Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings

This article will focus on our 2022 fantasy football kicker rankings. Fantasy managers will be able to better understand how to value certain kickers, what aspects are important, and when they should draft this position. We'll also discuss the positives of streaming the kicker position and how to do that effectively.

What is a Kicker in Fantasy Football?

In football, the kicker is responsible for kicking all of the team’s field goals and the extra points. Some NFL teams have the kicker and punter share kickoff duties, but those are typically not used in fantasy football scoring.

Most fantasy football leagues require one starting kicker and they gain points by kicking field goals and extra points. Some leagues have been opting to eliminate the position completely.

Kicker Fantasy Rankings

In our 2022 fantasy football rankings, Tyler Bass of the Buffalo Bills is the No. 1 kicker. He’s attached to one of the most explosive offenses in the league, which will afford him many opportunities. The remaining top-five consists of Matt Gay (Rams), Harrison Butker (Chiefs), Ryan Succop (Buccaneers), and Evan McPherson (Bengals). One of the things fantasy managers should take note of is the correlation between the best fantasy kickers and their respective offenses. You should be chasing kickers that are on offenses that are expected to score a lot of points.

It’s rare to see Justin Tucker of the Ravens not in the top five, but he didn’t fall far, finishing up at K6. Daniel Carlson (Raiders), Brandon McManus (Broncos), Rodrigo Blankenship (Colts), Matt Prater (Cardinals), Robbie Gould (49ers), and Nick Folk (Patriots) round out the top-12 kicker rankings for the 2022 NFL season.

Drafting a Kicker in Fantasy Football

This often goes overlooked, but it’s important for you to know what the scoring system is for kickers. Are there any negative points for missed extra points or field goals? Are there yardage bonuses for longer field goals made? These different scoring quirks can impact kicker rankings. However, regardless of what the scoring format may be, one of the most important things to look at when drafting a kicker is their team’s offensive output.

The more trips inside the red zone, the more points they’re expected to score, the more likely their kicker is going to be an upper-tier fantasy kicker. There have been years where offenses are almost too efficient, such as the 2020 Green Bay Packers. They scored touchdowns at too high of a clip for Mason Crosby to be an elite asset, but chasing powerful offenses has a high positive correlation with kicker success.

Other elements to pay attention to the implied point totals for each individual game. You can also find plenty of places that give projections on yearly offensive outputs and that’s great information to predict a kicker’s success. On a week to week basis, implied point totals for each individual game are excellent tools that can project a kicker’s opportunity.

The last element to pay attention to are the weather conditions. Kickers who play in a dome at home have an advantage because they’re less likely to be affected by negative weather conditions.

Kicker History

In 2011, David Akers of the Houston Texans set the single-season kicker record for 44 made field goals. This included seven made field goals 50 or more yards. Last year, Daniel Carlson made 40 field goals, which is the second most in NFL history. He finished with 174 total fantasy points. In 2013, Stephen Gostkowski scored 179 points on the back of 38 made field goals and 44 extra points.

The most made extra points in a season belongs to Matt Prater following his 2013 campaign with the Denver Broncos. Gostowski is second with 74 during his 2007 season with the Patriots.

Fantasy K Rankings FAQ

Who are the Best Fantasy Kickers?

When it comes to kickers, there isn’t usually an agreement on the consensus rankings on who the best kicker is. There are however, a clear top-seven that fantasy managers should be targeting if possible. Those include Bass, Gay, Butker, Succop, McPherson, Tucker and Carlson.

How Many Kickers Should I Draft?

Fantasy managers only need to draft one kicker. This position typically provides 7-10 fantasy points per week, so the weekly output isn’t high enough for fantasy managers to feel like they need to roster two. The difference between K1 and K12 isn’t significant enough you need to prioritize this position. This position also provides a lot of different options for fantasy managers and streaming the kicker position is a very viable strategy.

How do I Stream Kickers?

To stream kickers, fantasy managers will often target using a new kicker each week. This is done by attacking the waiver wire and adding a new player to start at this position on a weekly basis. To do this effectively, you'll need to pay attention to the implied point totals for the upcoming week's games. Targeting games with high implied point totals are an effective way to stream this position. As the season moves along, fantasy managers can also take into account which defenses give up the most points to kickers. This is another great way to target players with positive matchups.

What Round should I Pick a Kicker in Fantasy Football?

Due to the lower scoring among kickers, with players often maxing out at 10-points per game average, you shouldn't draft a kicker until the last or second to last round of your fantasy football draft. Until those last two rounds, you should be acquiring as many potential lottery tickets as you can. Kickers can easily be found on the waiver wire.