Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice (Week 9)

Harrison Butker posted just four fantasy points on Monday Night Football in Kansas City’s 28-7 lopsided win over the Washington Commanders. It was the fourth time in the past four weeks that Butker failed to finish inside the top 10, despite being rostered in 93% of Yahoo Leagues.

Butker’s field goal rate is 80% on the season, well below his career-best of 94% in 2023, and he continues to frustrate Chiefs fans with three missed extra-point attempts on the year. He enters Week 9 as the No. 13-ranked kicker on the season in total points and 27th in points per game.

If Butker were another onsie position player, like a quarterback or a tight end, I would bet that he would not be rostered in 93% of leagues. So why is he?

The answer is simple. Fantasy managers assume kickers on high-powered offenses that score a ton of points equal fantasy success. In the case of Butker, the Chiefs rank seventh in points per game, and Patrick Mahomes looks primed to win another MVP award.

This is not always the case if the offense for the kicker excels in red-zone efficiency and scoring touchdowns. As any manager of Mason Crosby back in the day would attest, the high-scoring Aaron Rodgers Packers offenses left managers wanting more when Green Bay’s blowout wins resulted in four extra points and no field goals, just like what we saw for Kansas City on Monday Night.

Add in the fact that Butker is getting fewer field goal tries than other players on less sexy teams, and he is not as efficient as in previous years, you have a disappointing fantasy asset. Why is Butker still rostered in 93% of leagues? Name recognition, the assumption that kickers on high-scoring offenses are good for fantasy managers and people have FOMO when it comes to kickers.

Will Butker have great weeks? Sure, and he may do well this week against the Bills. But do fantasy managers leave money on the table by misunderstanding the value of kickers on efficient, high-scoring teams who excel in the red zone?

Absolutely.

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 9

Widely Available Kickers With Strong Week 8 Performances

Andy Borregales (K – NE) vs. Cleveland: 13% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

In a week dominated by widely rostered kickers, rookie Andy Borregales of the Patriots stood out as a minimally rostered fantasy player with 13 fantasy points against the Browns. Borregales now has 38 points in his last four games after a slow start to the season.

Nick Folk (K – NYJ) @ Cincinnati: 4% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

This game script turned out to be far more favorable for the veteran kicker, as the Jets earned their first win of the season in a shootout with the Bengals. Nick Folk made three field goals and a pair of extra points, as he quietly continues to be a decent fantasy option. With 75 points on the year, Folk has 14 more fantasy points than the aforementioned Harrison Butker, but nobody wants him because he plays for a 1-7 team.

Widely Rostered Kickers With Dud Week 8 Performances

Brandon Aubrey (K – DAL) @ Denver: 100% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

This matchup had the makings of a fantasy landslide for Brandon Aubrey owners. A road game against the Broncos at high elevation, in a matchup that appeared to be closer on paper. Nope. Not even the not-so-subtle wishful comments of Tony Romo yearning for Aubrey to get a chance to set the NFL distance record in Denver’s thin air could make it happen.

Week 9 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	at TEN	43.5	-9.5	15	5	4	1	2	17.5
2	1	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	vs. ARI	53	-3	15	20	2	0	0	34
3	5	Tyler Loop	BAL	at MIA	50.5	-7.5	6	4	21	2	1	26.5
4	10	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	vs. DEN	39	1	1	1	17	1	0	21
5	3	Michael Badgley	IND	at PIT	49	-3	4	24	1	1	2	29
6	8	Joshua Karty	LAR	vs. NO	44.5	-14	11	15	6	4	0	22
7	6	Chris Boswell	PIT	vs. IND	49	3	18	29	25	1	2	78
8	7	Jake Bates	DET	vs. MIN	48.5	-9.5	9	28	8	2	0	37.5
9	9	Harrison Butker	KC	at BUF	52.5	-1	10	27	5	4	3	48
10	4	Eddy Pineiro	SF	at NYG	49	-2.5	27	11	13	1	2	51.5
11	14	Wil Lutz	DEN	at HOU	39	-1	31	26	9	2	0	67
12	22	Brandon McManus	GB	vs. CAR	45	-13	13	25	7	5	2	39
13	11	Cam Little	JAC	at LV	44	-3	18	10	15	5	0	45
14	12	Chad Ryland	ARI	at DAL	53	3	28	14	22	3	0	70
15	13	Matt Prater	BUF	vs. KC	52.5	1	12	19	3	2	3	40
16	15	Cairo Santos	CHI	at CIN	51	-1.5	30	6	12	3	3	52.5
17	16	Will Reichard	MIN	at DET	48.5	9.5	23	12	26	2	0	72.5
18	17	Matt Gay	WAS	vs. SEA	46	3.5	4	30	16	3	2	58.5
19	21	Jason Myers	SEA	at WAS	46	-3.5	25	22	11	3	2	59.5
20	18	Evan McPherson	CIN	vs. CHI	51	1.5	24	23	29	3	3	83.5
21	19	Andy Borregales	NE	vs. ATL	44.5	-5	28	13	10	1	3	50
22	20	Parker Romo	ATL	at NE	44.5	5	31	3	14	3	3	59
23	24	Blake Grupe	NO	at LAR	44.5	14	1	2	27	4	0	48
24	25	Joey Slye	TEN	vs. LAC	43.5	9.5	7	10	32	4	2	64.5
25	26	Daniel Carlson	LV	vs. JAC	44	3	20	0	30	3	0	56
26	27	Ryan Fitzgerald	CAR	at GB	45	13	21	18	20	3	2	77
27	28	Riley Patterson	MIA	vs. BAL	50.5	7.5	26	21	28	2	1	85.5
28	29	Graham Gano	NYG	vs. SF	45	2.5	8	7	18	0	2	37.5

*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 fourth in red zone efficiency; therefore, Tyler Loop has an RZ EFF score of 28. 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 9.

Week 9 Standout Kickers

Wil Lutz (K – DEN) @ Houston: 82% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Wil Lutz is easily one of the bigger disappointments this season. He is rostered in over 82% of leagues but has not topped 10 fantasy points in any week this year. I like him to break that streak this week on the road in a tough matchup against the Texans. This has the makings of a field goal game.

Brandon McManus (K – GB) vs. Carolina: 9% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

A home matchup with a highly favorable game script at home against a team that has given up at least two field goals in each of the previous three games. Why the industry has Brandon McManus and his 39 K Score as the 22nd-ranked kicker is beyond me. There is a chance of five extra points. I anticipate he will get two field goals on Sunday.

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.

Matt Prater (K – BUF) @ Carolina: 10% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: K17
My Rank: K7
Week 8 Finish: K8

This one felt like a no-brainer — and it would’ve been even better if Matt Prater hadn’t shanked an extra point. The game script never suggested Buffalo would abandon field goals, and a solid floor of at least four extra points seemed realistic. That missed kick ultimately cost fantasy managers a top-five finish from a player ranked just 17th by the industry. Still, I doubt anyone was too upset with an 11-point outing.

Parker Romo (K – ATL) vs. Miami: 2% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: K13
My Rank: K10
Week 8 Finish: K18

Although Parker Romo did manage to score more fantasy points than Harrison Butker, a sideways game script that shocked everyone in the fantasy industry made Falcons players miss their projections by a mile.

Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups

Tyler Loop (K – BAL) @ Miami: 44% Roster Percentage on Yahoo
Brandon McManus (K – GB) vs. Carolina: 9% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

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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.