Green Bay’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles highlighted just how valuable long-range kicking has become in the NFL, especially for those head coaches who have a kicker like Brandon Aubrey or Cam Little, who can change the outcome of a game with a 60-yard kick.
Brandon McManus, in his younger days, had one of the strongest legs in the game, but a lingering quad injury and less-than-stellar weather conditions made his 64-yard try in the final minutes on MNF a near impossibility.
A controversial test kick after the Eagles called a timeout came up short, leading head coach Matt LaFluer to send out his offense to try and get a few more yards. That plan did not work, and McManus’s feeble long-range try was blocked and likely would not have had the distance anyway.
The Packers lost the game and fell further behind the Lions and the Bears in the NFC North, one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.
Would Aubrey have made the kick? Who knows, but I feel confident in saying that he would have certainly had the distance, highlighting just how much of a weapon Aubrey is in today’s NFL.
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Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 10
Here are a few Week 10 strong performances from widely available kickers
Cam Little (K – JAC) @ Houston: 20% roster percentage on Yahoo
In a low-scoring week that saw just five kickers finish with double figures, Little posted 13 points in a shocking loss on the road to Houston. Jacksonville dominated the game but Houston ended up winning late. Little is someone I do like this week as well, assuming the game script against the Chargers does not go sideways.
Nick Folk (K -NYJ) vs. Cleveland: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
You can make an argument that Nick Folk is one of the most valuable fantasy players on the Jets this year, despite being rostered in around 1% of Yahoo leagues. He ranks 9th in the year among fantasy kickers, with more double-digit performances than Brandon Aubrey. Yet, I do not like him this week in what appears to be a blowout loss to the Patriots.
Week 10 Dud Performances from widely rostered kickers
Chris Boswell (K – PIT) @ LA Chargers: 90% roster percentage on Yahoo
Boswell disappointed fantasy managers with just five fantasy points in a 25-10 road loss to the Chargers. The Steelers’ offense just could not sustain drives, and Mike Tomlin was forced to forgo some field goal tries due to the game script. No worries here, Boswell is a solid play this week.
Kicker Rankings:
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | VS | O/U | Spread | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | Consistency | Weather | K Score** |
| 1 | 1 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL | at LV | 50.5 | -3.5 | 15 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 34.5 |
| 2 | 3 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | at JAC | 43.5 | -2.5 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 39.5 |
| 3 | 12 | Harrison Butker | KC | at DEN | 44.5 | -3.5 | 1 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 40.5 |
| 4 | 5 | Will Reichard | MIN | vs. CHI | 47.5 | -3 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 47 |
| 5 | 10 | Andy Borregales | NE | vs. NYJ | 43.5 | -11.5 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 29.5 |
| 6 | 8 | Cairo Santos | CHI | at MIN | 47.5 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| 7 | 6 | Eddy Pineiro | SF | at ARI | 48.5 | -3 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 39 |
| 8 | 7 | Tyler Loop | BAL | at CLE | 40.5 | -8.5 | 10 | 5 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 32.5 |
| 9 | 4 | Chase McLaughlin | TB | at BUF | 49.5 | 5.5 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 50.5 |
| 10 | 14 | Jason Myers | SEA | at LAR | 48.5 | 2.5 | 2 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 42.5 |
| 11 | 2 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. CIN | 49.5 | -5.5 | 30 | 24 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 82.5 |
| 12 | 11 | Cam Little | JAC | vs. LAC | 43.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 36.5 |
| 13 | 20 | Harrison Mevis | LAR | vs. SEA | 48.5 | -2.5 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 32.5 |
| 14 | 9 | Jake Bates | DET | at PHI | 48.5 | 1.5 | 4 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 46.5 |
| 15 | 13 | Matt Prater | BUF | vs. TB | 49.5 | -5.5 | 21 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 49.5 |
| 16 | 21 | Zane Gonzalez | ATL | vs. CAR | 42.5 | -3.5 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 36.5 |
| 17 | 15 | Evan McPherson | CIN | at PIT | 49.5 | 5.5 | 9 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 67.5 |
| 18 | 23 | Matthew Wright | HOU | at TEN | 39.5 | -7.5 | 20 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 33.5 |
| 19 | 17 | Daniel Carlson | LV | vs. DAL | 50.5 | 3.5 | 29 | 4 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 70.5 |
| 20 | 16 | Brandon McManus | GB | at NYG | 44.5 | -7.5 | 31 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 64.5 |
| 21 | 19 | Wil Lutz | DEN | vs. KC | 44.5 | 3.5 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 67.5 |
| 22 | 22 | Chad Ryland | ARI | vs. SF | 48.5 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 55 |
| 23 | 18 | Jake Elliott | PHI | vs. DET | 48.5 | -1.5 | 25 | 31 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 82.5 |
| 24 | 25 | Ryan Fitzgerald | CAR | at ATL | 42.5 | 3.5 | 25 | 16 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 74.5 |
| 25 | 26 | Riley Patterson | MIA | vs. WAS | 47.5 | -2.5 | 25 | 17 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 71.5 |
| 26 | 27 | Matt Gay | WAS | at MIA | 47.5 | 2.5 | 8 | 30 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 64.5 |
| 27 | 28 | Younghoe Koo | NYG | vs. GB | 44.5 | 7.5 | 18 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 49.5 |
| 28 | 29 | Joey Slye | TEN | vs. HOU | 39.5 | 7.5 | 23 | 1 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 70.5 |
| 29 | 30 | Andre Szmyt | CLE | vs. BAL | 40.5 | 8.5 | 19 | 11 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 76.5 |
| 30 | 24 | Nick Folk | NYJ | at NE | 43.5 | 11.5 | 32 | 9 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 82.5 |
*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 27th in red zone efficiency; therefore Tyler Loop has a RZ EFF score of 5. The lower 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 the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be an excellent play in Week 11.
Harrison Butker (K – KC) @ Denver: 43% roster percentage on Yahoo
This one seems like a no-brainer. Butker and the Chiefs take on a Denver team with the top red zone defense, and the Kansas City defense should stifle Bo Nix and the Broncos, creating a positive game script.
Jason Myers (K – SEA) @ LA Rams: 70% roster percentage on Yahoo
Myers was the top-scoring kicker last week and should be in line for another strong game in what looks to be a tough matchup in the battle of the top two teams in the NFC West. Both defenses are strong, yet both offenses have proved to be able to move the ball even in tough matchups.
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) @ Miami: 19% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: K11
- My Rank: K4
- Week 10 Finish: K25
The Bills were nearly 10-point road favorites against a team that Josh Allen has dominated over the years. Of course, the game script completely flipped, and the Dolphins killed the Bills, and Prater was not given a chance to kick a field goal.
Brandon McManus (K – GB) vs. Philly: 9% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: K12
- My Rank: K10
- Week 10 Finish: K25
I won’t go into too much detail here because I covered McManus in the opening of this article. The low scoring game script turned out as expected, but McManus did not get a field goal try and left fantasy managers scratching their heads.
Waiver Wired
- Harrison Butker (K – KC) @ Denver: 43% roster percentage on Yahoo
- Will Reichard (K – MIN) vs. Chicago: 40% roster percentage on Yahoo
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