Jeff Reed

Reed’s 2009 looked a lot like his 2008. For the second year in a row, he made 27-of-31 field goals (87.1 percent), but this time he added four more extra points to give him his highest scoring total (122) since 2004. With Ben Roethlisberger suspended the first 4-6 games of the season, and Santonio Holmes traded to the Jets, Reed likely will have fewer scoring opportunities this season. Reed also continues to suffer from kicking in one of the most difficult stadiums in the NFL and won’t provide bonus points for long kicks — he’s made just two 50- yarders in the last five years (0-for-2 last year).

Reed usually finishes middle of the pack among fantasy kickers and likely will again this season. Don’t expect more than 30 field-goal attempts (his 31 last season were his most since 2004), and don’t expect long-range kicks. Reed has made only two 50-yarders in the last four seasons. Reed also suffers from playing at one of the more difficult places to kick in the NFL. This season, he’ll have four potential bad-weather games in December.

Reed had his most accurate season in 2007, connecting on 23-of-25 field goals (92 percent) and all 44 of his extra points. Reed's problem from a fantasy prospective is he doesn't get a great deal of field-goal attempts, which have dropped every year since 2004 (33) to 25 last year. Weather is also a factor for Reed, and this season he has four potential bad weather games down the stretch. Reed does not attempt a lot of long-range field goals, just nine tries from 50- plus in his six seasons, and he's only made 1-of-4 in the last three seasons.

Reed dropped from seventh in scoring in 2005 to 22nd last season as it was a down year for the Steelers. Moreover, Reed made only 74.1 percent of his kicks and missed four field goals of less than 40 yards. Reed is a career 80 percent kicker; expect him to return to that level. With a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, expect Reed’s production to be closer to that of 2005 when he scored 117 points.

Kicker scoring is all about opportunities, and Pittsburgh’s offense does that for Reed. The Steelers average 117.4 kicking points the last five years and have the offense to sustain that level of production. Despite his ability to score more than 100 points, Reed is dependent on field goals from close in as he’s not been great from 40-49 (24-of-36), and that could be leg weakness.

The Steelers’ improved offense in 2004 certainly increased Reed’s value, but he was also better at converting his attempts. After making 23-of-32 (71.9 percent) in 2003, Reed connected on 28-of-33 (84.8 percent) during Pittsburgh’s revival last year. He’s a little dicey from 40-49 yards in his career (18-of-27, 66.7 percent), but has four field goals over 50 yards. A good running game and the maturation of second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could move Reed up this list.

Reed has been rehabbing after hip surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp. Since becoming the Steelers’ full-time kicker in November 2002, he has averaged 7.3 ppg. The offense stumbled last season, scoring 12 fewer touchdowns and yielding eight fewer FGA. Bringing in Duce Staley doesn’t strike us as a major improvement, so we’re not bullish on the Steelers’ offense returning to its 2002 form. That, and the uncertainty due to injury, has us holding off on Reed.

With Tommy Maddox aboard, the Steelers offense improved in passing yards, total yards and points. This is the recipe for a solid field goal kicker, but apparently there's something bad in the Pittsburgh air. Over the last two seasons Steelers' kickers have hit on just 70.2 percent (59 of 84) of their kicks, and much of that is due to their abysmal 65 percent (30 of 46) conversion rate at home. (Pittsburgh kickers were 29 of 38, 76 percent, on the road). That said, Reed replaced Todd Peterson in Week 12 and fared better than anyone else, hitting 17 of 19 (10 of 12 at home) and scored 61 points in just six games (10.1 per game). He may not be able to keep up the 89.5 percent accuracy or the 10-point-per-game clip, but he should exceed 100 points.