With a third of the fantasy football season in the books, I thought it would be a good time to hand out a few early-season awards, including MVP, top rookie, surprise performer and most disappointing.
Before we get to the awards, let’s review some of the highlights and lowlights from Week 6. We had two more blocked field goals, bringing the total to 20 on the season, eclipsing last season’s total of 19.
One of those blocked field goals came off the foot of Jake Moody — a low kick that Troy Aikman pointed out would have been blocked even without the defense jumping. Moody bounced back and kicked a game-winning try to give the Bears an upset win on the road over the Commanders.
Evan McPherson set an NFL record with a 67-yard field goal against the Packers, but it did not count as Green Bay called a timeout.
Chris Boswell missed a long field goal try in one of the worst shanks of the season. A replay of the kick showed his plant foot give way on the poor field conditions at Acrisure Stadium, a field shared with the University of Pittsburgh, to the chagrin of some Steelers fans.
Let’s get to the awards.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Early-Season Fantasy Football Kicker Awards
Top Rookie
Ryan Fitzgerald (K – CAR)
The former All-American from Florida State has made 10 of his field goal tries. He is just one field goal away from being a top-12 kicker.
Surprise Performer
Eddy Pineiro (K – SF)
The journeyman veteran has found a home in San Francisco and continues to deliver fantasy goodness for managers. He trails the MVP and top performer, Brandon Aubrey, by just one fantasy point despite having one fewer game on his ledger.
Why is Eddy Pineiro so good? Well, the Niners are the sixth-best team in yards per game but are 28th in red-zone efficiency, the special sauce that leads to fantasy goodness.
Most Disappointing
Harrison Butker (K – KC)
Harrison Butker is in the midst of his worst season in the NFL, with three extra points and three field goal misses in six games. Although two of his three misses are from over 50 yards, the typically accurate kicker has left a ton of fantasy points on the table for his manager in the first third of the year.
MVP
Brandon Aubrey (K – DAL)
Brandon Aubrey gets the nod, but there are some caveats. First, he is not head and shoulders above everyone else, like in previous seasons, and he has not topped 10 fantasy points in four straight games. Had he not been hurt, Spencer Shrader would have been the MVP. However, Aubrey continues to lead the pack in points and should be considered the top kicker for the rest of the season.
Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 7
Widely Available Kickers With Strong Week 6 Performances
Eddy Pineiro (K – SF) @ Tampa Bay: 24% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Eddy Pineiro stays atop the list with another monster game. The veteran scored 18 fantasy points, including two kicks of over 50 yards.
Blake Grupe (K – NO) vs. New England: 2% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
This is not a typo. Blake Grupe was great again in Week 6, scoring the third-most points behind Eddy Pineiro and Cameron Dicker. I don’t have him as a must-start kicker this week on the road against the Bears, but he is someone I am closely watching in matchups at home.
Widely Rostered Kickers With Dud Week 6 Performances
Harrison Butker (K – KC) vs. Detroit: 85% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
As I mentioned in the awards section above, Harrison Butker has not been good this season for fantasy managers. Despite being rostered in 85% of leagues, he has just nine total points in his last two games.
Week 7 Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | VS | O/U | Spread | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | Consistency | Weather | K Score** |
| 1 | 2 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | vs. IND | 48.5 | 1.5 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 23.5 |
| 2 | 1 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL | vs. WAS | 54.5 | -2.5 | 10 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29.5 |
| 3 | 3 | Chase McLaughlin | TB | at DET | 53.5 | 4.5 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 52.5 |
| 4 | 9 | Michael Badgley | IND | at LAC | 48.5 | -1.5 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 27.5 |
| 5 | 6 | Eddy Pineiro | SF | vs. ATL | 47.5 | -2.5 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 34.5 |
| 6 | 7 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. LV | 45.5 | -11.5 | 13 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 35.5 |
| 7 | 8 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at SEA | 41.5 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 45 |
| 8 | 5 | Matt Gay | WAS | at DAL | 54.5 | 2.5 | 21 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 66.5 |
| 9 | 4 | Chris Boswell | PIT | at CIN | 43.5 | -5.5 | 30 | 26 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 82.5 |
| 10 | 16 | Andy Borregales | NE | at TEN | 42.5 | -7 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 41 |
| 11 | 22 | Parker Romo | ATL | at SF | 47.5 | 2.5 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 35.5 |
| 12 | 10 | Jake Bates | DET | vs. TB | 53.5 | -4.5 | 28 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 65.5 |
| 13 | 11 | Jason Myers | SEA | vs. HOU | 41.5 | -3 | 22 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 58 |
| 14 | 12 | Cam Little | JAC | vs. LAR | 45.5 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 44 |
| 15 | 17 | Wil Lutz | DEN | vs. NYG | 40.5 | -7 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 47 |
| 16 | 13 | Joshua Karty | LAR | at JAC | 45.5 | -3 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 27 |
| 17 | 14 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at MIN | 43.5 | -2.5 | 4 | 31 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 62.5 |
| 18 | 15 | Will Reichard | MIN | vs. PHI | 43.5 | 2.5 | 8 | 24 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 60.5 |
| 19 | 18 | Blake Grupe | NO | at CHI | 46.5 | 5.5 | 24 | 3 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 62.5 |
| 20 | 25 | Lucas Havrisik | GB | at ARI | 44.5 | -6.5 | 13 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 44.5 |
| 21 | 19 | Ryan Fitzgerald | CAR | at NYJ | 42.5 | -1.5 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 55.5 |
| 22 | 20 | Chad Ryland | ARI | vs. GB | 44.5 | 6.5 | 23 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 65.5 |
| 23 | 21 | Nick Folk | NYJ | vs. CAR | 42.5 | 1.5 | 19 | 16 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 68.5 |
| 24 | 23 | Cairo Santos | CHI | vs. NO | 46.5 | -5.5 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 52.5 |
| 25 | 24 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at KC | 45.5 | 11.5 | 16 | 1 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 57.5 |
| 26 | 26 | Evan McPherson | CIN | vs. PIT | 43.5 | 5.5 | 4 | 30 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 75.5 |
| 27 | 27 | Riley Patterson | MIA | at CLE | 40.5 | -2.5 | 32 | 29 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 90.5 |
*Red Zone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well a kicker’s offense does in the red zone. For example, the Chargers rank last in red-zone efficiency; therefore, Cameron Dicker has an RZ EFF score of 0. 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 7.
Week 7 Standout Kickers
Andy Borregales (K – NE) @ Tennessee: 2% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
The rookie kicker heads to Nashville in a revenge game for Mike Vrabel. I’m not sure how this one will play out, but the K Score indicates a solid matchup, and the game script here looks favorable for the Patriots.
Parker Romo (K – ATL) @ San Francisco: 2% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Parker Romo had a short attempt blocked by the Bills on Monday, which would have given him nine fantasy points for the week. I look for a similar stat line this week against the Niners, with a chance of double-digit fantasy points.
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.
Cam Little (K – JAX) vs. Seattle: 46% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: K13
- My Rank: K4
- Week 6 Finish: K30
Cam Little was brutal for fantasy managers and Jaguars fans on Sunday, missing a 50-yard try and an extra point. Even if he had made the attempts, his six points would have been a disappointment. Instead, he left managers licking their wounds with -1 point, depending on the scoring setting in your league. This one was my biggest miss so far in 2025.
Daniel Carlson (K – LV) vs. Tennessee: 22% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: K22
- My Rank: K11
- Week 6 Finish: T-K10
As bad as my pick of Cam Little was, this one somewhat proved redeeming, as Daniel Carlson was barely a K2 for most fantasy rankers, and I had him as a top-12 play. He came through with 10 fantasy points and a solid week for fantasy managers.
Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups
- Eddy Pineiro (K – SF) vs. Atlanta: 24% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
- Michael Badgley (K – IND) vs. L.A. Chargers: 11% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
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