So it's Monday afternoon, and your fantasy football team is nursing a healthy 25-point lead going into Monday Night Football. You had a big day from all your key players - Marc Bulger, Terrell Owens, Rudi Johnson - and you're feeling good. The San Diego defense even threw in a touchdown.
To add to your confidence, your fantasy opponent only has one player left - the kicker. There's no way you're losing this week.
Not so fast.
The Chicago Bears are playing tonight and it just so happens that your opponent's kicker is Robbie Gould. The same Robbie Gould who has hit eight field goals between 40 and 49 yards and the same Robbie Gould who, depending on your league scoring, has racked up more points than Hines Ward and Antonio Gates.
It turns out the Bears are playing against the Jets in the Meadowlands, and while you know that Rex Grossman is a poor quarterback, you're distraught because you also know the Jets' defense will bend and not break, and Chicago will have to settle most possessions with none other than a field goal.
Gould is going to beat you this week.
To make matters worse, Gould isn't the only kicker having a phenomenal season and giving opposing fantasy owners fits. 2006 Fantasy Football has been the year of the kicker.
In Week 3, John Kasay carried the Carolina Panthers to a victory over Tampa Bay, nailing four field goals from 46, 49, 50 and 51 yards. Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden complimented Kasay after the game, but was obviously not happy to lose.
The following week, Jeff Wilkins hit four of five field goal attempts, three of which were over 40 yards, as he helped the St. Louis Rams beat the Detroit Lions, 41-34. He also nailed three extra points.
Last weekend, Matt Bryant helped the Buccaneers roll past the Philadelphia Eagles with his 62-yard field goal as Tampa Bay celebrated its second straight win.
The question then becomes what to do about the field-goal phenomenon. After all, besides Kasay and Wilkins, Josh Brown of the Seattle Seahawks, Nate Kaeding of the Chargers, and John Carney of New Orleans are all also posting frustratingly high numbers.
Even Neil Rackers of the Arizona Cardinals, who has missed four field goals over the past three weeks, has managed to produce. Although he hasn't yet hit one from 50 yards or more - he has missed all four of his attempts - he still ranks in the top 10 for kickers.
So should fantasy owners trade that struggling second wide receiver for a kicker?
As with defenses, kickers are unreliable. Unless Gould is cheap, there's no reason to waste your time taking an Adam Sandler-esque plunge into the world of The Lonesome Kicker, even if he is ruining your fantasy experience.
Conversely, these fleet-footed gems should be traded quickly. There's always a sucker in every fantasy league who will jump at the chance to get the top player at a position. Those owners should be exploited whenever possible.
As far as selling high, Terrell Owens should be sold off as soon as possible. In the same vein, if he hasn't already been dealt for a low-grade running back, Santana Moss should be traded.
Why should fantasy owners get rid of two of the best receivers in football?
Bad quarterbacks hurt good receivers. It's an undeniable truth.
Having Terrell Owens on the roster heading into a fantasy week feels relatively safe. The wide receiver is known for turning in big weeks, with high yardage and end zone production. But how many fantasy owners feel safe knowing they also have to rely on the two-headed monster of the Dallas Cowboys' Drew Bledsoe and Tony Romo? The pair was so pathetic on Monday Night that it was hard to tell who actually hurt his team more.
Staying in the NFC East, it's laughable to believe that the Washington Redskins' Mark Brunell can help a fantasy team. No fantasy owner in his right mind would want Brunell on his team, so why would he want to risk relying on Brunell to feed touchdown passes to Moss?
The same arguments can be made for trading Randy Moss, Chris Chambers, and Muhsin Muhammad (if he's still on anyone's fantasy roster).
Save yourself a headache and move these receivers before you find yourself questioning why Owens has a leg injury from a pass hitting him in the kneecap.
