Justin Tucker entered Week 7 as the most accurate kicker in NFL history and had never missed an extra point since taking over the staring role for Baltimore in 2012. Tucker’s brilliance and consistency are well documented, so much so that Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Red Zone on Direct TV has a recurring bit on the show regarding how Tucker never misses extra points.
But like everything in life things must come to an end, and unfortunately for Ravens fans, Tucker’s extra point streak came to an end at the most inopportune time, with Tucker shanking a kick with 30 seconds remaining to tie the game against the Saints.
On a positive note, Chandler Catanzaro of the Tampa Bay Bucs redeemed himself with a 59-yard kick in overtime to beat the Browns after missing an extra point and possible game-winning kick in regulation. Despite a problematic history of Bucs kickers until his tenure with Tampa Bay, head coach Dirk Cutter showed some guts by giving Cantazaro a chance at redemption, as a miss would have given Cleveland the ball near midfield with time to win the game.
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Week 7 Stud Performances from widely-available kickers
Brandon McManus (DEN) @ Arizona: 35% ownership on Yahoo
McManus and the Denver offense benefited from short fields all game long, as Von Miller and the Bronco defense tormented rookie Josh Rosen in a 45-10 blowout win on Thursday Night Football. Although McManus received just one field goal opportunity on the day, he converted that kick and all six PATs to finish with 10 points.
Michael Badgley (LAC) vs.Tennessee: 1% ownership on Yahoo
Badgley got the nod again this week for the Chargers with Caleb Sturgis on the shelf with a quad injury. In a week with only five kickers reaching double figures, Badgley finished as a K1 with two field goals and two extra points in London. Not exactly a mind-blowing performance and he will likely lose the starting role after the bye, but still a strong showing for the 1% of Yahoo owners who rolled the dice on him.
Cody Parkey (CHI) vs. New England: 8% ownership on Yahoo
After posting 26 points against the Bucs and Cardinals in Weeks 3 and 4, Cody Parkey burned fantasy owners with four PATs against the Dolphins in a surprising road loss for the Bears. Although he managed just eight points on Sunday against the Pats, Parkey tied Dustin Hopkins and Michael Badgley for the seventh-most points this week as a strong K1.
Week 7 Dud Performances from heavily-owned kickers
Justin Tucker (BAL) vs. New Orleans: 99% ownership on Yahoo
For the second straight week, Tucker finds himself on the dud list after managing one field goal and two PATs against the Saints. For owners who play with negative points for missed extra points, Tucker ended with fewer than five points for the second consecutive game. Tucker should not be dropped based on his recent struggles, but he has not posed double figures after averaging 11.75 in the first month of the season.
Jake Elliott (PHI) vs. Carolina: 86% ownership on Yahoo
The wind reeked havoc for kickers on the east coast this Sunday, including Jake Elliott of the Eagles, who missed a 35-yard field goal and finished with just four fantasy points on the day. As the 11th ranked offense in total yards, Elliott appears like a solid fantasy option. But the second-year player ranks 26th out of 32 kickers in accuracy this season with 11 made field goals in 15 tries.
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | Opp | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 1 | Greg Zuerlein | vs. GB | -10.5 | 56.5 | 23 | 18 | 2 | 43 | 86F, Light Wind |
| 2 | 11 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | vs. MIA | -7.5 | 45.5 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 24 | Dome |
| 3 | 6 | Wil Lutz | at MIN | PK | 52 | 3 | 24 | 6 | 33 | Dome |
| 4 | 2 | Harrison Butker | vs. DEN | -10.5 | 55.5 | 16 | 27 | 3 | 46 | 56F, Partly Cloudy, 16 MPH Wind |
| 5 | 3 | Stephen Gostkowski | at BUF | -14 | 44.5 | 27 | 25 | 10 | 62 | |
| 6 | 10 | Mason Crosby | at LAR | 10.5 | 56.5 | 14 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 86F, Light Wind |
| 7 | 7 | Matt Prater | vs. SEA | -3 | 49 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 42 | Dome |
| 8 | 4 | Justin Tucker | at CAR | PK | ’43 | 29 | 28 | 9 | 66 | 58F, Light Wind |
| 9 | 5 | Dan Bailey | vs. NO | PK | 52 | 30 | 11 | 13 | 54 | Dome |
| 10 | 9 | Chris Boswell | vs. CLE | -7 | 50.5 | 20 | 29 | 5 | 54 | 42F, Rain, Light Wind |
| 11 | 23 | Josh Lambo | vs. PHI | 2.5 | 41 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 29 | 40F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 12 | 13 | Cody Parkey | vs. NYJ | -7 | 46 | 5 | 21 | 11 | 37 | 49F, Rain, Light Wind |
| 13 | 14 | Jake Elliott | at JAC | -2.5 | 41 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 44 | 40F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 14 | 8 | Randy Bullock | vs. TB | -6 | 53.5 | 32 | 30 | 25 | 87 | 47F 5 MPH Wind |
| 15 | 12 | Adam Vinatieri | at OAK | PK | 51 | 13 | 23 | 17 | 53 | 70F, Light Wind |
| 16 | 15 | Robbie Gould | at ARI | PK | 51 | 24 | 13 | 21 | 58 | Dome |
| 17 | 24 | Jason Myers | at CHI | 7 | 46 | 15 | 0 | 26 | 41 | 49F, Rain, Light Wind |
| 18 | 16 | Chandler Catanzaro | at CIN | 6 | 53.5 | 25 | 19 | 1 | 45 | 47F 5 MPH Wind |
| 19 | 17 | Brandon McManus | at KC | -10 | 55.5 | 22 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 56F, Partly Cloudy, 16 MPH Wind |
| 20 | 18 | Dustin Hopkins | at NYG | PK | 42 | 14 | 8 | 24 | 46 | 52F, Rain, 11 MPH Wind |
| 21 | 19 | Graham Gano | vs. BAL | PK | 43 | 12 | 20 | 18 | 50 | 58F, Light Wind |
| 22 | 20 | Aldrick Rosas | vs. WAS | PK | 42 | 26 | 3 | 20 | 49 | 52F, Rain, 11 MPH Wind |
| 23 | 21 | S. Janikowski | at DET | 3 | 49 | 9 | 31 | 28 | 68 | Dome |
| 24 | 22 | Phil Dawson | vs. SF | PK | 51 | 21 | 22 | 32 | 75 | Dome |
| 25 | 25 | Matt McCrane | vs. IND | PK | 51 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 70F, 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 7.
Josh Lambo (JAC) vs. Philly in London: 27% ownership on Yahoo
This is the first week of the season in which there are no standout options ranked outside of the top 12 ECR. If for some reason Ka’imi Fairbairn is available in your league, I highly recommend picking him up as he is my No. 2 ranked player this week. But if you are hurting for a bye week fill in and Fairbairn is not available, Lambo against the Eagles could be a solid play as the two teams face off in London. The Jags have been awful in red zone efficiency this season, and the Eagles have allowed the fourth-fewest touchdowns in the red zone. The question is will Blake Bortles be able to move the ball against the Eagles to give Lambo a chance.
Cody Parkey (CHI) vs. NYJ: 8% ownership on Yahoo
Parkey would be ranked even higher in my rankings if the weather report in Chicago did not include light rain. Although the over/under for this game is on the lower side compared to other matchups on the week, the Bears are solid seven-point favorites and should take care of business against the Jets. Look for the defense to provide multiple short fields for Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago offense, which in turn should give Parkey more than a few field goal chances.
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.
Jason Myers (NYJ): vs. Minnesota
ECR Rank: 21 / My Rank: 8
Week 7 Finish: Kicker #12
Myers kicked a 50-yard field goal in the second half to salvage what looked like a dreadful day as the Vikings beat up on the Jets. The reasoning for ranking Myers so high was the fact that the Jets are dreadful in the Red Zone but still have a decent offense in terms of total yards. Unfortunately, Sam Darnold and the offense could not move the ball well enough in the middle of the field to give Myers more opportunity. Despite only one field goal opportunity, Myers tied Ryan Succop for 12th place and finished just inside the range of K1s this week.
Dustin Hopkins (WAS): vs. Dallas
ECR Rank: 17 / My Rank: 12
Week 7 Finish: Tied Kicker #9
Hopkins continues to be a viable fantasy option with 22 fantasy points over his last two games, including eight fantasy points against the Cowboys Week 7. With just one game over 10 fantasy points, Hopkins does not provide a monster ceiling like other kickers in high-scoring offenses, but he has yet to score fewer than six points in a matchup and will not cost you a week.
Waiver Wired
Top Add
Cody Parkey (CHI) vs. NY Jets 8% ownership on Yahoo
Parkey enters Week 8 as the No. 14 ranked kicker in fantasy, just two points behind Will Lutz and Matt Prater. While I project both Prater and Lutz to have much better games on Sunday, the K Score variables for Parkey indicate that he could be a sneaky top-5 start against a Jets team that ranks 5th in the league in red zone defense. Look for the Bears defense to provide multiple short fields for the Chicago offense, but Trubisky and the Bears offense may find it difficult to convert those opportunities into touchdowns. The only concern here is the weather. If the rain turns out to be harder than projected, Parkey should be dropped for one of the two players listed below.
Others to Consider
- Brandon McManus (DEN) @ KC 28% ownership on Yahoo
- Mason Crosby (GB) @ LA Rams: 34% ownership on Yahoo (Bye Last Week)
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Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.