuals
1) Mat McBriar
2) Shane Lechler
3) Mike Scifres
4) Andy Lee
5) Brandon Fields
6) Thomas Morstead
7) Daniel Sepulveda
8) Donnie Jones
9) Matt Dodge
10) Nick Harris
These rankings are mainly based upon average punt distance. I have found that many fantasy leagues score punting as such: 0.025pts / punted yard and 1 pt / punt downed inside the 20
This year's rankings will try to adjust for these figures.
PN Andy Lee, SF
Andy Lee sits atop my list of punters for the 2011 season. Lee punted 91 times last season for an average of 46.2 yards. He punted 34 inside the twenty yard line and 9 inside the ten yard line. Lee will once again be working with an emerging offense that will begin to focus more on the passing game, but will trust and maintain the running game. Look for Lee to be utilized as needed and score fantasy points for both distance and strategic placement.
PN Brandon Fields, MIA
Brandon Fields punted the ball 73 times in 2010. He averaged 46.2 yards per punt and put 31 inside the twenty yard line and 10 inside the ten yard line. Fields was a close second to Lee in my rankings, but I think Lee will have more opportunities in 2011 so he prevailed. Fields will likely get another 70 plus chances this season and will average over 45 yards per punt again. I think he might also surpass his inside the ten yard line numbers.
PN Shane Lechler, HOU
Shane Lechler was my number one ranked punter last season and came up a bit short. This season he lands at number three. Lechler punted 77 times in 2010. He averaged 47.0 yards per punt with 27 inside the twenty and 8 inside the ten. Lechler could top the list in 2011, but I think he will settle in the top five. Oakland will need Lechler as an integral part of their offense and he will be used as often as needed to keep them in games strategically.
PN Donnie Jones, PHI
Donnie Jones punted the ball an amazing 94 times in 2010. Jones averaged 45.5 yards per punt and placed 32 punts inside the twenty yard line and another 8 inside the ten yard line. I foresee Jones getting nearly as many chances again this coming season as St. Louis finds their feet on offense. Jones could move up this list from number four, but he should be a top five fantasy punter featuring points gained from yardage as well as punt placement.
PN Mat McBriar, ---
Mat McBriar punted 65 times in 2010 for Dallas and his 47.9 yard average punt topped the league. McBriar's lower ranking for 2011 stems from his placement of 22 punts inside the twenty and 9 inside the ten yard line last season. Other punters have better punt placement than McBriar, but he will likely win again on distance. Use McBriar without hesitation if you have fantasy punter scoring, but consider other options depending upon your scoring format.
