Week one started with a bang with Dallas and Tampa Bay dueling in a shootout at Raymond James Stadium, with the ageless Tom Brady leading a game-winning drive in the closing minute, capped off by a 36-yard field goal by Ryan Succop.
The week ended with another entertaining matchup between the Raiders and Ravens that included a pair of clutch field goals in the closing minute of regulation. Justin Tucker hit a 46-yard field goal with just 37 seconds remaining to put the Raiders on top, but Daniel Carlson answered with a clutch kick of his own, naming a 55-yarder as time expired to force overtime.
Overall, it was a solid week across the board for kickers not named Greg Zuerlein, who missed the only attempt from less than 40 yards on the week. There were two missed field goals total of 40 yards or more and five of over 50.
There were three missed extra points on the week, including a shank by Tennessee kicker Michael Badgley that resulted in his subsequent release on Monday.
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Week 1 Stud Performances from widely available kickers
Joey Slye (HOU) vs. Jacksonville: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
Slye tied Robbie Gould for the most fantasy points on the week (14) with the Texans steamrolling the hapless Jags in Houston. Slye hit all three field goal attempts and all three extra points for the Texans in relief of the injured Ka’imi Fairbairn. Fairbairn was placed on IR, opening the door for Slye to continue as the lead kicker in Houston for the next few games.
Chris Boswell (PIT) @ Buffalo: 9% ownership on Yahoo
The veteran kicker was perfect on all three short field goals and made two extra points to finish tied for third with 12 points. It appears as those Boswell is fully recovered from his terrible season from two years ago and could be a solid streaming option on what could be a potent Pittsburgh offense. Of the two kickers listed in this section, Boswell is one to keep an eye on and is not a terrible play this week at home against a Raiders defense that did a fairly solid job against the Ravens in week 1.
Week 2 Dud Performances from widely-rostered kickers
Younghoe Koo (ATL) vs. Philadelphia: 99% roster percentage on Yahoo
On a positive note, the Falcons and Matt Ryan continue to be dreadful in the red zone, leading to a pair of field goals for Koo. On a negative note, those two field goals were the only points of the game for the Falcons in a surprising beat down at the hands of the Eagles. Six points are not terrible, but not exactly what fantasy managers were thinking from an elite fantasy kicker.
Rodrigo Blankenship (IND) vs. Seattle: 74% roster percentage on Yahoo
Hot Rod was the victim of a negative game script created by a big early lead by Russell Wilson and the Colts. His K Score of 30 this week projects that he will have a solid bounce back, but if the Rams follow suit of the Seahawks and jump out early, I anticipate another rough week for Specs.
Kicker Rankings
*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 15th in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 17. 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 2.
The K Score numbers for the first two weeks of the season are based on last year's end-of-season stats, as one game is not a large enough sample size.
Brandon McManus (DEN) at Jacksonville: 16% roster percentage on Yahoo
The Jags just gave up 14 points to Joey Slye and the Texans and appeared to be just as awful as they were last season. Look for Teddy Two Gloves and the Broncos to win this game and provide McManus with a floor of a pair of touchdowns and at least two field goals.
Greg Zuerlein (DAL) @ LAC 89% roster percentage on Yahoo
This may seem risky based on how shaky Zuerlein looked in week one. My hope is that Zuerlein's back is feeling better, and he regains his confidence going into this matchup. He has the top K Score of the week, and the Cowboy offense should be able to keep pace with the Chargers and avoid a negative game script.
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.
Graham Gano (NYG) vs. Denver: 5% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 17
- My Rank: 11
- Week 1 Finish: 30
This proved to be a massive miss on my part, with Gano getting just one extra point as the Broncos forced a negative game script on the Giants. It also didn't help that head coach Joe Judge went for it on fourth down when a field goal was well within Gano's range. I chalk this one up as a big L, but I would not be surprised to see Gano bounce back with a top-12 finish this week in what could be an ugly, low-scoring game against the Washington football team.
Greg Zuerlein (DAL) at Tampa Bay: 84% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 14
- My Rank: 5
- Week 1 Finish: T12
Greg the Leg just squeaked into the top 12 this week despite a dreadful performance against the Bucs in which he shanked a chip shot 30-yard attempt, a long 63-yarder, and an extra point. Had he made the 30-yarder, he would have been the top performer of the week. The K Score proved to be correct, but only if the player can make basic kicks.
Waiver Wired
Top Add
Aldrick Rosas (NO) @ Carolina: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
Rosas was my top waiver wire pick last week and came through with nine points to finish tied for 12th at the position. He should have a solid floor this week against the Saints and could be a sneaky top 12 play again in reserve of the injured Wil Lutz.
Other players to consider
- Chris Boswell (PIT) vs. Las Vegas 9% Ownership 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.
