:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71861062/1454869336.0.jpg)
The second annual “super” wild-card weekend begins on Saturday, formally kicking off the playoffs in addition to being one of the most exciting parts of the NFL calendar. It’s time once again for NFL playoff fantasy football and we’re back with more rankings.
For the most part, no position group gets less attention during the regular season than kickers. However, in the playoffs, the spotlight routinely falls on them in a particularly intense way. To this day, not a single doinked field goal goes by without the city of Chicago reliving the trauma of Cody Parkey. The entire Minnesota Vikings fan base recoils when reminded of Gary Anderson’s lone miss of the 1998 season, a misfire in the NFC Championship Game.
On the other end of the spectrum, Adam Vinatieri made his name on clutch kicks in the postseason, doing so over multiple Super Bowl runs with multiple franchises. The current playoff field features a bona fide kicking legend, the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker. The San Francisco 49ers also have a well-tested kicker who has participated in several long playoff runs, Robbie Gould.
As with the football played on the field, fantasy managers likewise have experienced difficult defeats, and triumphant comebacks brought about by kickers. This week’s slate seems as capable as any of providing more such moments.