Josh Brown

Brown made a career-high 92.3 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, but he didn't get all that many opportunities because the Giants were strong in the red zone. Brown ranked 23rd in field-goal attempts as the Giants ranked eighth in red-zone touchdown efficiency. He was good from long range, though again not prolific, hitting 8-of-9 from at least 40 yards, including all four attempts from 50-plus. The emergence of wideout Odell Beckham Jr. gave the Giants a legitimate threat from inside the 20 (eight red-zone touchdowns in 12 games, five inside the 10-yard line), and that could increase this season with 16 games from Beckham. That will at least mean more PATs for Brown, who ranked eighth last season.

The Giants’ 45-point drop in kicker scoring from 2012 to 2013 had less to do with Brown being an ill-suited replacement for Lawrence Tynes than it did Eli Manning’s recklessness with the football. Manning’s 29 giveaways saddled the Giants with the league’s worst turnover per drive rate, robbing Brown of several opportunities for both extra points and field goals. Brown at least did well to optimize his chances, churning out his best conversion rate on field goals in nine seasons. If Manning can rediscover form and keep his interception total in the mid-teens as he did the previous two seasons, Brown could quickly ascend the fantasy kicker ranks.

The Giants elected to let Lawrence Tynes walk in the offseason, opening a training camp competition between Brown and David Buehler for placekicking duties. Brown probably has the upper hand with more recent experience than Buehler, kicking in four games for the Bengals in 2012 and hitting 11-of-12 field goals, his only miss a 56-yarder at Heinz Field. If Brown indeed emerges victorious, he'll inherit what was a high-scoring job last season, as Tynes racked up career-high 145 points. The job should be ripe with opportunities again, and the stronger-legged Brown could receive more chances from long range than Tynes, who never attempted more than three 50-yarders during his time in New York. Brown is a respectable 29-for-45 for his career from 50-plus, though many of those attempts came in the comfort of St. Louis' domed stadium.

The Jets signed Brown to compete with Nick Folk in camp. A victim of St. Louis’ historically inept offense last season, Brown finished with 81 points, fewest in the league for a full-time kicker. More distressing, his accuracy fell to a six-year low 75 percent, and for the first time in his career he did not make a 50-yarder (0-for-2). While a vastly better offense will help Brown, his accuracy is a concern, especially considering he’ll no longer play half his games at the cushy Edward Jones Dome. And that’s assuming he wins the job over Folk in the first place.

After scoring a career-low 73 points in 2009, Brown posted 125 last season, making a career-high 33 field goals. The Rams offense experienced a dramatic turnaround under rookie quarterback Sam Bradford, increasing its touchdowns from 16 in 2009 to 27 last season. The Rams still have a great deal of room to grow offensively. They ranked 31st in red-zone touchdown efficiency last season at 35.7 percent, which gave Brown the second-most attempts (26) in the league inside 40 yards (he made 23, also ranking second). Improvement for the Rams, though, will cost Brown, who attempted a career-high 39 field goals last season. Still, a handful fewer field goals coupled with increased touchdowns won't destroy Brown's fantasy relevance. Plus, Brown has one of the stronger legs in the league, converting 28 50-yarders in his eight-year career, including 3-of-4 last year. He has a couple potential bad-weather games in December including a Week 16 trip to Pittsburgh.

Brown scored a career-low 73 points in 2009 as the Rams suffered their worst season in franchise history. It was the second year in a row the Rams scored fewer than 20 touchdowns, but Brown was not afforded the 36 field-goal attempts he got in 2008. Instead, Brown attempted a mere 24 field goals, connecting on only 19 for a four-year accuracy low of 79.2 percent. Brown still remains perhaps the NFL’s best kicker from beyond 50 yards as he hit six in 2009 for the second straight year. With a rookie quarterback likely starting for the Rams and the team’s inefficiency in the red zone (last in touchdowns scored two years in a row), expect the extra point totals to remain low while the lengthy field goal attempts remain high.

Brown was quite possibly the Rams’ most valuable offensive weapon in 2008. The team scored only 19 touchdowns, but left Brown with 36 field-goal attempts, of which he converted 31. Brown continues to be one of the best distance kickers in the league, connecting on six field goals of 50-plus yards last season. The Rams, who let Torry Holt go, likely will struggle offensively again, though it won’t take much to improve upon their scant 29 red-zone drives in 2008. So even if the team increases its league-low 34.5 percent touchdown rate in the red zone, Brown should still have significant field-goal opportunities.

After five impressive seasons in Seattle, Brown signed with St. Louis this offseason. Injuries to quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson devastated the Rams, who scored just 25 touchdowns last year, but both are healthy at press time, and the offense should be vastly improved. Brown also benefits from kicking in a dome, and he has no bad weather December dates. Upgrade the strong-legged Brown in leagues that offer bonuses for field goals beyond 50 yards, as he has made at least three from 50-plus in each of the last three seasons.

Brown suffered from the team scoring 20 fewer touchdowns in 2006, even though he made five more field goals. With concerns about Shaun Alexander’s foot, and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck coming off a sub-par season, plus the loss of top target Darrell Jackson, Brown’s squad lacks the offensive firepower to make him a top-tier kicker.

The Seahawks’ offense led the NFL with 54 TDs in 2005 and has averaged more than 47 in the last three seasons. All those opportunities for extra points go a long way in kicker value. Seattle will have to continue to score like that because the team has generated just 25 FGA in each of the past two seasons, but that hasn’t stopped Brown from averaging 109.5 points.

Brown improved his field-goal accuracy significantly from his rookie season, going from 73.3 percent in 2003 to 92.0 percent in 2004. Most of that improvement came from making 6-of-7 from 40-49 yards after missing five from that distance in 2003. The reason Brown’s point total was down can be attributed to Seattle’s offense, which scored eight less touchdowns (40, down from 48). Still, his 109 points were good enough to tie for 11th among kickers.

This will be Brown’s second NFL season, so there isn’t much history on which to base an accurate assessment of him. Seattle’s offense ranked seventh in scoring a year ago, giving Brown a hefty 48 extra points. Seattle kickers have averaged 30.3 FGA in the last three years, which is right around league average. With all the PATs, that would be enough for Brown to surpass 110 points again.

Brown was the first placekicker taken in the 2003 draft, in the seventh round (222nd overall). The Seahawks defied expectations and did not bring in any veteran free agents to challenge him in camp. So, the kicking job is his.