Week 7 proved to be a low-scoring week for kickers, with just six kickers posting double-digit fantasy points. By comparison, 12 players managed to post double-figures in Week 6.
The week’s top performance came on the leg of veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins, who set an NFL record with five straight games of at least one 50-yard field goal. Hopkins made three field goals on the afternoon, including a 58-yard attempt to give the Browns a one-point lead with six minutes left in regulation. With 38 points in his last two games and 75 on the year, Hopkins should be rostered in more than just 18% of leagues.
Rams fans were given a dose of what Cowboys fans experienced for a couple of years with Brett Maher‘s inconsistent play. With a career make percentage of 79%, the veteran kicker missed a field goal and an extra point in LA’s home loss to the Steelers. When he is on, Maher can be great. But with a field goal percentage of 73% on the year, he can be a little too volatile for some fantasy managers.
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Fantasy Football Week 8 Kicker Rankings & Waiver Wire Advice (2023)
(Rostership percentages courtesy of Yahoo!)
Week 7 Strong Performances From Widely-Available Kickers:
Wil Lutz (DEN) vs. Green Bay: 7% roster percentage on Yahoo
Will Lutz made all four attempts on the day and one extra point to finish with 15 fantasy points. It was Lutz’s first double-digit performance on the season, and he is not a player I would target on waivers this week.
Chad Ryland (NE) vs. Buffalo: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
The Patriots entered Sunday’s game on a three-game losing streak, scoring a combined 20 points in three games. With the high-flying Bills’ offense coming to town, it seemed like a negative game script and a poor performance for Chad Ryland and the Pats was in store. Instead, Ryland posted 12 fantasy points and a top-five performance on the week.
Week 7 Dud Performances From Heavily-Rostered Kickers
Tyler Bass (BUF) @ Jacksonville: 98% roster percentage on Yahoo
You are not looking at a misprint. Tyler Bass, one of the most heavily drafted kickers and one of only a handful that can boast a roster percentage of 98%, is our dud performer for three straight weeks. Bass has scored a combined eight points in his last three games and continues to torment managers. Do you hang on or move to a more consistent player? I’d like to think Bass returns to his old form, but three weeks is hard to look past.
Kicker Rankings:
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 2 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at WAS | 43.5 | -6.5 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 25 | 75F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 2 | 1 | Harrison Butker | KC | at DEN | 45.5 | -8 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 40 | 34F, 10 MPH Wind, Snow Possible |
| 3 | 3 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at ARI | 43.5 | -8.5 | 14 | 25 | 9 | 48 | Dome |
| 4 | 4 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL | vs. LAR | 45 | -6.5 | 19 | 6 | 16 | 41 | Dome |
| 5 | 15 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | at TEN | 36.5 | -2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 26 | 78F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 6 | 6 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. TB | 42 | -8 | 6 | 30 | 5 | 41 | 60F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 7 | 7 | Jake Moody | SF | vs. CIN | 45.5 | -6 | 9 | 29 | 7 | 45 | 62F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 8 | 8 | Jason Sanders | MIA | vs. NE | 47 | -9.5 | 8 | 31 | 1 | 40 | 83F, 15 MPH Wind |
| 9 | 9 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at CAR | 43 | -3 | 30 | 5 | 12 | 47 | 79F, 8 MPH Wind |
| 10 | 19 | Greg Joseph | MIN | at GB | 42 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 42F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 11 | 5 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | vs. CHI | 46.5 | -8.5 | 31 | 26 | 8 | 65 | Dome |
| 12 | 10 | Dustin Hopkins | CLE | at SEA | 40 | 3 | 32 | 27 | 20 | 79 | 45F, Light Wind |
| 13 | 11 | Blake Grupe | NO | at IND | 42.5 | 1.5 | 23 | 4 | 17 | 44 | Dome |
| 14 | 12 | Brandon McManus | JAX | at PIT | 41.5 | -2.5 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 53 | 65F, 12MPH Wind, Rain |
| 15 | 13 | Brett Maher | LAR | at DAL | 45 | 6.5 | 16 | 22 | 6 | 44 | Dome |
| 16 | 14 | Riley Patterson | DET | vs. LV | 44.5 | -8 | 29 | 16 | 4 | 49 | Dome |
| 17 | 16 | Matt Gay | IND | vs. NO | 42.5 | -1.5 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 45 | Dome |
| 18 | 17 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | at NYG | 36.5 | -3 | 21 | 0 | 30 | 51 | 67F, 10 MPH Wind, Rain |
| 19 | 18 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at DET | 44.5 | 8 | 25 | 7 | 27 | 59 | Dome |
| 20 | 28 | Chase McLaughlin | TB | at BUF | 42 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 33 | 60F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 21 | 23 | Nick Folk | TEN | vs. ATL | 36.5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 35 | 78F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 22 | 29 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. NYJ | 36.5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 35 | 67F, 10 MPH Wind, Rain |
| 23 | 24 | Wil Lutz | DEN | vs. KC | 45.5 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 46 | 34F, 10 MPH Wind, Snow Possible |
| 24 | 21 | Jason Myers | SEA | vs. CLE | 40 | -3 | 28 | 11 | 15 | 54 | 45F, Light Wind |
| 25 | 22 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. JAX | 41.5 | 2.5 | 11 | 13 | 31 | 55 | 65F, 12MPH Wind, Rain |
| 26 | 26 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | vs. HOU | 43 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 24 | 57 | 79F, 8 MPH Wind |
| 27 | 27 | Matt Prater | ARI | vs. BAL | 43.5 | 8.5 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 29 | Dome |
| 28 | 31 | Cairo Santos | CHI | at LAC | 46.5 | 8.5 | 17 | 24 | 18 | 59 | Dome |
| 29 | 25 | Evan McPherson | CIN | at SF | 45.5 | 6 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 64 | 62F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 30 | 30 | Joey Slye | WAS | vs. PHI | 43.5 | 6.5 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 65 | 75F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 31 | 20 | Anders Carlson | GB | vs. MIN | 43 | -1 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 76 | 42F, 12 MPH Wind |
| 32 | 32 | Chad Ryland | NE | at MIA | 47 | 9.5 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 80 | 83F, 15 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 30th in red zone efficiency; therefore, Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 2. The lower the 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’s 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.
Contrarian Kicker Plays
Based on the variables outlined above, the following two kickers are players ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be excellent plays in Week 8.
Younghoe Koo (ATL) @ Tennessee: 68% roster percentage on Yahoo
Younghoe Koo posted his best total of the season last week against the Bucs and has another advantageous matchup against the Titans. His K Score of 26 is the best on the week, and the Vegas sharps have this as a close game in Week 8. I also like Nick Folk in this game in what could be a low-scoring field goal game.
Greg Joseph (MIN) @ Green Bay: 11% roster percentage on Yahoo
Greg Joseph is on a bit of a hot streak with nine or more points in three straight games, including 11 last night against the 49ers. He boasts a K Score of 27 and should be ranked higher than his ECR of 19.
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.
Riley Patterson (DET) @ Baltimore: 51% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 14
- My Rank: 8
- Week 7 Finish: 32
Sometimes, a team gets completely punched in the face, and a negative game script throws all predictions out the window. That happened here to Riley Patterson in a game where the Lions were three-point dogs on the road against the Ravens. Instead of a close game like the books anticipated, the Lions were boat raced, and Patterson delivered a goose.
Chase McLaughlin (TB) vs. Atlanta: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 22
- My Rank: 9
- Week 7 Finish: Kicker Tied 11
This one turned out much better for me, as Chase McLaughlin posted a respectable seven fantasy points in an otherwise low-scoring week. I was hoping for the 13 points Koo posted in this game, but fantasy managers should not be upset with seven from McLaughlin.
Waiver Wire
Top Add: Younghoe Koo (ATL) @ Tennessee: 68% roster percentage on Yahoo
After a slow start to the season, Koo posted an excellent game against the Bucs on Sunday and should have another strong performance against the Titans. I also like him in Week 9 against the Vikings.
Other players to consider:
- Brandon McManus (Jax) @ Pittsburgh: 40% roster percentage on Yahoo
- Dustin Hopkins (CLE) @ Seattle: 19% roster percentage on Yahoo
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