With eight weeks of action in the books, I thought it would be an excellent time to review the MVP, biggest bust, top rookie and breakout kickers for the first half of the season. Some of these names may come as no surprise, while others may not know just how well or how poorly some well-known fantasy kickers have fared this year.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
The veteran kicker for the Steelers is tied with Austin Seibert with 23 field goals made over the first eight weeks of the fantasy football season, but Chris Boswell edges Seibert because of a 6-1 advantage in field goals made over 50 yards. Boswell started with a bang, scoring 26 fantasy points to start the season, only to cool off with our games of fewer than 10 points. With back-to-back 14-point games and a 17-point showing in his last three contests, Boswell has quietly been a fantasy stud despite his 58% roster percentage.
Bust: Jake Elliott (K – PHI)
Jake Elliott entered the season as the No. 4 kicker in fantasy average draft position (ADP) after finishing last season as the No. 5 kicker overall. The veteran kicker has not lived up to the draft capital, with a mere 49 points on the season and a seven-point per game average.
Rookie of the Year: Will Reichard (K – MIN)
Although he is nowhere near as impressive as Brandon Aubrey was last season, Will Reichard has been great for fantasy owners, with 73 points in over seven games. He posted double figures in four of those seven games. His worst performance so far was four points in Week 1 against the Giants.
Breakout: Austin Seibert (K – WAS)
Austin Seibert is the breakout candidate of the year considering he was watching Week 1 from his couch. Since Week 2, he has averaged 14 fantasy points, better than Brandon Aubrey, Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker. Yet, he continues to be available on the waiver wire in more than 50% of leagues.
Week 9 Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice
Week 8 Strong Performances From Widely-Available Kickers
Anders Carlson (K – SF) vs. Dallas: 5% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
The 49ers continue to be a gold mine for kicker production, with Anders Carlson posting 16 fantasy points while covering for the injured Jake Moody. Only the Commanders and Steelers have more fantasy points at the kicker position, making Moody an interesting pickup after the Week 9 bye.
Dustin Hopkins (K – CLE) vs. Baltimore: 18% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
I’m not sure which is more surprising. The fact Dustin Hopkins is rostered in 18% of leagues after posting -2 points against the Bengals or that he outscored Justin Tucker on Sunday. Either way, it was a surprising game, but I am not moving Hopkins up in my ranks just yet.
Week 8 Dud Performances From Heavily-Owned Kickers
Brandon Aubrey (K – DAL) @ San Francisco: 95% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Six points is not a dud performance, but for someone like Brandon Aubrey, who seems to roll out 15-point weeks in his sleep, six points was not a great week. Better days are ahead and I am not panicking. If someone drops him because of this performance, be sure to pick him up.
Week 9 Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Over/Under | Spread | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 4 | Austin Seibert | WAS | at NYG | 44.5 | -3.5 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 12.5 | 59F, Light Wind |
| 2 | 5 | Justin Tucker | BAL | vs. DEN | 43.5 | -9 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 26 | 61F, Light Wind |
| 3 | 7 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. TB | 44.5 | -9 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 23 | 63F, Rain Likely |
| 4 | 1 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL | at ATL | 48.5 | 2.5 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 34.5 | Dome |
| 5 | 9 | Brandon McManus | GB | vs. DET | 48.5 | 4.5 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 25.5 | 58F, Rain Likely |
| 6 | 6 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at NYJ | 43.5 | -1 | 16 | 23 | 9 | 47 | 72F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain |
| 7 | 8 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | at CLE | 39.5 | -2.5 | 18 | 2 | 23 | 40.5 | 60F, Rain |
| 8 | 12 | Jake Elliott | PHI | vs. JAC | 47.5 | -7 | 28 | 13 | 8 | 42 | 63F, Light Wind |
| 9 | 3 | Will Reichard | MIN | vs. IND | 45.5 | -7 | 15 | 24 | 19 | 51 | Dome |
| 10 | 2 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | vs. DAL | 48.5 | -2.5 | 32 | 10 | 7 | 46.5 | Dome |
| 11 | 15 | Jason Myers | SEA | vs. LAR | 48.5 | -1.5 | 11 | 20 | 9 | 38.5 | 51F, Rain |
| 12 | 11 | Jake Bates | DET | at GB | 48.5 | -4.5 | 20 | 25 | 6 | 46.5 | 58F, Rain Likely |
| 13 | 10 | Evan McPherson | CIN | vs. LV | 45.0 | -8.5 | 26 | 27 | 18 | 62.5 | 68F, Light Wind, Rain |
| 14 | 18 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at BUF | 48.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 37.5 | 54F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain |
| 15 | 13 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. MIA | 48.5 | -6.5 | 22 | 28 | 13 | 56.5 | 54F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain |
| 16 | 14 | Chase McLaughlin | TB | at KC | 39.5 | 9 | 10 | 29 | 4 | 52 | 63F, Rain Likely |
| 17 | 17 | Cairo Santos | CHI | at ARI | 45.0 | -1.5 | 12 | 30 | 27 | 67.5 | Dome |
| 18 | 19 | Chad Ryland | ARI | vs. CHI | 45.0 | 1.5 | 1 | 21 | 12 | 35.5 | Dome |
| 19 | 29 | Greg Joseph | NYG | vs. WAS | 44.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 34.5 | 59F, Light Wind |
| 20 | 20 | Matt Gay | IND | at MIN | 45.5 | 7 | 24 | 13 | 17 | 61 | Dome |
| 21 | 21 | Joshua Karty | LAR | at SEA | 48.5 | 1.5 | 14 | 13 | 20 | 48.5 | 51F, Rain |
| 22 | 22 | Blake Grupe | NO | at CAR | 45.0 | -6.5 | 31 | 27 | 21 | 72.5 | 70F, Light Wind |
| 23 | 23 | Cam Little | JAC | at PHI | 47.5 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 42 | 63F, Light Wind |
| 24 | 24 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at CIN | 45.0 | 8.5 | 27 | 17 | 28 | 80.5 | 68F, Light Wind, Rain |
| 25 | 25 | Dustin Hopkins | CLE | vs. LAC | 39.5 | 2.5 | 4 | 23 | 31 | 60.5 | 60F, Rain |
| 26 | 26 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | vs. HOU | 43.5 | 1 | 30 | 16 | 24 | 71 | 72F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain |
| 27 | 16 | Wil Lutz | DEN | at BAL | 43.5 | 9 | 19 | 18 | 25 | 71 | 61F, Light Wind |
| 28 | 27 | Joey Slye | NE | at TEN | 38.5 | 3 | 24 | 7 | 32 | 66 | 78F, Light Wind |
| 29 | 31 | Nick Folk | TEN | vs. NE | 38.5 | -3 | 20 | 14 | 30 | 61 | 78F, Light Wind |
| 30 | 32 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | vs. NO | 45.0 | 6.5 | 8 | 20 | 29 | 63.5 | 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 30th in red zone efficiency, giving Justin Tucker an 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 an 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 a kicker has variables working in his favor for a good fantasy kicking performance.
Kicker fantasy football 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 FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) top 10 who could be excellent in Week 9.
Jake Elliott (K – PHI) vs. JAX: 65% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
It may sound weird to recommend the first-half bust as one of the top K Score plays of the week, but a home matchup against a banged-up Jacksonville team projects to be a great week for Jake Elliot. He is a top-10 play but ranks 12th in ECR.
Jason Myers (K – SEA) vs. Rams: 19% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Jason Myers was a disappointment last week in a lopsided loss to the Bills. Look for him to bounce back this week in what could be a sloppy rain game for both offenses.
Week 8 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.
Jake Bates (K – DET) vs. Tennessee: 25% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 12
- My Rank: 3
- Week 8 Finish: 6
Ranking Jake Bates at three overall was a bit of a bold move, but it was clear based on the matchup and his K Score he would finish higher than 12th. With 12 fantasy points, bolstered by a whopping seven extra points, Bates was a great option this past week.
Chris Boswell (K – PIT) vs. Giants: 54% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 13
- My Rank: 11
- Week 8 Finish: 3
Monday Night’s game between the Steelers and Giants proved to be a kicking bonanza, with Chris Boswell and Greg Joseph each scoring 14 fantasy points. Although fantasy managers will need to pivot with Boswell on a bye this week, keep an eye on him for Week 10, as he is likely going to continue to be a top-five kicker for the rest of the season.
Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups
- Austin Seibert (WAS) @ New York Giants: 44% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- Cameron Dicker (LAC) @ Cleveland: 58% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- Jake Bates (DET) @ Green Bay: 25% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
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