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Who is the Commanders' starting kicker? Will it be Joey Slye? Read the fantasy football breakdown here.
Joey Slye was the Washington Commanders kicker for the entirety of 2022 but has been locked into a heated camp battle with Michael Badgley since late July.
Slye has had an up-and-down start to his career after coming onto the scene relatively hot as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech. He finished as the No. 15 kicker in 2019 for Carolina after leading the NFL in both made field goals and percentages from 50+ yards. Slye managed to increase his overall make percentage from 78% to 80% in his second year, but his NFL low 17% hit rate from 50+ put his long-term viability into question.
The former Panther now heads into his second year in Washington hoping to regain his long-range accuracy. But will he get that chance?
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How Did Joey Slye Perform In 2022?
Slye actually had the best season of his career in terms of conversion rate (83.3%) in 2022, but this still ranked in the bottom half of kickers. He finished as the No. 26 overall kicker for fantasy. A big issue was the inefficient Washington offense, which featured three different quarterbacks and ranked 20th overall in total yards.
Generally when assessing kicker value, looking for the offenses that are not bottom of the barrel but also not truly elite is a sound strategy. There's a sweet spot where offenses are good enough to move but end up stalling out in enemy territory often, which sets up more opportunities for kickers.
The Commanders' offense was just beneath that range last season, which impacted the viability of Slye as a fantasy kicker. His 30 field goals attempted were tied for 21st in the league.
What Should I Expect From Slye In 2023?
Slye might be in for a career year this upcoming season. The Commanders recently just cut the aforementioned Badgley, effectively crowning Slye the PK1 for the 2023 season. He's been perfect through two preseason games, highlighted by the game-winning 49-yarder that snapped the Baltimore Ravens' unprecedented 24-game preseason win streak that spanned seven years.
Quarterback Sam Howell has also looked great. There is rediscovered hope that new assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy will bring over some pizzazz from Kansas City and breathe more life into this offense. Jahan Dotson is expected to take a big leap forward in his second year and Terry McLaurin returns as one of the most dependable pass catchers in the game.
With Slye locked in as the Commanders' Week 1 starter and a young upstart offense in front of him, expect the former Virginia Tech standout to challenge his career-best finish of fantasy kicker No. 13 this upcoming season.
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