Andrew Swanson | Tue, Nov 22nd 2022, 10:01pm EST

Fantasy Football Kicker Week 12 Guide, Rankings & Waiver Wire Advice (2022)

Windy conditions proved to be a challenge for kickers in Week 11, with two top-five kickers, Nick Folk and Graham Gano, each posting their worst performances of the season. Gano missed both extra point tries in a lopsided loss at home to the Lions. Folk missed two kicks at Foxboro against the Jets, leaving fantasy owners frustrated with his two-point showing on Sunday.

As a rule, I personally prefer to target kickers who play the majority of games in a dome, as the weather does not become a factor for success. However, two of the top three kickers on the season, Justin Tucker and Tyler Bass, play in challenging weather conditions, so weather should not be determining factor when drafting kickers.

Weather should be a consideration if you stream kickers, especially when you are trying to choose between two options you perceive to have similar production for the week. For example, I moved away from \Graham Gano this week to Robbie Gould when reports from Met Life looked dire.

As of the date of writing, wind only looks to be an issue this week for the matchup in Cleveland between the Browns and Bucs. Although I currently Rank Ryan Succop as a top 10 play this week, I would look for another option if wind gusts are reported to be over 30 MPH on Sunday.

Week 11 Stud Performances from widely available kickers

Matthew Wright (PIT) @ Cincinnati: 7% roster percentage on Yahoo

Wright made three field goals and all three extra-point tries to finish tied for 5th on the week with Daniel Carlson. It was Wright’s second double-digit game on the season and a nice performance for the journeyman kicker playing on his 5th team since 2019.

Joey Slye (WAS) @ Houston: 10% roster percentage on Yahoo

Slye has quietly put together two solid weeks, with 19 points last week against the Eagles and 12 points this past week against the Texans. His K Score of 56 is not great this week as the Commanders host the Falcons, but the game script appears to be in his favor and he could finish as a top-10 kicker again in Week 12.

Week 11 Dud Performances from widely-rostered kickers

Graham Gano (NYG) vs. Detroit: 79% roster percentage on Yahoo

If you have read this article over the years, you know that I have an affinity for Graham Gano. He is typically one of the more accurate kickers, and the Giants have historically been bad in the red zone with Daniel Jones. This week proved to be a perfect storm working against Gano, as he was limited in practice late in the week with an illness, the wind at Met Life had gusts over 35 MPH, and the Lions boat raced the Giants and created a negative game script. I am not super high on Gano this week because a negative game script could be in line against a surging Cowboys team, but he could be useful in Week 13 at home against Washington.

Kicker Rankings

Rank	ECR	Name	TEAM	Opponent	Spread	O/U	OPP RZ D	RZ EFF*	OFF RNK	K Score**	Weather
1	1	Justin Tucker	BAL	at JAC	3.5	44	21	12	13	46	68F, 10 MPH Wind
2	3	Harrison Butker	KC	vs. LAR	-15	44	4	29	1	34	43F, 11 MPH Wind
3	2	Tyler Bass	BUF	at DET	-10	54	26	9	2	37	Dome
4	4	Brett Maher	DAL	vs. NYG	-9	45	2	25	14	41	Dome
5	5	Daniel Carlson	LV	at SEA	3.5	48	24	8	16	48	44F, Rain, 6 MPH Wind
6	6	Evan McPherson	CIN	at TEN	-1	43	10	31	7	48	50F, 11 MPH Wind
7	18	Brandon McManus	DEN	at CAR	-2.5	35	17	0	11	28	62F, 11 MPH Wind
8	16	Robbie Gould	SF	vs. NO	-9	44	5	17	8	30	60F, 4 MPH Wind
9	7	Jason Myers	SEA	vs. LV	-3.5	48	31	6	12	49	44F, Rain, 6 MPH Wind
10	8	Ryan Succop	TB	at CLE	-3.5	43	19	4	17	40	51F, Rain, 20 MPH Wind
11	10	Nick Folk	NE	at MIN	3	43	32	1	25	58	Dome
12	11	Jason Sanders	MIA	vs. HOU	-12	46	14	26	3	43	85F, 6 MPH Wind
13	9	Graham Gano	NYG	at DAL	9	45	6	19	19	44	Dome
14	12	Younghoe Koo	ATL	at WAS	4.5	42	12	24	26	62	61F, 12 MPH Wind
15	13	Jake Elliott	PHI	vs. GB	-7	46	13	28	5	46	57F, 10 MPH Wind
16	14	Wil Lutz	NO	at SF	9	44	22	23	10	55	60F, 4 MPH Wind
17	15	Greg Joseph	MIN	vs. NE	-3	43	6	18	18	42	DOme
18	25	Michael Badgley	DET	vs. BUF	10	54	3	27	6	36	Dome
19	31	Joey Slye	WAS	vs. ATL	-4.5	42	23	10	23	56	61F, 12 MPH Wind
20	21	Mason Crosby	GB	at PHI	7	46	9	14	15	38	57F, 10 MPH Wind
21	26	Chase McLaughlin	IND	vs. PIT	-2.5	39	15	2	24	41	Dome
22	19	Greg Zuerlein	NYJ	vs. CHI	-4.5	40	26	16	28	70	54F, 10 MPH Wind
23	29	Riley Patterson	JAC	vs. BAL	-3.5	44	18	15	9	42	68F, 10 MPH Wind
24	32	Eddy Pineiro	CAR	vs. DEN	2.5	35	1	11	32	44	62F, 11 MPH Wind
25	23	Matt Prater	ARI	vs. LAC	4	48	8	20	20	48	Dome
26	22	Cade York	CLE	vs. TB	3.5	43	25	21	4	50	51F, Rain, 20 MPH Wind
27	17	Cameron Dicker	LAC	at ARI	-4	48	29	13	11	53	Dome
28	30	Matthew Wright	PIT	at IND	2.5	39	20	6	27	53	Dome
29	27	Cairo Santos	CHI	at NYJ	4.5	40	11	23	22	56	53F Rain 10 MPH Wind
30	20	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	at MIA	12	46	28	3	30	61	85F, 6 MPH Wind
31	24	Matt Gay	LAR	at KC	15	44	30	8	31	69	43F, 11 MPH Wind
32	28	Randy Bullock	TEN	vs. CIN	1	43	15	30	29	74	50F, 11 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 Chiefs rank 3rd in red zone efficiency; therefore, Harrison Butker has an RZ EFF score of 29. 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, 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 12.

Brandon McManus (DEN) @ Carolina: 23% roster percentage on Yahoo

McManus posted 11 points against the Raiders last week and looks primed for another solid week on the road against a Panthers defense that just held Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to 13 points. This projects to be a low scoring game, and McManus should have more than a few opportunities.

Robbie Gould (SF) vs. Tampa Bay: 57% roster percentage on Yahoo

Gould has been up and down this season, but this home matchup against the Saints looks to be a great opportunity for fantasy points. Matt Gay just posted ten against New Orleans last week and the Saints have given up at least two field goals in four of their last five games.

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.

Wil Lutz (NO) vs. LA Rams: 34% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 11

My Rank: 7

Week 11 Finish: 11

The finish for Lutz looks a bit disappointing but considering this was a high-scoring week with 13 players scoring ten or more points, a ten-point game from Lutz was an excellent result for fantasy managers.

Greg Joseph (MIN) vs. Dallas: 17% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 12

My Rank: 10

Week 11 Finish: T22

There is not much to say about this one other than the fact that the Cowboys demolished the Vikings in shocking fashion, leaving all Viking fantasy options disappointing plays last week. Vegas had the Vikings as a one-point favorite, so there wasn’t really a concern at the time for a massively negative game script.

Waiver Wired

Top Add

Jason Myers (SEA) vs. Las Vegas: 29% roster percentage on Yahoo

Myers is 5th on the season in scoring and plays the Raiders at home this week.

Other players to consider: