Jason Sanders

Sanders is solidly in the middle tier of NFL kickers; good enough to keep his job so far but perhaps only one ugly cold streak away from losing it. He was the fantasy high-scorer and a First-Team All Pro back in 2020, but since then he's finished 23rd, 17th and 10th in fantasy points, converting 80.2 percent of field-goal attempts (including just nine of 19 from 50-plus yards) and 96.4 percent of PATs. Sanders finished 2023 ranked second in PATs made (58) and attempted (59), but he was tied for 24th in made field goals (24) and 25th in attempts (28). Odds are his volume will skew a bit back toward FGs this year, though Miami's red-zone efficiency under coach Mike McDaniel is probably no fluke.

A breakout 2022 for the Miami offense didn't really change things for Sanders, who converted a career-high 41 PATs but went only 2-for-6 from beyond 50 yards for the second consecutive year. He did hit 12 of 13 in the 40-49 range, and in 2020 he went 8-for-9 from 50-plus en route to First Team All-Pro honors. The larger picture shows what's essentially a league-average kicker by modern standards, but that might work out just fine for fantasy if the Dolphins are one of the better teams in the league -- a real possibility after last year's breakout on offense was complemented by trades for OLB Bradley Chubb in November and CB Jalen Ramsey in March.

Sanders dropped off dramatically in 2021, making 74.2 percent of field-goal attempts after converting 92.3 percent the year prior. The Dolphins dramatically retooled their offense this season, which could open the door for the 2018 seventh-round pick to regain fantasy value. At the least, Sanders should see more attempts, which could bump him back into prominence provided he connects on a more consistent basis.

The Dolphins were rewarded for their patience when they stuck with Sanders after a poor 2019 campaign. He bounced back last year to make his third pro season the best yet, missing only three kicks while tying Younghoe Koo for first in fantasy points. Sanders isn't likely to get 39 FGAs again, but he is one of the more reliable kickers, missing just 12 field goals and two PATs in three NFL seasons.

Sanders bested the expectations for volume last season, but he shanked seven FG attempts, including four from 40-49 yards. He was much better as a rookie the year before, and the Dolphins aren't expected to bring in another candidate for the kicking job. Even so, a rebuilding franchise isn't exactly fertile ground for kicker fantasy production, likely leaving Sanders another year away from relevance.

A seventh-round pick last year, Sanders did a nice job with his limited opportunities on a bad Dolphins team, making a strong case to get more chances from long distance this season. He's probably looking at another low-volume season as the team sets out on a rebuilding project under new coach Brian Flores, with Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick surrounded by a subpar supporting cast and a bad defense.

Selected in the seventh round of this year's draft, Sanders converted only 25 of 35 field-goal attempts at New Mexico State, but his leg strength apparently made an impression. The Dolphins plan to bring in a veteran or an undrafted rookie to compete for the job, after allowing Cody Parkey to leave for Chicago. Parkey only got 23 field-goal attempts and 29 PAT tries in 16 games for a miserable Miami team last year.