Justin

Medlock

A 2007 fifth-round pick by the Chiefs, Medlock drilled 49-of-55 field goal attempts as an All-Star in the CFL last season. The cap-strapped Panthers are now carrying Medlock and Adi Kunalic behind high-dollar starter Olindo Mare, who came under fire for critical misses last season.

In other words, don’t look for Neil Rackers or Billy Cundiff to land in Carolina. Medlock has played just one NFL game since the Chiefs drafted him in the fifth round back in 2007, but he’s been one of the premier kickers in Canada. He has a shot at top-10 fantasy numbers in the Panthers’ high-scoring offense.

Justin Medlock will handle kicking duties unless the Panthers opt for one of the released veterans such as Billy Cundiff. Mare is among the most experienced kickers in the league, but shanked a number of critical kicks in 2011, and was due an untenable $2.1 million. A journeyman sixth-year pro, Medlock will be on the radar as a streaming option in the Panthers’ ascendant offense.

Medlock has missed his last three field goals after nailing his first seven. The former CFL star wasn’t much of an asset on kickoffs, either. Medlock ranked just 31st in fantasy points through 11 weeks.

Medlock, 29, spent the first 11 weeks of last season with the Panthers before getting the ax. He made 7-of-10 field goals over that span. Medlock has been toiling around the league for six years, and the Lions need a kicker after Jason Hanson announced his retirement on Thursday.

Rookie Justin Medlock is clearly locked in as Kansas City’s kicker following the release of Barret and Lawrence Tynes’ trade to New York. Doughty, an undrafted rookie from South Carolina, shouldn’t have left school early.

The fifth-round pick looked to have a bright future coming in afer a highly accurate career at UCLA, but he lacked confidence with Kansas City.

There was an amusing scene in HBO’s Hard Knocks where coach Herm Edwards tried to convince the special-teams coach that rookie Justin Medlock had the job secured, but the fifth-round pick struggled throughout camp. He figures to start in Week 1, but will have to kick well to keep the job beyond that.

He’s not in danger of losing his job, but is a poor bet in fantasy leagues as a rookie kicking for a Kansas City offense that is likely to decline this season.

Lawrence Tynes was dealt on Tuesday. There’s no sense betting on a rookie in fantasy leagues.