Nate Kaeding

Kaeding tore his ACL in Week 1 last year, missing the rest of the season. Nick Novak took his place and scored 122 points (11th in the league) behind a successful, albeit underachieving offense. Philip Rivers threw a career-high 20 interceptions, hindering an offense that ranked sixth in total yardage. Rivers righted the ship late in the season (12:3 TD:INT the last six games); expect that trend to continue, rewarding Kaeding with plenty of scoring opportunities. As always, Kaeding will benefit from playing half his games in sunny San Diego, though the Chargers play December games in Pittsburgh and New York. Novak remains on the roster, but it would be a shocker if Kaeding didn’t win the kicking job, assuming his knee is fully recovered.

For the first time in his career, Kaeding did not finish in the top-12 in kicker scoring last season, ranking 14th with 109 points. However, his slide was due almost entirely to missing three games to a groin injury as he posted the league's third-highest per-game scoring average. Kaeding's accuracy dropped from 2010's career-high 91.4 percent, but one of his misses was a blocked attempt and three others came from beyond 50 yards (one of which in his first game back from injury), as he went 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) overall. Kaeding plays for one of the league's best offenses as the Chargers have scored at least 46 touchdowns in each of Kaeding’s seven seasons. He also benefits from hospitable weather in San Diego and has no potential bad-weather games in December this season. With Philip Rivers at the helm, the Chargers likely will be one of the higher scoring teams in the league again this year. If Kaeding stays healthy and returns to his career-accuracy norm (86.5 percent, highest in league history), he could be the league's top-scoring kicker.

Kaeding is one of the safest bets in fantasy thanks to a high-scoring offense and an accurate leg. The Chargers have scored at least 46 touchdowns in each of his six seasons and provided 30-plus field goal attempts the last two. His 146 points led all kickers last season, and he has finished in the top-12 in kicker scoring in each of his six years in the league. Kaeding also makes the most of his field goal opportunities, ranking as the most accurate kicker in NFL history at 87.2 percent. Last season he converted a career-high 91.4 percent, benefiting from an NFL-high 19 chipshot attempts inside the 30. He also made 3- of-5 from beyond 50, though that was the most he attempted from that range since his rookie season.

The Chargers added first-round pick Ryan Mathews to the backfield, which should bolster what is already one of the league’s most prolific offenses, providing Kaeding with plenty of scoring opportunities again this season. Kaeding has two potential late-season bad weather games in Cincinnati and Denver, but kickers were a combined 15-of-16 in those stadiums in four December games last year. Kaeding is coming off offseason groin surgery but is expected to be fully healthy by August.

Kaeding rebounded from an underwhelming 2007 to score 127 points last season. The improvement, though, had more to do with opportunity than Kaeding’s leg. In fact, after averaging 88.8 percent the previous three years, Kaeding last year posted his lowest field-goal percentage (84.4) since his rookie season. Kaeding’s troubles came in the 40-49-yard range where he was just 3-of-8 (after going 7-of-9 and 7-of-8 the previous two years, respectively). Despite those issues, Kaeding still has the advantage of good weather and, more importantly, a productive offense that gave him a career-high 32 field-goal attempts last year in addition to the 50 touchdowns the team has averaged the last five seasons.

Kaeding had a disappointing 118 points in 2007, as it took the Chargers a while to grow accustomed to coach Norv Turner's offense. Kaeding had just two field goal attempts in the first three games of the season, but in the last six, he scored 63 points (15-of-16 FG, 18 PAT). If the Chargers start strong this season, Kaeding could vie for the scoring title. Kaeding was 24- of-27 last season and is one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, connecting on 71-of-80 (88.7 percent) field goal attempts the last three years. Kaeding also has the advantage of kicking in good weather most of the year, and his one potential bad weather game will come against a likely awful Chiefs team. The Chargers should be better in Turner's second year, so look for Kaeding to be back in the top five.

Keading might not be the best kicker in the league, but he is surrounded by enough talent to be the most productive. Keading plays with reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL’s best tight end Antonio Gates and rising star quarterback Philip Rivers. The Chargers should run a similar offense from last year with Norv Turner taking over the team. The Chargers play in good weather, and Keading has averaged almost 121 points a year since taking over the team’s kicking duties in 2004. Other than a Dec. 2 road trip to Kansas City, Keading should have the advantage of kicking in good weather most of the year.

Since coming to San Diego as a third-round pick in 2004, Kaeding has posted 114 and 112 points, respectively, in his first two seasons despite being well below the league average in FGA. The Chargers offense has generated 102 TDs over his career, but that might take a hit as it gets accustomed to a new quarterback (Philip Rivers). We could see less TDs, but more FGAs.

The Chargers’ improved offense in 2004 meant another 33 points in the kicking game. Kaeding, a third-round pick in last year’s draft, connected on 20-of-25 field goal attempts and hit 54 PATs for 114 points as a rookie. Kaeding was 8-of-11 from beyond the 40-yard line, including 3-of-5 from 50-plus yards, so he’s got the leg. San Diego’s offense should continue to excel in 2005, making Kaeding an attractive fantasy option.

Kaeding, who was selected in the third round out of Iowa, has an open door to the starting job. In his junior and senior years, he converted 41 of 45 field goal attempts and scored 220 points. But that’s Iowa, and this is the NFL. The Chargers may be starting rookie QB Philip Rivers, and his wideouts are nothing special. It remains to be seen if this offense will produce enough for Kaeding.