NFL fans witnessed two impressive kicking performances by two kickers who will likely end up in Canton some day, as Adam Vinatieri passed Morten Anderson for the NFL all-time record (566) by kicking two field goals in Sunday’s 37-34 loss to the Texans.
Although he has a long way to go to catch Vinatieri in career field goals, Justin Tucker made all four field goals and two extra points to raise his NFL-best career FG percentage to 90%. Tucker is the leading fantasy kicker through four weeks with double-digit fantasy points in three of his four games, including 16 fantasy points on Sunday night against the Steelers.
Get free start/sit and waiver wire advice for your fantasy team 
Week 4 Stud Performances from widely-available kickers
Brett Maher (DAL): 2% ownership on Yahoo
Maher exercised the ghosts of Dan Bailey with four field goals and two extra points in Dallas’ comeback win over the Lions. The former CFL kicker benefitted from playing against a Lions team that continues to be one of the best red zone defenses in the league and an offense that lacks a play-making red zone threat in the passing game.
Cody Parkey (CHI): vs. Arizona: 5% ownership on Yahoo
For the second-straight week, Parkey gave fantasy owners double-digit points as the Bears blew out the Bucs 48-10. Parkey made two field goals, including a 50-yard try, to end the day with 15 fantasy points. Although on a bye Week 5, Parkey should be a top-12 kicker going forward and his ownership percentage should grow starting in Week 6.
Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU): vs. Indianapolis: 9% ownership on Yahoo
Fairbairn continues to be a hot kicker with 14 points on three field goals against the Colts on Sunday. With home games in the dome against two decent defenses in Dallas and Buffalo on his slate, Fairbairn should continue to deliver double-digit fantasy points in the short term.
Week 4 Dud Performances from heavily-owned kickers
Stephen Gostkowski (NE): vs. New Orleans: 99% ownership on Yahoo
For the fourth-consecutive week, Gostkowski failed to score double-digit fantasy points while finishing as a K2 in most formats. The effectiveness of Tom Brady and the New England offense left Gostkowski with five extra points and one field goal for eight fantasy points. In most weeks eight fantasy points would be a decent performance, but considering the fact that 12 kickers finished with double-digit points, Gostkowski proved to be a dud Week 4.
Matt Prater (DET): vs. Buffalo: 74% ownership on Yahoo
As one of my K Score kickers to target last week Prater proved to be a dud play with just three extra points and one field goal for six fantasy points. Big passing plays to Golden Tate negated the chance of field goal opportunities for Prater, and the Lions converted 50% of their red zone chances in what proved to be a relatively low-scoring game.
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 1 | Stephen Gostkowski | NE | vs. IND | -10 | 53.5 | 15 | 24 | 21 | 60 | 67F, 6mph wind |
| 2 | 2 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at CLE | -1 | 47 | 19 | 28 | 10 | 57 | 71F, light wind |
| 3 | 8 | Mason Crosby | GB | at DET | -1.5 | 51.5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 23 | Dome |
| 4 | 3 | Wil Lutz | NO | vs. WAS | -7 | 51 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 52 | Dome |
| 5 | 9 | Matt Prater | DET | vs. GB | 1.5 | 51.5 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 25 | Dome |
| 6 | 4 | Matt Bryant | ATL | at PIT | 4 | 56.5 | 14 | 25 | 7 | 46 | 79F, light wind |
| 7 | 15 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | vs. DAL | -3 | 45.5 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 26 | Dome |
| 8 | 5 | Caleb Sturgis | LAC | vs. OAK | -7 | 51.5 | 12 | 20 | 9 | 41 | 74F, 8mph wind |
| 9 | 7 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. JAC | -3 | 48.5 | 2 | 30 | 8 | 40 | 59F, Rain, 11mph wind |
| 10 | 19 | Dan Bailey | MIN | at PHI | 3 | 44.5 | 6 | 18 | 12 | 36 | 81F, light wind |
| 11 | 10 | Josh Lambo | JAC | at KC | 3 | 48.5 | 29 | 9 | 14 | 52 | 59F, Rain, 11mph wind |
| 12 | 11 | Cairo Santos | LAR | at SEA | -7 | 49 | 21 | 17 | 1 | 39 | 57F, Overcast |
| 13 | 12 | Jake Elliott | PHI | vs. MIN | -3 | 44.5 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 38 | 81F, light wind |
| 14 | 6 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. ATL | -4 | 51 | 28 | 29 | 6 | 63 | 79F, light wind |
| 15 | 13 | Graham Gano | CAR | vs. NYG | 7 | 44 | 4 | 11 | 30 | 45 | 83F, light wind |
| 16 | 14 | Randy Bullock | CIN | vs. MIA | -5.5 | 50 | 9 | 31 | 15 | 55 | 83F, 5 mph wind |
| 17 | 16 | Dustin Hopkins | WAS | at NO | 7 | 51 | 26 | 12 | 28 | 66 | Dome |
| 18 | 24 | Brett Maher | DAL | at HOU | 3 | 45.5 | 27 | 3 | 25 | 55 | Dome |
| 19 | 17 | Ryan Succop | TEN | at BUF | -3 | 39.5 | 30 | 14 | 24 | 68 | 65F, Overcast |
| 20 | 18 | Adam Vinatieri | IND | at NE | 10 | 53.5 | 10 | 21 | 22 | 53 | 67F, 6mph wind |
| 21 | 23 | Matt McCrane | OAK | at LAC | 7 | 51.5 | 22 | 7 | 2 | 31 | 74F, 8mph wind |
| 22 | 20 | Robbie Gould | SF | vs. ARI | -5 | 41 | 20 | 2 | 19 | 41 | 75F, 11mph wind |
| 23 | 21 | Brandon McManus | DEN | at NYJ | 2 | 43.5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 34 | 77F, light wind |
| 24 | 22 | Jason Myers | NYJ | vs. DEN | -2 | 43.5 | 23 | 1 | 27 | 51 | 77F, light wind |
| 25 | 30 | Aldrick Rosas | NYG | at CAR | 7 | 44 | 32 | 17 | 23 | 72 | 83F, light wind |
*Red Zone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well the kicker’s offense does in the red zone. For example, the Ravens rank second in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 31. The lower number, the better for kickers, as playing on a team that struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone equates to more field goal opportunities.
**The K Score is the sum of a player’s opponent red zone, the red zone efficiency of his offense, and the overall rank of his respective team in terms of total yards. A low score indicates that a kicker has variables working in his favor for a good fantasy kicking performance.
Kicker rankings are based on numerous factors, including matchups, Vegas lines and score projections, weather conditions, the ability of a kicker’s team offense and their ability to move the ball into field goal range, offensive red zone efficiency, and how well the opposing defense limits touchdowns in the red zone. These factors are a guide, but not a definitive way to predict kicking success, as other variables and negative game scripts significantly impact the outcome.
Based on all of the variables mentioned above, the following two kickers are players ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be an excellent play Week 4.
Dan Bailey (MIN): vs. Philadelphia
After burning fantasy owners with zero points in his first game with the Vikings, Bailey delivered a monster 12-point performance last week against the Rams. Bailey should have a similar performance this week as the Vikings head east to take on the Eagles, a defense that has done a solid job limiting red zone touchdowns this season.
Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU): vs. Dallas
I know that I sound like a broken record and the head of the Fairbairn fan club, but I will keep touting his value in this section until the fantasy community comes to its senses and correctly ranks Fairbairn. With back-to-back double-digit points in similar matchups against teams in the top quarter in red zone defense, Fairbairn has been excellent for fantasy owners as of late. Houston has the fifth-best offense in terms of yardage, but the fifth-worst regarding red zone efficiency. That equation often leads to kicker gold.
Prediction Review
Each week I suggest two kickers ranked outside the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who I believe will be solid performers based on the variables described in the K Score section. The following is a review of my picks from the previous week to see where I was successful and where I missed the mark.
Ryan Succop (TEN): vs. Jacksonville
ECR Rank: 20 / My Rank: 9
Week 3 Finish: Kicker #14
Succop came through with nine fantasy points on Sunday, but due to the number of big kicking performances, he finished just outside the top 12. The Titans kicker made both of his field goal attempts and was perfect with two PATs.
Sam Ficken (LAR): vs. Vikings
ECR Rank: 17 / My Rank: 8
Week 3 Finish: Kicker #23
A head-scratching missed 28-yard field goal proved to be a six-point swing for Ficken. The projected opportunity was there and had he made the chip shot field goal Ficken would have finished as a K1 this week. As a result, he’s been released and replaced with Cairo Santos, though Greg Zuerlein is said to be close to returning.
Waiver Wired
Ka’imi Fairbairn (DAL): vs. New Orleans: 9% ownership on Yahoo
Eventually, the fantasy community will come to its senses and realize that Fairbairn should be rostered in all 12-team kicker leagues. With 26 fantasy points in his last two games and home matchups inside against Dallas and Buffalo, Fairbairn is locked an loaded for two more big performances.
Other players to consider:
- Brett Maher (DAL): 2% ownership on Yahoo
- Josh Lambo (JAC): 20% ownership on Yahoo
Find and analyze trades for your team with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.
