Welcome to the last edition of our Super Chart series where we will be breaking down the kicker and defense/special teams positions. Thanks for reading and providing positive feedback through the first four positional Super Charts. Due to popular demand, I have decided to commit to providing you with positional Super Charts each and every week throughout the regular season exclusively right here at FantasyPros. This is a tool that I think can revolutionize the industry standard by helping you with crucial decisions like setting your line up, waiver wire targets, trades, and more. For those who don’t know how the Super Chart works, please read below for a quick overview.
One of the key aspects to being a successful fantasy football player at any level is preparation. Preparation comes in various forms, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. What works for one fantasy player may not work best for another. I am a 14-year fantasy football veteran and play in several high stakes leagues every year, yet I am still always learning and finding new ways to prepare. Average Draft Position (ADP), Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR), Strength of Schedule (SOS), Consistency Ratings, and past fantasy rankings are some excellent tools to prep for upcoming drafts. The only problem is the amount of time it takes to research all of those categories for every player at every position.
Sync your cheat sheet to your draft with our fantasy football tools 
Well, what if I told you that all of that information plus more could be found all in one spot? That would be pretty awesome, right? You’re in luck because we here at FantasyPros have you covered! Before we get to the last edition of our Super Chart series, here is a quick overview of each category:
- Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR): The average rankings from a group of experts in the fantasy industry, compiled by FantasyPros.
- Average Draft Position (ADP): Data taken from Fantasy Football Calculator.
- Last Year (LY)/2016/2015 Rank: Where the player finished among his position at the conclusion of the listed season. These rankings are based on points per game, which is a more accurate measure for determining a player’s true upside and value.
- 8+ Point (PT.) Game (GM): Percentage of games with 8 or more fantasy points in 2017.
- 12+ Point (PT.) Game (GM): Percentage of games with 12 or more fantasy points in 2017.
- FPPG: Fantasy points per game in 2017.
- Strength of Schedule (SOS): Strength of Schedule rankings from Weeks 1-17. The lower the rankings, the easier the matchups are. SOS data taken from FF Toolbox.
Best Use of the Super Chart
The best way to utilize this super chart is to spend some time studying it before your draft. Print a copy and use it as your cheat sheet on draft day so you still have access to all of the numbers, as well as the ECR and ADP from respected individuals in the fantasy football industry.
There is so much information that we simply cannot fit it onto one page. Here is a sample of the Kicker and Defense/Special Teams Super Charts. To view the charts in their entirety please click here.
Quick Note: I have updated all of the ECRs and ADPs for each and every position. They can be found on the bottom tabs in the Google Doc Spreadsheet provided in the link above.
| ECR | Player | Bye | ADP | LY Rank | 8+ pt gm | 12+ pt gm | FPPG | Indoor? | LY 50+ FG | LY % |
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski | 11 | 149.9 | 3rd | 75% | 44% | 10.8 | No | 4 for 4 | 92% |
| 2 | Justin Tucker | 10 | 149.7 | T-5th | 81% | 38% | 10.1 | No | 5 for 7 | 92% |
| 3 | Greg Zuerlein | 12 | 145.8 | 1st | 79% | 57% | 13 | No | 6 for 7 | 95% |
| 4 | Matt Bryant | 8 | 163.2 | T-5th | 69% | 31% | 10.1 | Yes | 8 for 9 | 87% |
| 5 | Will Lutz | 6 | 160.3 | T-5th | 69% | 25% | 10.1 | Yes | 4 for 5 | 86% |
| 6 | Jake Elliott | 9 | 163.8 | T=8th | 79% | 21% | 9.9 | No | 5 for 6 | 84% |
| 7 | Matt Prater | 6 | 169.2 | 11th | 63% | 25% | 9.4 | Yes | 7 for 11 | 86% |
| 8 | Chris Boswell | 7 | 171.2 | T-8th | 63% | 25% | 9.9 | No | 4 for 4 | 92% |
| 9 | Harrison Butker | 12 | 168.7 | 2nd | 77% | 46% | 12.3 | No | 4 for 5 | 90% |
| 10 | Mason Crosby | 7 | 167.7 | 33rd | 20% | 7% | 5.6 | No | 1 for 3 | 79% |
| 11 | Dan Bailey | 8 | 170.4 | 21st | 45% | 18% | 7.4 | Yes | 3 for 5 | 75% |
| 12 | Robbie Gould | 11 | 170.3 | 4th | 69% | 31% | 10.6 | No | 4 for 4 | 95% |
| 13 | Graham Gano | 4 | N/A | 18th | 69% | 6% | 8.2 | No | 0 for 1 | 97% |
| 14 | Adam Vinatieri | 9 | 171.1 | 17th | 60% | 13% | 8.3 | Yes | 5 for 6 | 85% |
| 15 | Ryan Succop | 8 | N/A | 10th | 56% | 31% | 9.8 | No | 2 for 5 | 83% |
| 16 | Brandon McManus | 10 | N/A | 22nd | 33% | 13% | 7.3 | No | 3 for 6 | 75% |
| 17 | Josh Lambo | 9 | N/A | 14th | 50% | 20% | 8.7 | No | 2 for 2 | 95% |
| 18 | Kai Forbath | 10 | 174.5 | 12th | 63% | 31% | 9.3 | No | 6 for 9 | 84% |
| 19 | Ka’imi’ Fairbairn | 10 | N/A | 24th | 40% | 13% | 6.9 | Yes | 3 for 4 | 80% |
| 20 | Daniel Carlson | 10 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | N/A | N/A |
| 21 | Cairo Santos | 11 | N/A | 35th | 20% | 0% | 5.2 | No | 0 for 1 | N/A |
| 22 | Steven Hauschka | 11 | N/A | T-15th | 56% | 25% | 8.6 | No | 7 for 9 | 88% |
| 23 | Caleb Sturgis | 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No | 1 for 1 | N/A |
| 24 | Dustin Hopkins | 4 | N/A | 20th | 75% | 0% | 8 | No | 0 for 2 | 82% |
| 25 | Phil Dawson | 9 | N/A | T-15th | 44% | 31% | 8.6 | Yes | 4 for 5 | 80% |
| 26 | Chandler Catanzaro | 5 | N/A | 19th | 53% | 13% | 8 | No | 2 for 2 | 83% |
| 27 | Cody Parkey | 5 | N/A | 28th | 33% | 7% | 6.5 | No | 1 for 2 | 91% |
| 28 | Sebastian Janikowski | 7 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No | N/A | N/A |
| 29 | Roberto Aguayo | 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | No | N/A | N/A |
| 30 | Zane Gonzalez | 11 | N/A | 36th | 19% | 6% | 4.9 | No | N/A | 75% |
| 31 | Aldrick Rosas | 9 | N/A | 34th | 13% | 6% | 5.3 | No | N/A | 72% |
| 32 | Randy Bullock | 9 | N/A | 29th | 43% | 14% | 6.5 | No | 3 for 3 | 90% |
Kicker Strategy Talk
I am a firm believer in selecting a kicker with one of your final two picks depending on your league’s scoring and rules. In drafts with 16 rounds or fewer, it makes much more sense to pick one with your last pick. Whereas, in drafts with 20 rounds I don’t have an issue drafting one with your second-to-last pick. There is absolutely no scenario where I would recommend taking one earlier. Missing out on an opportunity to land a sleeper with high upside outweighs the benefits to landing a top-ranked kicker. Plus, the position is more of a randomized guess nowadays with 10 kickers nailing at least 90 percent of their field goals last season. A prime example is Greg Zuerlein, as he jumped from 30th to first in fantasy points per game from 2016 to last season.
Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean the kicker position isn’t important or that there aren’t some ways to better your chances of landing a good one. Every point in fantasy is critical so why not give yourself a competitive advantage over your competition by researching one of the areas they likely won’t? One of the biggest mistakes people make when drafting kickers is going purely off of last season’s success. However, things change significantly every year. For example, Harrison Butker and Robbie Gould joined Zuerlein as three kickers who leaped from 30th or worse in 2016 to top-five in 2017 (Butker was a rookie last year).
So, what are some tips to utilize when deciding how to approach the kicker position in fantasy? Here are three main factors I consider:
1) Does he play for a good team/offense?
It’s quite simple…Bad teams score less and are trailing more often, resulting in fewer field goal opportunities.
2) Does he play in an indoor or outdoor stadium?
There are a total of seven kickers listed on the Super Chart who play indoors. Keep in mind that they don’t have to worry about any winds or extreme weather conditions during the winter months when playing at home.
3) Does he have a strong leg?
More and more kickers can comfortably kick 50-yard field goals in today’s NFL but it is still something to consider since most leagues reward more points for longer field goals. The last thing you want is a team that doesn’t trust your kicker from 50 yards or further.
Kickers to target based on the three questions above: Matt Bryant, Will Lutz, Matt Prater, and Daniel Carlson.
Quick Hits
- Justin Tucker was the most consistent kicker in 2017, scoring eight or more points in 81 percent of his games.
- Greg Zuerlein had several big performances last season and scored exactly 17 fantasy points in six of 14 games.
- Tucker and Stephen Gostkowski are the only two kickers to produce top 12 numbers in each of the past three years.
- Cairo Santos and Dustin Hopkins were the only two kickers that failed to score 12 or more points in a single-game.
- Mason Crosby has an ECR of 10, despite not being able to produce starting-caliber numbers in three-consecutive campaigns.
| ECR | Player | Bye | ADP | LY Rank | 8+ pt gm | 12+ pt gm | FPPG | SOS | WK 14 | WK 15 | WK 16 |
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 95.6 | 1st | 69% | 56% | 12.7 | 4th | at TEN | WAS | at MIA |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 112.6 | 14th | 69% | 19% | 7.5 | 7th | at SEA | MIA | at DET |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 106.1 | T-3rd | 50% | 38% | 10.6 | 17th | at CHI | PHI | at ARI |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 120.9 | T-3rd | 50% | 31% | 10.6 | 23rd | at DAL | at LAR | HOU |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8 | 124.1 | 5th | 69% | 31% | 10 | 16th | CIN | at KC | BAL |
| 6 | Houston Texans | 10 | 131.6 | 28th | 38% | 13% | 5.1 | 3rd | IND | at NYJ | at PHI |
| 7 | Denver Broncos | 10 | 142.6 | T-18th | 38% | 19% | 6.8 | 31st | at SF | CLE | at OAK |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens | 10 | 135.9 | 2nd | 56% | 50% | 11.6 | 22nd | at KC | TB | at LAC |
| 9 | New Orleans Saints | 6 | 153 | 7th | 44% | 31% | 9.4 | 28th | at TB | at CAR | PIT |
| 10 | New England Patriots | 11 | 161.4 | 13th | 44% | 25% | 7.7 | 2nd | at MIA | at PIT | BUF |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 165.3 | T-9th | 56% | 38% | 8.6 | 26th | at OAK | NE | at NO |
| 12 | Carolina Panthers | 4 | 160.5 | 11th | 56% | 31% | 8.6 | 32nd | at CLE | NO | ATL |
| 13 | Seattle Seahawks | 7 | N/A | 8th | 63% | 25% | 8.9 | 9th | MIN | at SF | KC |
| 14 | Atlanta Falcons | 8 | N/A | 22nd | 25% | 19% | 6.2 | 14th | at GB | ARI | at CAR |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | 5 | 165.9 | T–9th | 50% | 31% | 8.6 | 5th | LAR | GB | at SF |
| 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | 12 | N/A | 12th | 44% | 25% | 7.8 | 25th | BAL | LAC | at SEA |
| 17 | Arizona Cardinals | 9 | N/A | T-18th | 31% | 19% | 6.8 | 29th | DET | at ATL | LAR |
| 18 | Green Bay Packers | 7 | N/A | 24th | 25% | 6% | 5.9 | 13th | ATL | at CHI | at NYJ |
| 19 | Tennessee Titans | 8 | N/A | 17th | 44% | 25% | 6.9 | 12th | JAX | at NYG | WAS |
| 20 | New York Giants | 9 | N/A | 27th | 31% | 19% | 5.5 | 20th | at WAS | TEN | at IND |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 9 | N/A | 21st | 44% | 13% | 6.3 | 19th | at LAC | OAK | at CLE |
| 22 | Detroit Lions | 6 | N/A | 6th | 63% | 31% | 9.8 | 8th | at ARI | at BUF | MIN |
| 23 | Buffalo Bills | 11 | N/A | 20th | 38% | 13% | 6.5 | 6th | NYJ | DET | at NE |
| 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | N/A | 23rd | 31% | 19% | 6.1 | 30th | NO | at BAL | at DAL |
| 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 8 | N/A | 15th | 31% | 25% | 7.1 | 24th | PHI | at IND | TB |
| 26 | Washington Redskins | 4 | N/A | 16th | 31% | 25% | 7 | 18th | NYG | at JAX | at TEN |
| 27 | San Francisco 49ers | 11 | N/A | 29th | 6% | 6% | 4.9 | 21st | DEN | SEA | CHI |
| 28 | Cleveland Browns | 11 | N/A | 30th | 31% | 0% | 4.7 | 27th | CAR | at DEN | CIN |
| 29 | New York Jets | 11 | N/A | 31st | 13% | 13% | 4.5 | 1st | at BUF | HOU | GB |
| 30 | Oakland Raiders | 7 | N/A | 32nd | 25% | 0% | 4.3 | 11th | PIT | at CIN | DEN |
| 31 | Miami Dolphins | 11 | N/A | 26th | 25% | 13% | 5.6 | 10th | NE | at MIN | JAX |
| 32 | Indianapolis Colts | 9 | N/A | 25th | 19% | 0% | 5.8 | 15th | at HOU | DAL | NYG |
Defense/Special Teams Strategy Talk
Similar to the kicker position, it’s best to wait until one of the last couple of rounds before selecting a defense. The Jaguars were the cream of the crop in 2017 but ranked just 28th the year before. The Rams and Lions also had some success after ranking outside the top 20 in 2016.
Streaming defenses on a weekly basis may be the smartest approach since it is a position that tends to be more matchup-based than most. When drafting a top defense, you are basically committing to them for the foreseeable future, unless you plan on drafting another defense to cover for them in difficult matchups. Neither is an ideal strategy as it either takes away an extra roster spot or an earlier pick that could have been used to land this year’s Alvin Kamara.
Target your defense in the final two rounds of your draft and look for one with favorable matchups to start out the season. After those games you can re-evaluate the position by either continuing to stream based on matchups or pick up an up and coming defense that is performing well early on in the season.
Three defenses to target late with favorable matchups to start 2018:
- New Orleans Saints (vs. TB), (vs. CLE)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (at CLE), (vs. KC)
- Detroit Lions (vs. NYJ), (at SF)
Quick Hits
- The Eagles, Seahawks, and Chiefs are the only three teams to post D/ST1 numbers in each of the past three seasons.
- The Detroit Lions appear to be undervalued with an ECR of 22 even though they were among the most consistent defenses, scoring eight or more points in 63 percent of their games last season.
- The Browns, Raiders, and Colts were the only three teams unable to score 12 or more fantasy points in any games in 2017.
The Quarterback Super Chart
The Running Back Super Chart
The Wide Receiver Super Chart
The Tight End Super Chart
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS
Mike Dente is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @1ststopfantasy.
