Courtesy Detroitlions.com

Detoit's Jason Hanson is not only a terrific veteran place-kicker, he's one of the best fantasy football sleepers in this year's draft.

You've probably read that kickers aren't so important to your draft, because there are so many good ones that you can get one with a very late pick. I play against fantasy owners who refuse to take a kicker until the 10th round. A couple of years ago, on guy didn't even draft a kicker, electing to pick one up on waivers, just before week one.

For most of my 18 years as a fantasy football owner, I've had great kickers, and I usually select them around the 7th or 8th round in my draft.

Here's a few guidelines for how to draft a great fantasy football kicker:

1. Don't wait too long: I firmly disagree with anyone who says you can always get a great kicker in the late rounds of your fantasy draft. You may get lucky once or twice, but in general, this is a Reckless strategy.

2. Don't leap too early: Jumping on one of the top kicers with your third or fourth selection also not the way to go. Remember, the difference between the top three kickers and the middle tier is only about one or two points per game. You'll easily make these up with your other players - if you don't waste an early pick on a kicker.

3. Get an accurate kicker with a big leg on a good offensive team: You may be thinking that I'm talking about the Nate Kaedings or Adam Vinatieris of the world, but I'm not. Jason Hanson (pictured), for example, is one of the best kickers in NFL history. He has scored over 1,500 points in 15 seasons, and he's not declining. He'll likely last to the seventh round in most drafts, though, because he plays for the Lions, who were awful last year. Still Hanson scored 117 points, and he's primed for at least 10 more this season.

So, let the suckers waste a 3rd-round pick on Nate Kaeding or Robbie Gould, while you grab a guy like Hanson or Baltimore's Matt Stover much later. You'll get a great running back or wide receiver with that third pick, and, who knows, your round-7 kicker might eve outscore those other high-profile guys.