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Love them or hate them, kickers usually account for about one-tenth of your starting lineup and can swing a matchup when you least expect it. By choosing the correct kicker at the right price, you can gain a small but real edge on draft day and early in the season. To assist you in this process, I've outlined a tiered draft strategy based on the Footballguys Consensus Rankings for all 32 starting kickers in the NFL.
Pro Tip
I've made this point in previous articles, but the message is consistent every season:
If your league rules allow it, skip drafting a kicker.
Last year, the top kicker scored only about three more fantasy points per week, on average, than the 15th-ranked kicker. There isn't enough variation in their performance to justify using a draft pick on them.
Instead, focus on loading up on running backs and wide receivers, and wait for injuries up until Week 1. After that, you can pick up the best available kicker from waivers by dropping or trading players you no longer need.
PS: You should do the same with Team Defense.
Tier 1: Kickers to Target
When selecting your Week 1 starting kicker, prioritize these things in the following order:
- Job Security
- A good offense
- Home-field dome or good weather
- Late bye week
If you must draft a kicker, only consider one with your final pick. None of the players on this list, even those in Tier 1, justify spending an earlier pick in most fantasy leagues. Remember, there is only a slight point variance. With that said, here are the three best kickers for the 2025 season.
Brandon Aubrey, Dallas: Aubrey is basically the perfect package. He checks every box and can hit from just about any distance.
Cameron Dicker, LA Chargers: Dicker was a top-5 kicker in his first year with Jim Harbaugh, and the offense should be even better this season.
Jake Bates, Detroit: If the Detroit offense takes a step back without Ben Johnson, it could be to the benefit of Bates.
Tier 2: Your Fantasy Starters
This tier is extensive, and all the players will score basically the same amount of fantasy points this season, which is why you can wait to draft your kicker.
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