Love them or hate them, for most fantasy leagues, kickers are roughly 10 percent of your weekly starting lineup. Does that make them especially valuable? No, it does not. But you can gain an edge by starting your season with the right guy in your kicker spot. Below you'll find a tiered draft strategy for all 32 starting kickers in the NFL.
Pro Tip
This pointer will sound familiar if you've read this article in years past because I say the same thing every season: If your league rules allow it, Do Not Draft a Kicker. Last year, the difference between the best kicker and the 15th-best kicker was just two fantasy points per game. That's assuming you just start the 15th-best kicker every week instead of streaming the position. There is not enough variance to warrant wasting a pick.
Instead, load up on running backs and wide receivers and wait out injuries until Week 1. Then grab the best kicker off of waivers by dropping or trading assets you no longer need.
PS: You should do the same with Team Defense; more on that here!
Tier 1: Kickers to Target
When choosing a kicker, you should look for four qualities:
- Job Security
- A good offense
- Home-field dome or good weather
- Late bye week
In that order, you want those things from your Week 1 starting kicker. If you must draft one, only do so with your last pick. No player on this list, even in Tier 1, is worth paying up for in a standard fantasy league.
- Justin Tucker- He's the best kicker in the league and has a Week 13 bye.
- Tyler Bass- Buffalo is a great offense with a Week 13 bye.
- Daniel Carlson- He was the No. 2 fantasy kicker last year and also gets a Week 13 bye.
- Harrison Butker- You want a piece of the Kansas City offense, and Butker is one of the best in fantasy when healthy.
- Evan McPherson- He had a down year last year after a great rookie year, but he's still part of a great Cincinnati offense.
- Matt Gay- If the Colts are a good offense with Anthony Richardson, Gay could be the best kicker in fantasy this year. He hits every other criterion.
- Younghoe Koo- The Atlanta offense is questionable, but he is consistent and plays in a dome.
Tier 2: Best of the Rest
This will be an extensive tier, which is precisely why you can wait to draft your kicker. They all have a red flag or two, but they should be suitable for a few weeks. This tier is also where you'll find the best streaming candidates. Streaming, in the simplest terms, is when you'll switch out your kicker each week for a new one with the best possible matchup.
- Cameron Dicker- Dicker beat out Dustin Hopkins for this job, and the Chargers offense is intriguing. However, an early bye makes him less desirable in your draft.
- Jason Myers- His only issue is Seattle's Week 5 bye. He was a top-5 fantasy option last year.
- Brandon McManus- There could be a giant leap for the Jacksonville offense this season, and McManus has one of the stronger legs in the league.
- Jake Elliott- This might sound weird, but the Eagles score too many touchdowns. His upside is limited.
- Greg Joseph- Minnesota has a solid offense, but Joseph has been average in fantasy the last few years. The loss of Dalvin Cook could lead to a few more attempts.
- Greg Zuerlein- The Jets have basically an entirely new offense, and expectations are high. He finished just outside the top 10 in 2022.
- Riley Patterson- Patterson is back in Detroit after a trade with Jacksonville, and their offense has excellent potential this year.
- Graham Gano- He was a top-10 kicker in the new and improved Giants offense last year and should be dependable yet again.
- Jason Sanders- The Dolphins have all the firepower to be one of the best offenses in the league, and Sanders is two years removed from being the best kicker in fantasy.
- Brandon Aubrey- Aubrey is a relative unknown but this Dallas offense can put up numbers. Their kicker was No. 3 in fantasy last year. There is risk, but the reward is nice too.
- Chad Ryland- Teams rarely spend a 3rd-round draft pick on a kicker, so Ryland is worth watching. Especially considering the Patriots' kicker was a No.6 in fantasy last year.
- Jake Moody- San Francisco invested high draft capital in Moody, and their kicker finished top-10 in fantasy last season. However, Moody had a rough preseason and is now dealing with an injury.
- Chris Boswell- Boswell missed some time last year but put up top-10 numbers on a points-per-game basis. He won't win you many weeks, but he's unlikely to lose you much.
- Nick Folk- Folk is a proven top-5 fantasy kicker but the Titans' offense is tough to trust. Their ineptitude did not lead to many opportunities for their kicker last year, but Folk is more trustworthy.
- Dustin Hopkins-Hopkins comes to Cleveland after Cade York was cut. The Browns' offense could be great for a kicker who hits his kicks, and Hopkins has been accurate the last two seasons.
Tier 3: Kickers to Avoid (for now)
Above, you'll find 22 kickers. There is no reason to look further. Here are the other starters and why you should avoid them.
- Matt Prater- We have no reason to trust the Arizona offense.
- Wil Lutz- He played all 17 games last year after a 2021 injury and finished outside the top 20. A trade to Denver might help, but still not worth the risk.
- Eddy Piñeiro- He's already dealing with an injury and plays in a shaky offense.
- Chase McLaughlin- The are more questions than answers about the Tampa Bay offense, but McLauglin at least beat Rodrigo Blankenship for the job.
- Cairo Santos- Chicago is a tough place to kick, and he was No. 27 in fantasy last year.
- Blake Grupe - Wil Lutz couldn't hit the top-20 last year for the Saints, and Grupe is an unknown commodity. No real reward to justify the risk.
- Anders Carlson- Green Bay has many new faces, including quarterback and kicker. The Green Bay kicker was No. 23 last season, and we don't know enough to say Carlson will be better.
- Ka'imi Fairbairn- Why put faith in this offense if you don't have to?
- Joey Slye- He was arguably the worst starting kicker in fantasy last year, playing in all 17 games and finishing as the No. 26 fantasy option. He did beat out Michael Badgley for the job.
I will update this list weekly in August, so if kicker news drops, check back for my take.