New England Patriots - Fantasy News

Who to Start: Jake Elliott or Stephen Gostkowski?

by Mike Rose

1/26/18

NFL

New England Patriots

Stephen Gostkowski

There are several important matchups that football fans will be looking at when it comes to Super Bowl LII on February 4 in Minneapolis when the AFC champion New England Patriots lock horns with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.

However, one that could make all the difference in the world is the one between kickers Jake Elliott and Stephen Gostkowski. Philadelphia’s Elliott is projected to log 8.5 Dober Fantasy Points while New England’s Gostkowski is a one-point favorite at 9.5.

We all know how much of a difference kickers can make as the Patriots won by a field goal the last time these two teams faced each other in the Super Bowl.

Fantasy Matchup: Jake Elliott (8.5 PFP) vs. Stephen Gostkowski (9.5 PFP)

Elliott has averaged 8.93 Dober Fantasy Points for the season, which is about 1.5 points less than Gostkowski. The fact that Gostkowski is favored doesn’t come as much of a surprise as he’s a proven veteran while we don’t know how the youngster will deal with nerves on as big of a stage as the Super Bowl.

To this point in the playoffs, however, Elliott is a perfect 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts while Gostkowski is only 1-of-2. In the game against the Falcons, he converted all three of his field goal attempts but missed his only extra-point effort. Against Minnesota, he made his only field goal attempt and went a perfect 5-for-5 on extra points.

During the regular season, Elliott only missed five field goals on 26 attempts for a solid 83.9 percent conversion rate. He made nine between 0 and 39 yards, 12 between 40 and 49 yards and went 5-of-6 from 50-plus yards. Philadelphia’s kicking game ranked No. 17 as it was successful 85.3 percent of the time.

In the team’s 13 wins, Elliott was successful kicking 23-of-27 field goals. In the team’s three losses, he went 3-for-4. Away from Lincoln Financial Field, he went 14-of-16 on field goals. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from between 20-29 yards, 2-of-4 between 30-39, a perfect 6-of-6 from 40-49 and a perfect 2-of-2 from 50-plus. The Pats field goal defense has been stout as they rank No. 2 in the league giving up only 71.0 percent of opponent’s field goals, so it could be a tall task for the young Elliott.

Meanwhile, the veteran Gostkowski had another great season as the Pats ranked No. 4 in field goal percentage at 92.5. He finished the 2017 campaign missing only three field goals as he made 37-of-40 attempts. On the road, he missed only one all season, hitting 21-of-22 attempts away from Foxboro.

In the team’s wins, he went 30-for-33 and in losses he was a perfect 7-for-7.

You can’t go wrong with Gostkowski for your fantasy team of any kind and you have to trust him to win you games of any magnitude. I trust him to win this matchup regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl, so go with him on your Dober Play Card.

Super Bowl Fantasy Matchup: Stephen Gostkowski (-1) vs. Jake Elliott