Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: How to Draft Kickers (2025)

A widely used method for ranking fantasy football players involves projecting each team’s offensive output, then adjusting wide receiver, tight end and running back volume based on factors like target share, touchdown rate, carry distribution from the previous season and other relevant variables. This approach helps analysts estimate how each team will distribute its offensive touches and provides a more analytical way of ranking beyond just gut feeling.

I am a big fan of this method, as I do the same with my rankings each season. While the industry has progressed in how players are ranked from the early days of fantasy football, the ranking of kickers has not evolved at the same pace. You can argue that it has regressed, with the continuing trend of commissioners removing the position from leagues; kicker rankings are even more of an afterthought than before.

• Fantasy Football Draft Kit
• 2025 Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
• Fantasy Football ADP
• Fantasy Football Trade Tools

Fantasy Football Kicker Strategy

I started my weekly kicker column with the idea of trying to fill the void in the industry and provide some analysis on how to use predictive variables like offensive and defensive red-zone efficiency, total yards per game, historical accuracy and weather to help managers find streaming options at the position each week. The K Score, as I call it, is not perfect, but it has helped me identify streaming options that can be week-winning plays for owners who make the most of the position by streaming each week.

Why am I such an advocate of streaming? Outside of Brandon Aubrey, there isn’t a kicker on my draft board that is a must-start play each week, and fantasy managers often get caught in the trap of assuming a kicker on a high-powered offense is good for fantasy.

Only three of the top-10 kickers in average draft position (ADP) in 2024 finished the season in the top 10 in fantasy points scored, and only one of the top five kickers (Aubrey) finished as a top-five play. And only one of the top five kickers, Chase McLaughlin, played on a top-10 offense.

If you get anything from reading this article, I hope you understand that most people in the industry do not spend much time ranking kickers, and that teams that score a ton of points do not always equate to kicker fantasy value.

Before we get to my rankings and strategy for 2025, let’s take a quick look back at some notes from 2024 and some offseason position battles you should monitor.

2024 Breakout Star

Chris Boswell came out of nowhere to edge out Brandon Aubrey as the top performer in 2024. The 10-year vet posted career highs in both field goal attempts and field goals made, while also making all 35 of his extra points.

The Steelers ranked 20th in points per game and struggled with red-zone efficiency (28th), but were solid on defense, ranking eighth-best in fewest points allowed. This led to a perfect storm for Boswell, a player who went undrafted in most leagues and did not earn an 80% roster percentage until late in the season.

Boswell enters 2025 as a top-five ranked kicker, but will not be on mine due to the addition of Aaron Rodgers. I anticipate that Rodgers, a quarterback who has historically been good in the red zone, will not be as bad as Justin Fields and Russell Wilson were in 2024. The improvement in red-zone efficiency will likely lead to fewer attempts for Boswell.

End of an Era

Justin Tucker‘s once illustrious career came to an end this offseason with a suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy and a subsequent release by the Ravens. Tucker entered last season as the top kicker based on ADP, only to post a disappointing 11th-place finish.

The team now turns to sixth-round rookie Tyler Loop out of the University of Arizona. Loop was initially in a competition with John Hoyland, but he won the competition and will be the likely starter in Week 1 against the Bills.

Vets Looking for New Gigs

The waiver wire is littered with some household names, like Nick Folk, Matt Prater, Greg Zuerlein, Eddy Pineiro, Greg Joseph and the aforementioned Justin Tucker. Although these players have no fantasy value in drafts, I would not be surprised to see some of these players signed by October. I would also not be surprised to see one of them (not counting Tucker) play for the Panthers, Patriots or even the Ravens this season.

Camp Battles

Carolina Panthers: Matthew Wright vs. Ryan Fitzgerald

We have a battle between a journeyman in Matthew Wright, who has filled in as an injury replacement on nearly half of the league since 2019, versus Ryan Fitzgerald, an undrafted rookie from Florida State. I anticipate the rookie will win the job that was vacated when the team let veteran Eddy Pinero leave, but I am not super excited about either player for fantasy purposes.

Indianapolis Colts: Maddux Trujillo vs. Spencer Shrader

The Colts parted ways with Matt Gay despite the veteran posting a perfect slate on kicks fewer than 50 yards. It was the longer kicks where Gay struggled, and the team has now turned to a competition between undrafted free agent Maddux Trujillo and a journeyman in Spencer Shrader, someone Colts fans know well. Reports out of Colts camp are that neither player has stood out and this is still very much a competition.

New England Patriots: Parker Romo vs. Andy Borregales

Parker Romo versus Andy Borregales is an interesting battle to watch, as an improved Patriot offense could make one of them a viable streaming option in the right matchup. Parker played briefly for the Minnesota Vikings, where he went 11-of-12 on field goals, including 5-of-6 from 40+ yards, while Borregales is a sixth-round pick from the University of Miami. Based on reports from camp, I think the rookie wins this job to start the season.

2025 Draft Rankings

Higher Than Consensus

Matt Gay (WAS)

• ECR:12
• My Rank: 6

Austin Seibert, Cade York, Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph combined to score the eighth-most fantasy points last season. Assuming the offense does not take a huge step back in yards per game, I like Matt Gay to finish as a top-10 kicker, well above his current ECR of 12.

Younghoe Koo (ATL)

• ECR: 15
• My Rank: 9

Younghoe Koo and Riley Patterson combined to score a modest 113 fantasy points in 2024, which placed them in the middle of the pack at 17th overall. When you take a closer look at the Falcons, you will see a team that had just two fewer field goal attempts than the top kicker (Chris Boswell). The only difference is that Koo and Patterson were dreadful, making just 29 of their 41 attempts. I am banking on the Falcons’ offense being better and Koo regaining his form, making him someone I would be happy drafting this season as my first streamer.

Lower Than Consensus

Chris Boswell (PIT)

• ECR: 8
• My Rank: 11

Chris Boswell was a league winner last season but will likely take a bit of a step back this season with the addition of Aaron Rodgers under center for the offense. Rodgers historically has been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the red zone, often leaving his kickers with fewer field goal attempts than one would like. I call this the Mason Crosby rule: A player who was drafted as a top-10 kicker year after year, only to disappoint because of Rodgers’ prowess in the red zone.

Tyler Bass (BUF)

• ECR: 9
• My Rank: 12

Tyler Bass is still a top-12 kicker in my rankings, but he has not finished as a top-12 kicker since 2022, and I would rather draft Koo or Gay. The Bills are a high-powered offense for certain, but that has not correlated to great fantasy success because the Bills were the second-best red-zone team in 2024 and should be again in 2025.

Draft Strategy

My strategy for the 2025 draft season is simple. Target Brandon Aubrey a round or two before you anticipate someone in your draft taking a kicker. In most leagues where kickers go in the last round, I suggest using your second-to-last pick to secure him. If your league provides bonus points for long field goals, Aubrey’s volume and production over the past few years are hard to pass up, as he has consistently been a weekly top performer.

If you miss out on Aubrey, focus on a kicker with an advantageous Week 1 matchup and then stream the position the rest of the season. That does not mean changing out your kicker each week, but I do suggest reading my weekly kicker article each week for plus matchups that you can pivot to for an advantage over your opponent.

Solid Week 1 Matchups

• Harrison Butker (KC) @ L.A. Chargers
• Will Reichard (MIN) @ Chicago Bears
• Matt Gay (WSH) @ NY Giants

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