Jay Feely

By most measures, Feely enjoyed one of the more successful seasons of his career in 2012, converting 89.3 percent of his field goals, his highest mark since 2007. He even showed surprising leg strength in booting a 61-yarder against the Bills, a career long by six yards. Unfortunately, the uninspiring quarterbacking of Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley afforded Feely just 28 field goals and 25 PATs. Offseason pickup Carson Palmer will add some needed stability to the Cardinals offense in 2013, but likely not enough to make Feely an attractive fantasy option most weeks.

Feely’s scoring opportunities were fleeting last season, as the Cardinals struggled mightily to move the ball under Kevin Kolb and John Skelton, ranking 24th in points per game. Feely was far from immaculate in the chances he did receive, as he hit 19-of-24 field goals (79.2 percent) last season, his lowest conversion rate since 2004. A healthy Kolb and the addition of rookie wideout Michael Floyd should improve overall output. But the offense has a long way to go before it’s likely to produce a high-scoring kicker.

Feely managed just 101 points last season but couldn’t have been much more efficient, making 24-of-27 field goals. The problem was the Cardinals' inefficiency – they ranked 24th in field-goal attempts and 28th in touchdowns with a mere 31. Quarterback was a problem all season, as the Cardinals ranked near the bottom in virtually every passing category, but that should change with Kevin Kolb now starting in Arizona. The Cardinals continue to lack an elite running game, as only two teams had fewer than the Cardinals' 37 red-zone trips last season, so it's hard to imagine that mark getting worse. If it improves, Feely should see more scoring opportunities.

After scoring 122 points for a Jets team that scored only 32 touchdowns, Feely moved from the Jets to the Cardinals in the offseason. Feely is not the only change in Arizona as quarterback Kurt Warner retired, and wide receiver Anquan Boldin was traded to Baltimore. The Cardinals scored 46 touchdowns in 2009, and while a significant drop in that category is expected, the result could be a big increase field-goal attempts in 2010. The Cardinals attempted a league-low 19 field goals in 2010, mainly because they were tremendously efficient in the red-zone. The Cardinals’ nearly 70 percent red-zone touchdown rate was by far tops in the league. Cardinal kickers attempted just 10 field goals in the red zone, tied for fewest in the league.

Look for Feely to reap the rewards of a less powerful Arizona offense. The weather should also be to Feely’s liking, as he has no potential bad-weather games in December. In fact, four of the Cardinals’ last six games are at home.

Feely’s success this season likely rests on rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Unless Sanchez impersonates Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, the Jets offense might look much like it did in the final five games last season when Brett Favre’s injured shoulder acted up. Feely scored 111 points last season, but just 20 points in his last five games. Feely’s an accurate kicker, converting 87.1 percent in the last three years, so if he gets opportunities he could be productive. But the Jets offense is a wild card under new coach Rex Ryan and with a rookie quarterback.

Feely was an outstanding 21-of-23, but his 23 attempts were among the lowest in the NFL. Feely has become more accurate in each of his last four seasons, but the Dolphins' offense is far from good enough to take advantage of that stat. The Dolphins have major questions at quarterback, running back and receiver, which is to be expected from a team that won just one game last season. While the Bill Parcells regime might turn it around eventually, for Feely it's likely to be another season of fantasy irrelevance.

The Dolphins have not been kicker friendly the last four seasons, averaging just 97.5 kicker points per year. With major questions at quarterback and on the offensive line, plus a rookie coach, the Dolphins offense could struggle to score. Feely’s been a reliable kicker the last two seasons, making 58-of-69 attempts for the Giants.

Feely’s a sub-80-percent kicker for his career, who benefited from an offense that generated a lot of TDs and FGAs, giving the fifth-year kicker a career-best 148 points. Feely doesn’t have one glaring weak area of the field; he tends to miss a little from each range. Kickers tend to improve accuracy with age, and Feely’s at the stage where we will begin to see that improvement. His 83.3-percent conversion rate in 2005 was a career best.

Feely began his career with seasons of 115 and 138 points, but fell out of favor with Atlanta after making just 74 percent of his attempts (37-for-50) in 2003 and 2004. He’s not particularly effective from long range, hitting 22-of-35 (62.8 percent) from 40-49 yards and 3-of-10 from beyond 50 yards. The Giants are looking for Feely to stabilize the kicking situation after having used five different kickers the last four seasons. New York struggled to score in recent years and hasn’t given their kickers enough attempts.

Feely, like many other Atlanta players, suffered from the loss of Michael Vick in 2003. Feely dropped off after two seasons where he averaged 126.5 points. He should get more attempts in 2004, and he kicks in a dome, but he’ll need to convert better than his career 76.9 percent.

Feely attempted a league-high 40 field goals in 2002 on his way to 138 points – another league best. In two seasons with Atlanta, he's averaged 126.5 points. We see only improvement for the Atlanta offense with the addition of Peerless Price and a confident Michael Vick. Kicking in a dome improves his value, as well. If Feely hits for another 125-plus points season, he'll move into the top five kickers.