With the Leonard Fournette release and subsequent signing with the Buccaneers, and the Redskins cutting veteran Adrian Peterson, the recent significant changes to the fantasy football kicker landscape over the past two weeks have gone under the radar.
Former Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski returned to the NFL to sign a one-year $3.25 million deal to join former teammate Mike Vrable in Tennessee. The perennial top-ranked fantasy kicker managed to play in just three games last year for New England before missing the remainder of the season with a hip injury. Should he be able to return to his old form, Gostkowski could be a solid play this year on a Titans team that ranked 10th points scored in 2019.
The Bucs made a change at the kicker position as well with the surprise signing of veteran Ryan Succop. The team waived second-year kicker Matt Gay, who finished fourth overall in fantasy points scored last season, trailing only Harrison Butker, Wil Lutz, and Justin Tucker.
Head coach Bruce Arians opted for the veteran over the second-year player with the big leg because Succop provides what Arians believes is more consistency in shorter, gimme kicks and extra points. If Succop can stay healthy, he projects to be a top-5 kicker this season based on the fact that the Bucs offense should be one of the better in the league. Even though his K Score will not be as good as Gay had last year based on the improved red-zone efficiency of the offense with Tom Brady under center.
The Bills took a different approach with their placekicker, opting to go with their 2020 5th round rookie, Tyler Bass, over 12-year vet Stephen Hauschka. The unknown accuracy of Bass makes him a risky pick to start the season. However, he could have value as a mid-season pick up and is someone to watch.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice 
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 1 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. HOU | 56.5 | -10 | 32 | 21 | 4 | 57 | 56F and 32% Chance of Rain |
| 2 | 2 | Justin Tucker | BAL | vs. CLE | 48.5 | -9 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 55 | 73F – 23% Chance of Rain |
| 3 | 3 | Wil Lutz | NO | vs. TB | 50.5 | -4.5 | 5 | 19 | 9 | 33 | Dome |
| 4 | 4 | Greg Zuerlein | DAL | at LAR | 50.5 | -2.5 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 46 | Dome |
| 5 | 5 | Robbie Gould | SF | vs. ARI | 45.5 | -7 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 40 | 67F and Sunny |
| 6 | 17 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | vs. SEA | 48.5 | 1.5 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 34 | Dome |
| 7 | 6 | Matt Prater | DET | vs. CHI | 44 | -3 | 13 | 20 | 16 | 49 | Dome |
| 8 | 7 | Ryan Succop | TB | at NO | 50.5 | 4.5 | 23 | 29 | 3 | 55 | Dome |
| 9 | 14 | Michael Badgley | LAC | at CIN | 46.5 | -3.5 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 74F and Sunny |
| 10 | 8 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at WAS | 45.5 | -6 | 24 | 24 | 13 | 61 | 72F with 21% Chance of Rain |
| 11 | 9 | Jason Myers | SEA | at ATL | 48.5 | -1.5 | 19 | 27 | 6 | 52 | Dome |
| 12 | 10 | Mason Crosby | GB | at MIN | 46.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 30 | 17 | 49 | Dome |
| 13 | 11 | Joey Slye | CAR | vs. LV | 46.5 | 2.5 | 31 | 17 | 19 | 67 | 77F and Cloudy |
| 14 | 20 | Josh Lambo | JAC | vs. IND | 46 | 7.5 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 30 | 87F and Sunny |
| 15 | 12 | Dan Bailey | MIN | vs. GB | 46.5 | -2.5 | 11 | 22 | 18 | 51 | Dome |
| 16 | 13 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at KC | 56.5 | 10 | 10 | 23 | 11 | 44 | 56F and 32% Chance of Rain |
| 17 | 31 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. PIT | 48 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 27 | 71F and Partly Cloudy |
| 18 | 15 | Chris Boswell | PIT | at NYG | 48 | -3 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 34 | 71F and Partly Cloudy |
| 19 | 28 | Randy Bullock | CIN | vs. LAC | 46.5 | 3.5 | 21 | 2 | 26 | 49 | 74F and Sunny |
| 20 | 16 | Brandon McManus | DEN | vs. TEN | 42.5 | -1.5 | 28 | 4 | 28 | 60 | 65F and Clear |
| 21 | 18 | Zane Gonzalez | ARI | at SF | 45.5 | 7 | 26 | 3 | 21 | 50 | 67F and Sunny |
| 22 | 30 | Stephen Gostowski | TEN | at DEN | 42.5 | -6.5 | 1 | 31 | 15 | 47 | 65F and Clear |
| 23 | 19 | Rodrigo Blankenship | IND | at JAC | 46 | -7.5 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 66 | 87F and Sunny |
| 24 | 21 | Austin Seibert | CLE | at BAL | 48.5 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 22 | 47 | 73F – 23% Chance of Rain |
| 25 | 23 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at CAR | 46.5 | -2.5 | 30 | 10 | 12 | 52 | 77F and Cloudy |
*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 fifth in red-zone efficiency; therefore, Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 28. 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 1.
Younghoe Koo (ATL) vs. Seattle: 43% Ownership on Yahoo
Koo finished the 2019 season strong for the Falcons and was re-signed to be the kicker for one of the league’s most potent offenses in 2020. Fantasy owners should always put a premium on kickers who play for teams like the Falcons who move the ball well, yet struggle in the red zone. Koo was my breakout kicker for 2020 in my kicking primer, and I feel confident he will do well at home against Seattle Week 1.
Michael Badgley (LAC) @ Cincinnati: 29% Ownership on Yahoo
In his three seasons as starting QB for the Bills from 2015 to 2017, the Bills ranked in the bottom six each year in red-zone efficiency. While that is a reasonably small sample size and the team/situation is different, Taylor and the Chargers will likely move the ball well against the Bengals. Still, they could find difficulty against a Cincinnati defense that ranked third in red-zone defense in 2019.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup & Trade advice
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Beyond our fantasy football content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Trade Analyzer – which allows you to instantly find out if a trade offer benefits you or your opponent – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.
