Stephen Hauschka

Hauschka tied a career high with six missed field goals last season, in part because only 11 of his 28 attempts came from inside 40 yards. The overall track record still shows an above-average kicker, albeit one with some inconsistency year to year. Hauschka's powerful leg helps offset the weather in Buffalo, but the quality of the team's offense doesn't point toward a large number of opportunities.

Hauschka is fourth on the career field-goal percentage list and also has a reasonably strong leg, but he'll have a tough time extending his streak of five consecutive seasons with at least 29 field goals, unless the Bills find a way to massively upgrade their offense before Week 1. The team lost its starting quarterback, center and left guard in the offseason, and last year's 9-7 record hid an ugly point differential (-57).

Hauschka ranked seventh in scoring last season, but he could have easily been higher had he not missed six PATs, with his 82.9 percent conversion rate placing him 27th out of 28th qualified kickers. His field-goal percentage ranked fourth and it was the fourth time in the last five years he surpassed 88.0 percent. The Seahawks, though, did not have the budget to invest much in the position, so Hauschka left for Buffalo where he figures to be a decent replacement after the team didn't get much from Dan Carpenter last year. Hauschka is unlikely to retain his usual volume from Seattle.

The Seahawks are one of three teams (Patriots, Ravens) to finish in the top-10 in kicker scoring in each of the last three seasons, and they are joined by the Patriots and Saints as the only teams to be in the top-10 in total points in each of those years. It all sets up well for Hauschka, who has hit fewer than 93 percent of his field-goal attempts just once in that span. While the Seahawks' offense will undergo a bit of a transition without Marshawn Lynch, it's still expected to be very good, which should benefit Hauschka with enough opportunities, both field goal and PATs, to remain a top-tier fantasy option.

Hauschka finished fourth in scoring last year for the second year in a row, though he had nine fewer points. He had nearly the same number of field-goal attempts and PATs as in 2013, but he made just 31-of-37 field goals (83.8 percent) thanks in part to a Week 16 0-for-3 aberration, two of which were from 50-plus yards, the other from 47. Seattle's red-zone struggles (20th in TD efficiency) clearly helped Hauschka, but that could change this year with the addition of tight end Jimmy Graham. If Graham is as successful in the red zone as the Seahawks hope, Hauschka will trade some field goals for PATs.

Hauschka’s 2013 season might be most remembered for a kick he didn’t attempt, as he persuaded coach Pete Carroll to eschew a 53-yarder in the NFC Championship Game, with the 4th-and-7 play call resulting in a game-changing 35-yard touchdown for the eventual Super Bowl champs. That being said, Hauschka was among the best of the league when he was on the field, ranking fourth in scoring with 143 points and second in field-goal percentage at 94.3 percent. While that percentage might go down as the high-water mark for Hauschka’s career, he’s been above the league average conversion rate for three straight seasons, albeit with few long-range attempts. A world-class defense that routinely shortens the field for an offense that could become more explosive with a healthier Percy Harvin should result in ample PATs and field goals for Hauschka in 2014.

Hauschka's 88.9 field-goal percentage ranked in the top half of the NFL last season, but it was his excellent production at the end of the regular season that mattered most in the fantasy playoffs. The red-hot Seahawks allowed him to accumulate 44 points the last four weeks (and that was with a missed PAT in Week 15 and no FGA in Week 16). More field-goal opportunities would be nice – his 27 ranked 23rd in the NFL – as Hauschka lived off extra points (48, fifth), only 11 of which came in the first seven games. But with Seattle expected to be an offensive force in 2013 after the addition of Percy Harvin, Hauschka has intriguing fantasy potential. While he hasn’t shown much ability from 50-plus yards (1-for-4 last year), his proficiency from shorter distances and a possible uptick in PATs make up for it. Hauschka injured his ankle in the playoffs but should be healthy for training camp.

Hauschka got better last season as the Seahawks offense improved, scoring 65 of his 109 points in Weeks 9-16. That’s not saying much, though, as he received only 30 field-goal attempts and 34 PATs for the year. He wasn’t bad from long distance, making 2-of-4 attempts from 50-plus and could see an overall boost in value if new quarterback Matt Flynn provides a spark for the Seattle offense, which ranked 28th in total yards last season.

Hauschka did a fine job replacing the injured Matt Prater for the final four weeks of the 2010 season, but he likely did not do enough to replace him for 2011. If Hauschka has any fantasy relevance for the upcoming season, it likely won't be in Denver.

Hauschka is Jason Hanson insurance.

Hauschka looks to take over the starting job from Matt Stover, through he’ll compete with Lou Groza Award winner Graham Gano in training camp. Stover scored 122 points in 2008, his highest total since 2003. The Ravens still like to run the ball, control the clock and play tough defense and have consistently provided 30-34 field-goal attempts the last five years. If that holds, Hauschka could be useful. His leg is stronger than Stover’s – his lone field goal last year was 54 yards whereas Stover has hit only one 50-yarder the last four years. The Ravens likely will face bad December weather, though, playing at Green Bay and Pittsburgh in addition to two home games.

Signed from the Ravens' practice squad in October 2008.