Jason Sanders set a Miami Dolphins team record on Sunday with 14 straight field goals to start a season. The former University of New Mexico Lobo is perfect on the season, including a perfect two kicks of 50 yards or more.
Sanders made five field goals for the second week in a row in Miami’s shocking 43-17 thumping of the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. With 40 combined fantasy points in his last two weeks, Sanders now has more fantasy points than the top-ranked kickers like Harrison Butker, Wil Lutz, and even Justin Tucker.
While I do not anticipate Sanders averaging five field goals a game, he should continue to be a viable fantasy option going forward. He is an excellent waiver wire addition with the Miami offense improving each week in yards per game while continuing to rank in the bottom quarter in red-zone efficiency.
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Week 5 Stud Performances from Widely Available Kickers
Graham Gano (NYG) @ Dallas: 2% Rostered on Yahoo
Gano has quietly been one of the best kickers in fantasy. After a slow start to the season with a mere four fantasy points, the veteran has provided a floor of seven fantasy points in his last four games, including a monster breakout performance last week of 20 points against Dallas. Although the Giants offense is absolutely dreadful in scoring and yards per game, they are also dead last in red-zone efficiency and continue to give Gano kicking opportunities.
Cody Parkey (CLE) vs. IND: 1% Rostered on Yahoo
It may have taken a single-doink field goal to give Parkey double-digit fantasy points this week, but those few managers who played the Cleveland kicker were pleased with his three field goals and three extra points against the Colts. Parkey now has double figures in three straight games and projects to be a decent start this week against a tough Steelers defense.
Week 5 Dud Performances from Widely Rostered Kickers
Jason Myers (SEA) vs. Minnesota: 76% Rostered on Yahoo
A negative game script in the first half hurt Myers’ production, as the Vikings held onto the ball for the majority of the first period. Once the Seahawks’ offense got rolling, Russell Wilson and the passing attack excelled at converting scoring drives into touchdowns. Myers will continue to have a decent floor, but don’t expect monster games with Seattle converting nearly 90% of its red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.
Week 6 Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 2 | Harrison Butker | KC | at BUF | 55 | -3 | 26 | 25 | 3 | 54 | 47F, 9 mph wind, light rain |
| 2 | 3 | Rodrigo Blankenship | IND | vs. CIN | 46.5 | -9.5 | 13 | 3 | 23 | 39 | Dome |
| 3 | 1 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at PHI | 49 | -7 | 27 | 13 | 24 | 64 | 60F, 7 mph wind |
| 4 | 7 | Joey Slye | CAR | vs. CHI | 44 | -3 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 62F, 2 mph wind |
| 5 | 5 | Greg Zuerlein | DAL | vs. ARI | 52 | 9.5 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 24 | Dome |
| 6 | 8 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | at MIN | 57 | 3.5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 22 | Dome |
| 7 | 4 | Zane Gonzalez | ARI | at DAL | 52 | -3 | 21 | 29 | 10 | 60 | Dome |
| 8 | 6 | Stephen Gostkowski | TEN | vs. HOU | 55 | -5.5 | 7 | 30 | 16 | 53 | 65F, 6 mph wind |
| 9 | 20 | Nick Folk | NE | vs. DEN | 45.5 | -9.5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 58F, 5 mph wind |
| 10 | 11 | Jason Sanders | MIA | vs. NYJ | 49.5 | -8 | 17 | 11 | 20 | 48 | 85F, Scattered Storms |
| 11 | 10 | Matt Prater | DET | at JAC | 52.5 | -2.5 | 9 | 10 | 25 | 44 | 76F, 11 mph wind |
| 12 | 9 | Mason Crosby | GB | at TB | 52 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 2 | 25 | 87F, 14 mph wind |
| 13 | 17 | Sam Sloman | LAR | at SF | 49.5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 27 | 81F, 4 mph wind |
| 14 | 12 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. CLE | 51 | -5.5 | 20 | 12 | 15 | 47 | 57F, 9 mph wind |
| 15 | 13 | Dan Bailey | MIN | vs. ATL | 57 | 3.5 | 29 | 28 | 17 | 74 | Dome |
| 16 | 14 | Robbie Gould | SF | vs. LAR | 49.5 | -3 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 49 | 81F, 4 mph wind |
| 17 | 15 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at TEN | 55 | 5.5 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 61 | 65F, 6 mph wind |
| 18 | 16 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. WAS | 44.5 | -3.5 | 20 | 1 | 30 | 51 | 60F, 8 mph wind |
| 19 | 18 | Ryan Succop | TB | vs. GB | 52 | -3 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 69 | 87F, 14 mph wind |
| 20 | 19 | Randy Bullock | CIN | at IND | 46.5 | 9.5 | 12 | 2 | 26 | 40 | Dome |
| 21 | 21 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. KC | 55 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 5 | 43 | 47F, 9 mph wind, light rain |
| 22 | 22 | Jake Elliott | PHI | vs. BAL | 49 | 7 | 25 | 18 | 28 | 71 | 60F, 7 mph wind |
| 23 | 23 | Cairo Santos | CHI | at CAR | 44 | 3 | 22 | 7 | 27 | 56 | 62F, 2 mph wind |
| 24 | 24 | Cody Parkey | CLE | at PIT | 51 | 5.5 | 10 | 27 | 13 | 50 | 57F, 9 mph wind |
| 25 | 25 | Brandon McManus | DEN | at NE | 45.5 | 9.5 | 11 | 4 | 29 | 44 | 58F, 5 mph wind |
| 26 | 26 | Sam Ficken | NYJ | at MIA | 49.5 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 31 | 61 | 85F, Scattered Storms |
| 27 | 28 | Aldrick Rosas | JAC | vs. DET | 52.5 | 2.5 | 28 | 19 | 18 | 65 | 76F, 11 mph wind |
| 28 | 27 | Dustin Hopkins | WAS | at NYG | 44.5 | 3.5 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 72 | 60F, 7 mph 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 19th in red-zone efficiency; therefore, Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 13. 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 ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 could be excellent Week 6 plays.
Nick Folk (NE) vs. Denver: 2% Rostered on Yahoo
I am sticking with Folk this week against a Denver team that is the third-stingiest inside the red zone. Although Folk has just one game of 10 or more fantasy points this season, his K Score of 20 indicates he is in a great place to get multiple field goal chances and a decent extra point floor against Denver. The probability of a negative game script created by the Broncos taking a big lead is low, and Denver’s bend-but-don’t-break defense is perfect for field goal production.
Jason Sanders (MIA) vs. NY Jets: 5% Rostered on Yahoo
The number one overall kicker through five weeks of the season currently has a rostered rate of just 5%. With 10 field goals in the last two weeks, I’m not sure what Sanders needs to do to get more respect in the fantasy community. The one concern here is the weather, as it looks like it might rain in Miami on Sunday.
Prediction Review
Each week I suggest two kickers ranked outside the ECR’s 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.
Sam Sloman (LAR) @ Washington: 8% Rostered on Yahoo
ECR Rank: 11
My Rank: 10
Week 5 Finish: T17
A missed extra point dropped Sloman from seven points down to six in what turned out to be a lopsided win for the Rams. The appeal for Sloman was the probability of an above-average Washington defensive front limiting the Rams in the red zone. That did not happen, so this pick turned out to be a bust.
Nick Folk (NE) vs. Denver: 2% Rostered on Yahoo
Folk’s game was postponed due to COVID-19. I am staying in flames with him as one of my two K Score kickers this week.
Waiver Wired
Top Add – Jason Sanders (MIA) vs. NY Jets: 5% Rostered on Yahoo
Sanders’ rostered percentage is going to skyrocket based on his monster 22-point performance last week. As I wrote in the opening paragraph, Sanders won’t continue this pace and kick five field goals against the Jets. However, this team is trending in the right direction, both offensively and defensively, and Sanders could be a weekly must-play option.
Other players to consider: Graham Gano (NYG) vs. Washington Football Team: 2% Rostered on Yahoo
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Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.
