Isaiah Rodgers was successful as the Colts kick returner in 2021, averaging 26.4 yards per return. Jack Fox will retain his role as the teams punter again this year. Kicker: Jason Sanders, Punter: Thomas Morstead, KR/PR: Jaylen Waddle. The seven-year veteran made just 150of021 field goals past 30 yards last season. -- Courtney Cronin, Just look at the numbers for the story of the Broncos' season. Houston will need to get the most out of kicker Kaimi Fairbairn to reach their potential this year. The Ravens have finished in the Top 5 in these rankings in eight of the last nine seasons, also winning in 2015. A squad that had scored 30 points in four straight games has now failed to crack 20 in its past two. That's the question that has been asked all season and will be asked again once it's over. Kicker: Matt Gay, Punter: Riley Dixon, KR/PR: Brandon Powell. Hes a career 93.3% kicker inside 50 yards. A new and improved secondary, led by cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and D.J. Despite that, Chicago still ranks 11th in pass defense (allowing 204.2 yards per game). -- Sarah Barshop, Get exclusive access to more than 3,000 premium articles a year from top writers. After spending the last few seasons looking for consistency at the kicker position, the Chargers turn to veteran Dustin Hopkins this year. Reed, is the biggest reason for the massive improvement on defense. Last season, Smith averaged 25.6 yards per return and scored a touchdown. The Seahawks are projected to use DeeJay Dallas as their kick returner and Freddie Swain as their punt returner once again in 2022. Rodrigo Blankenship will return after missing most of the 2021 season due to injury, and the Colts hope he can return to his pre-injury form. Duvernay averaged 24.1 yards per kick return and 13.8 yards per punt return last season for Baltimore. Zane Gonzalez was having the best season of his career in 2021 before an injury in Week 14 cut it short. -- Eric Woodyard, Offense: 24 Maher made 88.9% of his attempts with the Saints last season. The four-year veteran averaged 25.1 yards per kick return last year and got the first return touchdown of his career. Find NFL defense rushing stats by team. When the most-accurate kicker in NFL history, a punter who in 2021 tied for eighth in the league with punts inside the 20-yard line and a wide receiver who finished second in punt return yards and ninth in kickoff return yards are on the same squad, people take notice. Instead of reading my Week 15 fantasy football defense/special teams (DST) rankings, come . Hardman has explosive speed and will be a threat to house any kick he can field. The offense has been on a decided upward trajectory since acquiring running back Christian McCaffrey, as San Francisco has averaged 28.7 points per game since McCaffrey took on a full-time role in Week 8, up eight points from before he arrived. Their FPI rankings on defense and special teams are in the top half of the league, and that feels like an accurate reflection of what we've seen on the field. The Jaguars will be looking to rookie kicker Andrew Mevis to win the job in camp after a strong career at Iowa State. Jones was one of the more prolific kick and punt returners in recent memory at the NCAA level, recording nine total return touchdowns over his four-year career. Carolina also went into free agency to get Johnny Hekker in free agency after nine excellent seasons with the Rams. Rodgers is the favorite to handle return duties again in his second season. Projected starter Ryan Santoso has just one season of experience as an NFL kicker, and it wasnt a good one. Once upon a time NFL special-team units were comprised of backups - players not good enough to start. From week 5 to week 13 Gonzalez did not miss a single field goal or extra point. Dan Fornek @fornekdf Aug 13, 2022, 8:50 AM EDT Light Mode Our 2022 NFL position group rankings series rolls along. Rex Ryan is highly disappointed in the Buccaneers and says Tom Brady is not the only one who deserves blame. Today, we look to the third part of the game special teams. Matt Prater continues to deliver consistent production as a placekicker nine years into his career. Fairbairn had his worst season in terms of pure accuracy (78.9%) but continued to be highly effective past 50 yards (4-of-6 attempts). Siposs pinned 17 of his 55 punts inside the 20-yard line and finished with a net average of 38.8 punt yards per season. Newsome has apparently reported to training camp in excellent shape and earned the first shot as the teams punt returner. Thank the running game with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, who have combined for 1,610 yards. Defense: 25 It was the second consecutive season the veteran kicker made over 93% of his field-goal attempts. Ryan Succop has been a solid kicker since joining the Buccaneers before the 2020 season. Unfortunately for the Chiefs,Tommy Townsendregressed slightly after a strong rookie season. Few kickers have been more dependable than Robbie Gould throughout his career. During those nine years, he coached the offensive line, tight ends, wide receivers, and running backs. Since the 2015 season, Huber has just two seasons with an average hangtime above 4.25. Kicker: Ryan Santoso, Punter: Logan Cooke, KR/PR: Jamal Agnew. 2022 Best NFL Special Teams Players (0) 2022 . Similarly, Cole has shown the ability to consistently flip the field in the kicking game. They may have even cost their team a Super Bowl appearance after a shaky showing against San Francisco in the NFC. To combat his struggles, the Packers didnt attempt a field goal past 39 yards between Weeks 12 and 18. Call it growing pains. Nyheim Hines has been the Colts punt returner since the end of the 2019 season. Injuries along the offensive line have hurt. Rodgers finished top 20 in kick return yards (501) despite recording the second-fewest return attempts of the players on that list (19). McKenzie, on the other hand, poses a threat to pick up huge yardage any time he returns a kick. Rondale Moore struggled to get on the field on offense for the Cardinals last season, but he flashed his game-breaking ability plenty as a returner for the Cardinals. Today, we look to the third part of the game special teams. The question for this Atlanta special teams unit will be whether or not electric returner Cameron Batson can stay healthy. Koo went 30-for-30 on extra points and made 27-of-29 field goes in his third season with the Falcons. Our 2022 rankings are . I am pretty aligned with the Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) for my Week 9 fantasy football defense/special teams (DST) rankings. DISCLAIMER: This side and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only, and there is no gambling offered on the site. The Bills also selected Punt GodMatt Araizaout of San Diego State in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. The top special teamers for the Chargers Kemon Hall, Troy Reeder and Nick Niemann will look to continue their standout play. -The emergence of coverage aces. Our power panel -- a group of more than 80 writers, editors and TV personalities -- has evaluated how teams are stacking up through 14 weeks. Whatever the reason, 12 of the Raiders' 13 outings have been one-score games, and they are just 5-8. Renfrow had 31 punt returns for 303 yards but did muff three punts on the season. If Patterson is once again a focal point on offense, then Avery Williams will likely be called to return kicks and punts as he did in 2021. The Bengals give up more field goals per drive than any team in the league, but Anarumo won't complain as long as Cincinnati keeps opponents out of the end zone. Tress Wayalso continued to provide a consistent effort flipping the field as a punter in his eighth season as the teams punter. 2021 was the only season in his career with an average hangtime under 4.30. With solid contributions from players like Punter Tommy Townsend and electric returner Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs should be able to control the field position battle. Kicker Younghoe Koo will look to stay in the positive rhythm he found last season and coverage specialist Mike Ford should also be an asset for this developing unit. ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN Erickson has averaged 8.1 yards per punt return and 24.8 yards per kick return in six career seasons. 2022 fantasy football rankings Overall standard Overall PPR Quarterback Running back standard Running back PPR Wide receiver standard Wide receiver PPR Tight end standard Tight end PPR D/ST Kickers The trouble with D/ST scoring is the emphasis on touchdowns and turnovers, which are impossible to predict. In Zuerlein's nine-year career, he has just two seasons (2013 and 2017) with a field goal success rate above 88.0%. Special teams: 18, The FPI reflects what the Browns are -- a bottom-half team across the board. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Though heas many have beforestruggles as the weather picks up in Chicago and the winds become harder to deal with. Miami lost its fastball over the past two games, but it can hang with, or beat, any team in the NFL if it regains that offensive punch. Kicker: Graham Gano, Punter: Jamie Gillan, KR/PR: C.J. Jacksonville has allowed the second-most receptions to running backs and Austin Ekeler has the fifth-most receptions amongst all players at any position this season.. Much of that determination comes down to whether or not star wideout CeeDee Lamb is back to return punts. FTN's Dan Fornek ranks all 32 NFL special teams units heading into the 2022 football season. The Jets head into 2022 hoping veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein can find some consistency to help put points on the board. Additionally, he has just two career seasons with fewer than 82.0% of his field goals made. Butker only has two career misses inside of 40 yards (88-of-90). Defensively, however, they aren't great at stopping anyone, either. His net punting average dropped two full yards (42.3) and he had 11 fewer punts land inside the 20 (18). Lutz has converted 97.3% of his extra-point attempts and 86.6% of his field-goal attempts in his career. Harrison Butkerremains one of the best kickers in the NFL five years into his NFL career. Special teams: 14, The Chargers have underperformed this season on offense and defense. The Raiders will use Ameer Abdullah as their primary kick returner andHunter Renfrowas the punt returner. McCloud held both roles during his two seasons with the Steelers and was very effective at flipping field position. Roberts split his time between the Texans and Chargers last season and led the league in kick return yards (1,010) while also scoring a touchdown. Slye struggled with consistency in his early stops with Houston and San Francisco, making just 9-of-12 extra points and 11-of-13 field goals. Buffalo pairs dynamic wideout Isaiah McKenzie with reliable safety Micah Hyde in the return game. He has three seasons with at least 29 punts downed inside the 20 and has never posted a hangtime below 4.31. If teams have a reliable deep snapper, they hold on to him. Special teams: 24, It's been a while since the Jaguars had an offense that ranked in the top half of the league, and it's mainly because of how well QB Trevor Lawrence has played from November on. Kicker: Dustin Hopkins, Punter: JK Scott, KR/PR: DeAndre Carter. On defense, the Bolts have been without edge rusher Joey Bosa, cornerback J.C. Jackson and several key defensive linemen -- all of whom are on injured reserve. -- Jamison Hensley, Offense: 19 -- Katherine Terrell, Offense: 21 But special teams is surprising. Combining new fourth-round pickpunter Jordan Stoutwith returner/receiver Devin Duvernay should give the Ravens an edge in field position battles all season. 38-year-old kicker Matt Prater will return to the Cardinals this season hoping to find more consistency to go along with his big leg. (Want to see the rest of our position group rankings series? Philadelphia also got solid production out of rookie punterArryn Sipossin his first season with the team. Defense: 21 Michael Dickson has been one of the best punters in the NFL for the last four seasons. The defense has struggled to get off the field at times, which is reflected in its efficiency, but it has allowed the second-fewest points per game (17). Jake Bailey has been a solid punter over the past three seasons in New England but struggled in 2021. Expect Dontrell Hilliard to serve as the teams kick returner. Defensively, the Bucs can be lights out, when healthy. Harvin had a net punt average of 38.0 and an average hangtime of 4.28, both of which are underwhelming. Despite posing the lowest average hangtime of his career (4.10), Kern still had a net punting average over 40.0 for the ninth time in his ten-year career. The sure-handed Hyde provides reliability. Simply put, Las Vegas, in its first year under the new management of coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, has not been able to put together a complete game. But opponents still have a QBR against the Chiefs of 57, third highest in the league. Taylor got all seven of his punt returns after Week 14 of the regular season but averaged 7.4 yards per return during that stretch. Tyler Bassshowed significant improvement in his second season as the Bills kicker. Who has the best and worst units in every aspect of football? Younghoe Koo put together a second straight excellent season after struggling during his first two years in the NFL. The veteran kicker has been a lock inside 40 yards throughout his career (97.5% success rate) but has struggled with deeper kicks. Tyler Bass, meanwhile, has the kicker position all but locked down. The Bucs will again turn to Ryan Succop to handle kicking. 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