Week 1 proved to be a wild slate of games, filled with dramatic last-minute wins, highlight reel catches, head-scratching coaching moves and some devastating injuries to key players.
Kickers were not immune to the craziness, with seven missed field goals and four missed extra points. Injuries to long snappers led to shanked game-winning chances, while rookie Cade York overcame a terrible pregame warmup to kick a game-winning 58-yarder against the Panthers.
There were nine kickers who posted double-digit fantasy points on the week, and none of them, including top performer Younghoe Koo, have a roster percentage of over 55% on Yahoo. Conversely, three kickers with a roster percentage of 98% or more, failed to score more than six fantasy points.
It was a wild week. Don’t overact to just one game, but it is a good idea to keep an eye on a few of the kickers listed in this article for possible breakout stars.
Check out the rest of our weekly fantasy football advice 
Week 1 Stud Performances from Widely Available Kickers
Younghoe Koo (ATL) vs New Orleans: 29% roster percentage on Yahoo
Koo is one of the most accurate kickers in the league and a top fantasy performer over the past few seasons. With Matt Ryan leaving the Falcons, many fantasy managers assumed that Koo would not benefit from Ryan’s struggles in the red zone and lose some valuable kicking attempts. With five field goal tries in his first game for 19 fantasy points, including two over 50 yards, perhaps Koo should still be viewed as a top-five kicker.
Cade York (CLE) @ Carolina: 4% roster percentage on Yahoo
York lived up to his fourth-round draft cost with four made field goals and two extra points in Cleveland’s thrilling win over the Panthers. Based on reports from the television crew, York overcame a shaky warmup to kick an eventual 58-yard game-winner. While it is premature to say if York will stay fantasy relevant all season, the Browns did manage just a 25% success rate in the red zone, and Jacoby Brissett is not thought of as a red zone master like Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes.
Week 1 Dud Performances from Widely-Rostered Kickers
Evan McPherson (CIN) vs. Pittsburgh: 99% roster percentage on Yahoo
An injury to his long snapper led to an errant short field goal and a blocked extra point. Assuming the kicking team would have given McPherson a proper hold, he would have finished as a top-five play. No need to worry here. Keep Money McPherson in your lineup, for now, assuming the long snapper issues have been addressed.
Kicker Rankings
| Week 2 Kicker Guide | |||||||||||
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 4 | Daniel Carlson | LV | vs. ARI | -6 | 52 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 32 | Dome |
| 2 | 1 | Justin Tucker | BAL | vs. MIA | -3.5 | 44 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 31 | 80F, 6 MPH Wind |
| 3 | 7 | Ryan Succop | TB | at NO | -3 | 44 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 34 | Dome |
| 4 | 5 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. TEN | -9.5 | 50 | 4 | 31 | 5 | 40 | TBD |
| 5 | 2 | Evan McPherson | CIN | at DAL | 7 | 44 | 20 | 9 | 14 | 43 | Dome |
| 6 | 3 | Matt Gay | LAR | vs. ATL | -10.5 | 48 | 25 | 16 | 7 | 48 | Dome |
| 7 | 9 | Brandon McManus | DEN | vs. HOU | -10 | 44 | 22 | 11 | 19 | 52 | 84F, Light Wind |
| 8 | 10 | Robbie Gould | SF | vs. SEA | -9.5 | 43 | 3 | 28 | 11 | 42 | 67F, 4 MPH Wind |
| 9 | 19 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. NE | 1.5 | 41 | 9 | 11 | 23 | 43 | 76F, Light Wind |
| 10 | 17 | Wil Lutz | NO | vs. TB | 3 | 44 | 6 | 15 | 28 | 49 | Dome |
| 11 | 11 | Dustin Hopkins | LAC | at KC | 3.5 | 55 | 16 | 27 | 4 | 47 | 82F 8 MPH Wind |
| 12 | 12 | Greg Joseph | MIN | at PHI | 1.5 | 52 | 29 | 22 | 10 | 61 | TBD |
| 13 | 13 | Jake Elliott | PHI | vs. MIN | -1.5 | 52 | 15 | 24 | 13 | 52 | TBD |
| 14 | 15 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | at LAR | 10.5 | 48 | 8 | 8 | 29 | 45 | Dome |
| 15 | 14 | Nick Folk | NE | at PIT | -1.5 | 41 | 11 | 25 | 15 | 51 | 76F, Light Wind |
| 16 | 16 | Matt Prater | ARI | at LV | 6 | 52 | 32 | 17 | 9 | 58 | Dome |
| 17 | 29 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at DEN | 10 | 44 | 2 | 5 | 32 | 39 | 84F, Light Wind |
| 18 | 18 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at BAL | 3.5 | 44 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 56 | 80F, 6 MPH Wind |
| 19 | 20 | Cade York | CLE | vs. NYJ | -6 | 40 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 57 | 80F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 20 | 28 | Austin Seibert | DET | vs. WAS | -2.5 | 49 | 18 | 1 | 22 | 41 | Dome |
| 21 | 21 | Mason Crosby | GB | vs. CHI | -10 | 43 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 40 | 77F 11 MPH Wind |
| 22 | 22 | Randy Bullock | TEN | at BUF | 9.5 | 50 | 10 | 23 | 17 | 50 | TBD |
| 23 | 23 | Joey Slye | WAS | at DET | 2.5 | 49 | 31 | 6 | 21 | 58 | Dome |
| 24 | 24 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. CAR | -2.5 | 43 | 30 | 0 | 31 | 61 | 81F, 6 MPH Wind |
| 25 | 25 | Brett Maher | DAL | vs. CIN | -7 | 44 | 17 | 26 | 2 | 45 | Dome |
| 26 | 26 | Riley Patterson | JAC | vs. IND | 4 | 47 | 26 | 4 | 27 | 57 | 79F, 4 MPH Wind |
| 27 | 27 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | at CLE | 6 | 40 | 28 | 12 | 26 | 66 | 80F, 9 MPH Wind |
*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 14th in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has an RZ EFF score of 18. 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’s red zone efficiency, 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, 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 2.
Wil Lutz (NO) vs. Tampa Bay: 9% roster percentage on Yahoo
Lutz scored nine fantasy points against the Falcons on Sunday in his return to the field after missing all of 2021 with a core muscle injury. The results were mixed, with a missed 45-yard attempt mixed in with two field goals and an extra point. He plays this week at home against a stout Bucs defense that held the Cowboys to just three points in Week 1. I like both kickers in this matchup, and anticipate Lutz will finish well inside the top 12.
Chris Boswell (PIT) vs. New England: 12% roster percentage on Yahoo
Even with a missed 50-yard attempt that hit the uprights, Boswell provided a top-three finish for fantasy managers. Although I would like him more if T.J. Watt were playing, the Steelers’ defense should shut down a putrid Patriots offense, leading to short fields and multiple field goal tries for Boswell.
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 (ARI) vs. Kansas City: 76% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 13
- My Rank: 10
- Week 1 Finish: 30
The one thing that is a killer for fantasy kickers is a surprisingly lopsided game in which their team is on the losing end. A team is not going to kick field goals when trailing by multiple touchdowns, especially when playing a potent offense like the Chiefs. Vegas had an over/under of 54 on this game with Arizona having an implied total of 23 points. Instead, they managed a few garbage-time touchdowns, and Prater was left with just one extra point.
Brandon McManus (DEN) @ Seattle: 43% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 14
- My Rank: 9
- Week 1 Finish: 6
This pick turned out to be much better than my Prater gaffe, with McManus scoring 11 fantasy points to finish just outside the top five. If not for an egregious clock management error by Nathaniel Hackett that led to a 64-yard try instead of a more manageable attempt, McManus could have finished as a top-three play.
Waiver Wired
Top Add:
Greg Joseph (MIN) at Philadelphia: 54% roster percentage on Yahoo
Joseph finished as the No.7 kicker in fantasy in 2021 and followed that up with 13 points against the Packers on Sunday. Although I am not super high on him this week on the road against Philly in what could be an extra-point game, I love him for the long term and he should have a roster percentage closer to 90%.
Other players to consider:
Ryan Succop (TB) at New Orleans: 53% roster percentage on Yahoo
Wil Lutz (NO) vs. Tampa Bay: 9% roster percentage on Yahoo
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Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFKickerGuy.
