He had just a 4.17-second average hangtime and had three punts blocked last season. Thank the running game with Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, who have combined for 1,610 yards. ODonnell has spent all eight seasons in Chicago but has seen his average hangtime decrease in each of the last four seasons. Tucker has made 252 of 263 attempts within 50 yards, with eight of those misses coming in the 40- to 49-yard range. The Texans' defense is respectable due to its ability to limit passers, having held opposing QBs to under an 80.0 passer rating seven times this year, which is tied for second best in the league. The Seahawks allowed the sixth-most rushing yards to running backs. Kicker: Matt Prater, Punter: Andy Lee, KR/PR: Rondale Moore. The offense has often used a makeshift line. Choose from multiple experts to create the perfect best ball cheat sheet. If Patterson is once again a focal point on offense, then Avery Williams will likely be called to return kicks and punts as he did in 2021. The Raiders will use Ameer Abdullah as their primary kick returner andHunter Renfrowas the punt returner. Bailey will need to be better for the Patriots to climb the list. -- Josh Weinfuss, Offense: 31 Thank the third-down offense (51-of-89 since Prescott's return). or NFL Player Stats - Special Teams Total Tackles More Player Stats. Tucker is especially lethal inside of 50 yards. Do you like rankings? Therefore, let's focus on my top team, the Buffalo Bills, who some . Folk has been perfect within 40 yards as a Patriot, is 27-of-31 from 40-49 and is 8-of-12 on kicks beyond 50 yards. A season ago, the Jets had arguably the worst defense; now it is a legit top-10 unit. McKenzie, on the other hand, poses a threat to pick up huge yardage any time he returns a kick. Much of that determination comes down to whether or not star wideout CeeDee Lamb is back to return punts. During four games, McPherson converted a record 14 consecutive field goals without a miss. Patterson has eight career kickoff return touchdowns and only two seasons below 28.3 yards per return in his nine-year career. This creates something of an unknown in a Cowboys unit that can be incredibly dangerous in the right situation. Fairbairn isnt the most trustworthy leg in the NFL, but he has shown the ability to convert from deep. Kicker: Chris Boswell, Punter: Pressley Harvin, KR/PR: Gunner Olszewski. Look for linebacker Chris Board and defensive back Jerry Jacobs to lead the kick coverage units when healthy. Justin Tucker remains the gold standard when it comes to kickers in the NFL, but the Ravens will be finding a new punter after Sam Koch retired this past offseason. In addition to the Eagles, other Top NFL teams include division leaders the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Of the players with a minimum of 10 punt returns, Lamb finished eighth in yards per return (9.9). Perhaps most encouraging is a special teams unit that had some struggles early in the season but is rounding into form with returner Ray-Ray McCloud III -- who now ranks in the top eight in kick and punt return average for the season -- leading the way. Their FPI rankings on defense and special teams are in the top half of the league, and that feels like an accurate reflection of what we've seen on the field. Last season, McKenzie averaged 24.3 yards per kick return while fielding 25 punts with only one muffed return. QB Deshaun Watson, after an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL personal conduct policy, has led the Browns to just one offensive TD in two games. The Lions' D is allowing 403.2 total yards per game and 26.7 points per game, which are both the second-highest marks in the league. Judging the biggest overreactions from Sunday's games: Brock Purdy better for 49ers than Jimmy G. Berry set a career-high in net punting average (41.4) despite having a hangtime below 4.37 for the first time in his career (4.12). Everyone knew the offense would struggle after Davante Adams left. Full schedule | Standings | More , Offense: 23 The third-year receiver had 31 punt returns for 227 yards and muffed just one of 46 punts on the season. 1Buffalo Bills. Logan Cooke has been an extremely consistent punter during his four seasons with the Jaguars. Nyheim Hines has been the Colts punt returner since the end of the 2019 season. They've had to carry most of the load, especially of late, as Seattle has seen less production out of running back Kenneth Walker III, who is now sidelined with an ankle injury. In addition to our updated rankings, we checked in with NFL Nation reporters across the league and asked them to evaluate every team's offense, defense and special teams by their Football Power Index (FPI) efficiency rankings, powered by ESPN Analytics. One other player that figures to contribute in a key role is specialist/safety Michael Thomas. Veteran punter Thomas Morstead should be a reliable option and part-time returner Jaylen Waddle has the speed and shiftiness to take the ball to the house from anywhere on the field. The Colts are fundamentally bad on offense, struggling in critical areas like protecting the football and blocking, which explains a lot. The Bills took a flyer on punter Matt Araiza in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Wild Card weekend . With solid contributions from players like Punter Tommy Townsend and electric returner Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs should be able to control the field position battle. Check out our complete fantasy football rankings. McManus historically struggles with kicks over 50 yards (54.2% success rate) but is a dependable kicker inside that range (91.3% success rate). This defense can travel, and punter Johnny Hekker has been useful. The Lions had a rotating cast of kickers during the 2021 season, withRiley Pattersonfinishing as the last man standing. Football Power Index rankings The special teams has 15 field goals -- tied for the third least in the league -- and its coverage units have struggled, particularly against the Eagles, with rookie Britain Covey returning six punts for 105 yards in Week 13. The Chargers hope to get above-average production out of their kicking and punting this season. The Steelers also brought Gunner Olszewski in to serve as their primary returner after three solid seasons with the Patriots. Harty also averaged 9.5 yards per return on punts and muffed just one of 36 attempts. Hekker had just one season with a net punting average below (42.0) and has never had fewer than 20 punts downed inside the 20. Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are poised to put out a versatile and explosive special teams unit in 2022. The defense has struggled to get off the field at times, which is reflected in its efficiency, but it has allowed the second-fewest points per game (17). Araiza averaged 51.2 yards per punt his last season at San Diego State and had 18 punts travel at least 60 yards. Santoso had just one attempt over 40 yards last season and he missed it. A 2021 first-team All-Pro, Gray is one of the leagues top 3 players in kick and punt coverage. Once he landed with Washington, he found his groove, hitting 9-of-10 extra points and all 12 of his field-goal attempts (including 3-of-3 from 40-plus yards). LT Andrew Thomas, New York Giants Second Team: Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers Thomas was the NFL's most consistently excellent left tackle this season, racking up an 89.1 PFF grade over 1,049 snaps. -- Brady Henderson, The Jets have some promising young players on offense, most notably wideout Garrett Wilson, but they have topped the 30-point mark only twice. That is one of several key categories on offense in which they have struggled, and it has contributed to them being unable to complement the defense and special teams -- both of which have made more game-changing plays. The Chargers are hoping the Dustin Hopkins they got when Washington cut him after Week 6 is the player theyll have at kicker this season. Kicker Harrison Butker will be looking to maintain his success. 38-year-old kicker Matt Prater will return to the Cardinals this season hoping to find more consistency to go along with his big leg. Seattle, 276 4. Gould remains one of the better deep kickers in the NFL, hitting 10 of 13 attempts beyond 40 yards in 2021. With solid contributions from players like Punter Tommy Townsend and electric returner Mecole Hardman, the Chiefs should be able to control the field position battle. He was especially effective from deep, converting 11-of-13 attempts between 40 and 49 yards and hitting 8-of-9 from beyond 50 yards. Kicker: Austin Seibert, Punter: Jack Fox, KR: Godwin Igwebuike, PR: Kalif Raymond. Thomas Morstead has been one of the more effective punters in the NFL during his nine-year NFL career, and that was true during his tenure with the Falcons and Jets last season. The Jets head into 2022 hoping veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein can find some consistency to help put points on the board. -- Michael Rothstein, Sure, the defense is the Raiders' weak link -- giving up a 98-yard drive to Baker Mayfield 48 hours after he joined the Rams is an all-time collapse -- but the high-powered offense is not without blame, either. Here is a cheat sheet for fantasy football defense/special teams (DST) rankings for the 2022 NFL season. Since joining the Giants, Gano has improved his accuracy past 50 yards, converting on 12-of-16 attempts. Kicker Cairo Santos has struggled lately, having missed three field goals since Week 11. (1:02). Gill finished his collegiate career with 45.8 yards per punt (173 attempts). New coach Kevin OConnell will turn to Greg Josepha gifted kicker who had a tumultuous run in his first season with Minnesota. Though his placekicking counterpart has yet to be singled out. Waddle is an explosive playmaker with the ball and should once again get the first shot to build on those solid rookie numbers. By PFF.com. But opponents still have a QBR against the Chiefs of 57, third highest in the league. Defense: 26 That could potentially put an already strong unit over the top. Rondale Moore struggled to get on the field on offense for the Cardinals last season, but he flashed his game-breaking ability plenty as a returner for the Cardinals. Rookie fourth-round pick Jake Camarda could end up being a real asset to the team if hes able to adjust to the speed of the pro game. The special teams unit has been the most consistent group for Buffalo this year, with kicker Tyler Bass making a career-high 89.7% of field goals, which is especially significant after punter/holder Sam Martin joined just before the season. Olszewski has averaged 23.2 yards per kick return and 12.6 yards per punt return during his three-year career in New England. Slye struggled with consistency in his early stops with Houston and San Francisco, making just 9-of-12 extra points and 11-of-13 field goals. After spending years as the leagues premier unit behind legendary returner Devin Hester, the Bears are in something of a special teams rebuild. And with veteran punter Kevin Huber back for his 14th season in Cincinnati, the Bengals are likely to have one of the most consistent kicking duos in the NFL this season. During his nine-year career, Tucker has only made fewer than 89% of his field-goal attempts in a season just twice (2014 and 2015). While they rank 11th in Pass DVOA, this is a spotty secondary that allowed a 100-plus QB rating five times during the regular season and it ranks 18th in pass-rush win rate (40%) with the. Pollard was exceptional as a kick returner in 2021, averaging 28.8 yards on 17 returns. Meanwhile, linebacker Dennis Gardeck and defensive back Antonio Hamilton will lead the kick coverage unit. Koo went 30-for-30 on extra points and made 27-of-29 field goes in his third season with the Falcons. They may have even cost their team a Super Bowl appearance after a shaky showing against San Francisco in the NFC. In three seasons, Wishnowsky has a net punting average of 41.5 and has never had fewer than 23 attempts to pin opponents inside the 20-yard line. Kicker Jake Elliott one of the most consistent in the league from inside of 45 yards will look to maintain the success hes had thus far in his career. Defense: 30 Given the Buccaneers' offense, Succop needs to keep being good from short distances to remain effective. Kicker: Joey Slye, Punter: Tress Way, KR/PR: Alex Erickson. More ESPN+ content , Offense: 16 In his rookie season, Herbert had 27 returns for 670 yards. Chicago will split their return duties between Dazz Newsome and Khalil Herbert. The strongest component of the Jets special teams is returner Braxton Berrios. Kicker: Zane Gonzalez, Punter: Johnny Hekker, KR/PR: Andre Roberts. Those takeaways have prevented teams from finishing drives that could have changed the outcome of games. The Jaguars also saw continued success from Jamal Agnew as a returner in his first year with the team. Lutz hasnt been a strong kicker beyond 50 yards (56% in his career) but is extremely reliable anywhere closer (94.1%). Chris Boswell has only gotten better during his last three years with the Steelers. Return man Rondale Moore will look to take a step forward in his second season with the club. The Ravens have finished in the Top 5 in these rankings in eight of the last nine seasons, also winning in 2015. If Matt Rhule can find a way to successfully balance the explosive DJ Moore and the sure-handed Andre Roberts in the return game, this unit could provide a spark for Carolina. The defensive rankings can be attributed to a pass defense that hasn't lived up to expectations, allowing 245.4 yards per game and 6.72 yards per play. It's easy to point to a significant number of injuries, despite the Bolts saying weekly that it's not an excuse. Maggio was on the team but didnt have a punt attempt in 2021. The Hawks' defense has gone from awful to good to awful again, and it is now mired in a stretch of four straight games in which it has allowed at least 150 rushing yards. Since the 2015 season, Huber has just two seasons with an average hangtime above 4.25. He has been consistent and reliable for the Steelers in his career thus far. The league's 32 teams are ranked in 22 kicking-game categories and assigned points according to . Agnew also averages 11.0 yards per punt return and has four career punt return touchdowns. It was the second consecutive season the veteran kicker made over 93% of his field-goal attempts. 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