Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice (Week 3)

Imagine having the confidence in something or someone like Brian Schottenheimer has in Brandon Aubrey. With the Cowboys down three in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, they were short on time and needed at least 15 yards to get into comfortable field goal range for most kickers. Typically, you would see a few quick passes along the sideline to get closer to a 50- or 55-yard try.

But Aubrey is anything but typical.

Instead of short passes, Shottenheimer and his coaching staff opted to run a draw to Javonte Williams. This made sense in some ways, as the Giants were playing back for the pass. But even a solid run would have still made it a 60-yard try, but Williams’ scamper led to a 64-yard try to get the game to overtime.

Aubrey made the kick and then another 45-yard try in overtime to secure the win for the Cowboys. Ask any 49ers fan over the last few years, a Vikings fan in the 90s and a Bills fan in the 80s. A kicker you can count on is worth his weight in gold.

In Aubrey’s case, his value is climbing to historic levels — like gold prices today — and both the Cowboys and fantasy managers are cashing in.

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 3

Widely Available Kickers With Strong Week 2 Performances

Spencer Shrader (K – IND) vs. Denver: 4% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Raise your hand if you had Indy beating the Broncos while becoming the first team in NFL history to win their first two games and score a touchdown or field goal on all 10 of their offensive drives. I doubt you would raise yours, and I bet there are even fewer who would have picked Spencer Shrader to be the top-scoring fantasy kicker after two weeks, even better than Brandon Aubrey. Do I think Shrader is this year’s breakout star? I think he just might be.

Parker Romo (K – ATL) @ Minnesota: 1% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Who doesn’t like a kicker revenge game? Parker Romo lit up his old team, the Minnesota Vikings, to the tune of 18 fantasy points on 5-of-5 kicking and one extra point. We may have officially seen the last of Younghoe Koo in Atlanta this season, and Romo could be a guy to watch if the Falcons continue their red-zone struggles. I have him as a sneaky top-five play this week on the road against the Panthers.

Widely Rostered Kickers With Dud Week 2 Performances

Wil Lutz (K – DEN) @ Indianapolis: 86% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Wil Lutz killed fantasy managers with just three fantasy points on the day. While he did make all four of his extra points, he pushed what could have been a game-winner to the right, and the Broncos went on to lose the game. I am not there yet on moving on from Lutz, but 11 points in two games will not cut it when so many other available kickers are doing well.

Week 3 Kicker Rankings

Rank	ECR	Name	TEAM	Opponent	O/U	Spread	OPP RZ D	RZ EFF*	OFF RNK	Consistency	Weather	K Score**
1	3	Cameron Dicker	LAC	vs. DEN	45.5	-2.5	2	7	9	0	0	15.5
2	1	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	at CHI	50.5	1.5	29	29	3	0	3	65.5
3	18	Spencer Shrader	IND	at TEN	43.5	-3.5	9	6	2	0	2	15.5
4	14	Parker Romo	ATL	at CAR	43.5	-4.5	9	4	10	0	1	19.5
5	5	Matt Prater	BUF	vs. MIA	49.5	-12.5	17	19	1	0	1	25.5
6	2	Tyler Loop	BAL	vs. DET	51.5	5.5	24	16	11	0	0	56.5
7	4	Chris Boswell	PIT	at NE	44.5	-1.5	20	28	27	0	2	75.5
8	6	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	at JAC	43.5	1.5	17	0	28	0	3	49.5
9	9	Brandon McManus	GB	at CLE	42.5	-8.5	24	22	12	3	2	54.5
10	7	Cam Little	JAC	vs. HOU	43.5	-1.5	20	8	4	0	3	33.5
11	10	Harrison Butker	KC	at NYG	44.5	-5.5	31	5	17	2	2	51.5
12	12	Jake Bates	DET	at BAL	51.5	5.5	28	19	5	2	TBD	59.5
13	13	Wil Lutz	DEN	at LAC	44.5	2.5	1	22	17	5	0	47.5
14	15	Chad Ryland	ARI	at SF	43.5	1.5	20	16	24	2	2	55
15	16	Will Reichard	MIN	vs. CIN	41.5	-2.5	16	10	31	0	0	54.5
16	17	Matt Gay	WAS	vs. LV	44.5	-3	5	28	14	5	1	50
17	19	Jason Myers	SEA	vs. NO	41.5	-7	29	10	19	3	3	49.5
18	11	Jake Elliott	PHI	vs. LAR	44.5	-3.5	2	31	29	0	2	60.5
19	8	Chase McLaughlin	TB	vs. NYJ	44.5	-6.5	24	24	21	5	3	70.5
20	20	Evan McPherson	CIN	at MIN	41.5	2.5	7	23	30	0	0	38.5
21	21	Daniel Carlson	LV	at WAS	44.5	3	11	3	22	2	1	41
22	22	Eddy Pineiro	SF	vs. ARI	43.5	-1.5	11	16	8	2	2	42.5
23	23	Joshua Karty	LAR	at PHI	44.5	3.5	17	11	7	2	2	45.5
24	24	Andy Borregales	NE	vs. PIT	44.5	1.5	24	16	13	5	2	46.5
25	26	Joey Slye	TEN	vs. IND	43.5	3.5	32	2	32	0	2	62
26	27	Graham Gano	NYG	vs. KC	44.5	5.5	20	1	6	0	2	62.5
27	28	Riley Patterson	MIA	at BUF	49.5	12.5	11	22	24	0	1	63.5
28	25	Cairo Santos	CHI	vs. DAL	50.5	-1.5	11	31	15	5	TBD	54.5
29	29	Blake Grupe	NO	at SEA	41.5	7	7	16	20	5	3	66.5
30	30	Ryan Fitzgerald	CAR	vs. ATL	43.5	4.5	2	17	22	0	1	67.5
31	31	Nick Folk	NYJ	at TB	44.5	6.5	2	28	26	0	3	77.5

*Red Zone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well a kicker’s offense does in the red zone. For example, the Ravens rank first in red-zone efficiency; therefore, Tyler Loop has an RZ EFF score of 31. 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 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 FantasyPros’ top-10 expert consensus rankings (ECR) at the kicker position who could be excellent plays in Week 3.

Week 3 Standout Kickers

Spencer Shrader (K – IND) @ TEN 4% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

The fantasy industry is not yet buying Spencer Shrader as the 2025 fantasy breakout kicker based on his ECR ranking of K18 this week on the road against the Titans. I am buying it, though, and I am projecting another top-five play this week based on his ridiculous K Score of 15. The Titans’ red-zone defense is in the top 10 this year, and the Colts have yet to punt. Shrader is a perfect 9-of-9. The weather looks promising, and the game script suggests a neutral game that should lead to multiple field-goal attempts.

Parker Romo (K – ATL) @ Carolina: 0% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

It looks like the love for Parker Romo and his monster Week 2 did not carry over to fantasy managers. I understand the hesitation, but the Falcons have struggled to convert touchdowns in the red zone and their defense looks far more impressive than everyone thought. The Panthers’ defense ranks ninth so far in 2025. I think the scoring will continue for both Shrader and Romo this week.

Prediction Review

Each week, I suggest two kickers ranked outside of the top at the kicker position in FantasyPros’ ECR 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. Chicago 98% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 5
Week 2 Finish: T-K11

The game script for this one was nuts. The Lions scored a whopping seven touchdowns, and Jake Bates made all seven extra points to give himself a solid floor. He would go on to make a short try to bring him up to 10, a respectable number most weeks, but there were so many good performances that he failed to crack the top five. It should be noted that he also missed a 50-yarder, which would have made him the fantasy K5 for the week, exactly where I had him ranked.

Eddy Pinerio (K – SF) @ New Orleans: 0% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 21
My Rank: 10
Week 2 Finish: T12

This choice had me sweating a bit, as Eddy Pinerio missed his first extra point for the 49ers — not the best look for a kicker brought in because Jake Moody missed so many kicks for San Francisco over the past few years. Pinerio bounced back with nine fantasy points and would have reached double digits had he made that extra point.

Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

Spencer Shrader (K – IND) @ TEN 4% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Matt Prater (K – BUF) vs. Miami: 12% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Parker Romo (K – ATL) @ Carolina: 0% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Articles NFL Rankings Weekly Advice Brandon Aubrey Javonte Williams Spencer Shrader Parker Romo Younghoe Koo Wil Lutz Cameron Dicker Matt Prater Tyler Loop Chris Boswell Ka’imi Fairbairn Brandon McManus Cam Little Harrison Butker Jake Bates Chad Ryland Will Reichard Matt Gay Jason Myers Jake Elliott Chase McLaughlin Evan McPherson Daniel Carlson Eddy Pineiro Joshua Karty Andy Borregales Joey Slye Graham Gano Riley Patterson Cairo Santos Blake Grupe Ryan Fitzgerald Nick Folk Jake Moody

About Author

Andrew Swanson

@FFKickerGuy

In addition to his work as a featured writer for FantasyPros, Andrew is a staff writer for fftoday.com and the webmaster/beat writer for ESPN Radio in Albuquerque, NM. Outside of writing about sports, Andrew is a Children’s Book author with three books available on leading retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart.com. His first title, “Bella’s Magic Dream Glasses” debuted number one on Amazon’s hot new releases for large print children’s picture books. Visit www.andrewswansonbooks.com for more information.