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