Through 13 weeks of action, the top three kickers in fantasy football are Justin Tucker, Tyler Bass and Daniel Carlson. All three players entered the season ranked as top-five kickers, and it appears as though they will all finish ranked inside the top five at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Tucker was a no-brainer top selection based on the fact that he is arguably the best kicker of all time and had a long history of finishing as a top-five player dating back to 2015. In terms of money in the bank and knowing what you are getting, Tucker was about as easy of a pick as it gets.
Carlson finished tied for first last season, so it made sense for him to be ranked inside the top five heading into 2022. In addition, he plays indoors, and the Raiders under Derek Carr rank 28th in red zone efficiency over the past three years. Once again the Raiders rank in the bottom five in red zone efficiency, yet boast a top-10 offense in yards per game. The result is another solid season of Carlson.
Bass finished the 2021 season as a top-five play in large part because he had the second most extra points. This season, the Bills have continued to score a ton of points as the No.3 offense in points per game along with Dallas, but the Bills’ red zone efficiency has gone down from last year. The result is Bass has 24 field goals through 12 games compared to 28 in 17 last season. If he continues on this trajectory, he will likely be your K1 when the season is done.
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Week 13 Stud Performances from widely-available kickers
Michael Badgley (DET) vs. Jacksonville: 16% roster percentage on Yahoo
Badgley tied Greg Zuerlein for the most points on the week with four made field goals and four extra points in Detroit’s shellacking of Jacksonville. It was the first double-digit game for Badgley since Week 8 and only the third of the season. With an over/under of 53 and the Lions just one-point dogs, this could be another big game for Badgley with Detroit playing host to Minnesota.
Greg Zuerlein (NYJ) @ Minnesota: 16% roster percentage on Yahoo
Five made field goals, including a 60-yard try in the first half, propelled Greg the Leg to a first-place finish on the week. The Jets’ defense did enough to keep the game close, while the Vikings’ defense kept Mike White and the Jets from scoring touchdowns. I am not a fan of Zuerlein this week on the road against Buffalo, but he is someone to keep an eye on the rest of the season.
Week 13 Dud Performances from widely-rostered kickers
Harrison Butker (KC) vs. @ Cincinnati: 93% roster percentage on Yahoo
Butker had a disappointing showing of just five fantasy points this week on the road against the Bengals. While fantasy managers might be disappointed, he is going to bounce back in a massive way this week against the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Butker is my top-ranked kicker on the week and should post at least 10 points against Denver.
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 5 | Harrison Butker | KC | at DEN | -9.5 | 44 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 27 | 41F, Light Wind |
| 2 | 3 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. NYJ | -9.5 | 45 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 38F, Rain 11 MPH Wind |
| 3 | 2 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at PIT | -2 | 38 | 16 | 9 | 14 | 39 | 44F, Rain 7 MPH Wind |
| 4 | 4 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at LAR | -6 | 38 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 25 | Dome |
| 5 | 6 | Jason Myers | SEA | vs. CAR | -4.5 | 44 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 34 | 40F, 6 MPH Wind |
| 6 | 11 | Ryan Succop | TB | at SF | 3 | 38 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 39 | 51F, Light Rain 8 MPH Wind |
| 7 | 1 | Brett Maher | DAL | vs. HOU | -16 | 46 | 7 | 29 | 11 | 47 | Dome |
| 8 | 12 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at LAC | -2.5 | 52 | 8 | 26 | 4 | 38 | Dome |
| 9 | 7 | Evan McPherson | CIN | vs. CLE | -5.5 | 48 | 16 | 28 | 5 | 49 | 48F, 8 MPH Wind |
| 10 | 8 | Nick Folk | NE | at ARI | -1.5 | 44 | 32 | 1 | 24 | 57 | Dome |
| 11 | 9 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | vs. MIA | 2.5 | 52 | 28 | 8 | 13 | 49 | Dome |
| 12 | 13 | Michael Badgley | DET | vs. MIN | 1 | 53 | 20 | 31 | 7 | 58 | Dome |
| 13 | 10 | Greg Joseph | MIN | at DET | -1 | 53 | 31 | 23 | 19 | 73 | Dome |
| 14 | 17 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | at BUF | 9.5 | 45 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 27 | 38F, Rain 11 MPH Wind |
| 15 | 18 | Cade York | CLE | at CIN | 5.5 | 48 | 9 | 20 | 6 | 35 | 48F, 8 MPH Wind |
| 16 | 15 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at NYG | -6.5 | 45 | 5 | 30 | 3 | 38 | 44F, Rain 12 MPH Wind |
| 17 | 24 | Riley Patterson | JAC | at TEN | 3.5 | 42 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 40 | 48F, 7 MPH Wind |
| 18 | 26 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at DAL | 16 | 46 | 10 | 2 | 32 | 44 | Dome |
| 19 | 19 | Matthew Wright | PIT | vs. BAL | 2 | 38 | 15 | 6 | 26 | 47 | 44F, Rain 7 MPH Wind |
| 20 | 14 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. PHI | 6.5 | 45 | 6 | 21 | 22 | 49 | 44F, Rain 12 MPH Wind |
| 21 | 16 | Robbie Gould | SF | vs. TB | -3 | 38 | 22 | 17 | 10 | 49 | 51F, Light Rain 8 MPH Wind |
| 22 | 20 | Brandon McManus | DEN | vs. KC | 9.5 | 44 | 30 | 1 | 27 | 58 | 41F, Light Wind |
| 23 | 21 | Matt Prater | ARI | vs. NE | 1.5 | 44 | 16 | 24 | 20 | 60 | Dome |
| 24 | 25 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | at SEA | 4.5 | 44 | 24 | 12 | 29 | 65 | 40F, 6 MPH Wind |
| 25 | 23 | Matt Gay | LAR | vs. LV | 6 | 38 | 28 | 15 | 31 | 74 | Dome |
| 26 | 22 | Randy Bullock | TEN | vs. JAC | -3.5 | 42 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 80 | 48F, 7 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 7th in red zone efficiency; therefore Harrison Butker has an RZ EFF score of 25. 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 14.
Ryan Succop (TB) @ San Francisco: 40% roster percentage on Yahoo
With three consecutive games of six or fewer fantasy points, Succop’s roster percentage has declined sharply over the last month, and he currently ranks 11th in ECR. While a possible rainy day in San Francisco is something to consider, his K Score of 39 indicates a strong showing and the Niners are rolling out a rookie against Tom Brady. This game has the makings of a field goal contest.
Jason Sanders (MIA) @ LA Chargers: 16% roster percentage on Yahoo
One of last season’s breakout players, Sanders has been a disappointment with just three games of 10 or more fantasy points and six games of six or fewer. It hasn’t been pretty, but he could be in line for a solid game this week in what projects to be a high-scoring game indoors against the Chargers. The Chargers have given up the second-most points to kickers on the year and Sanders has a K Score of under 40.
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.
Cade York (CLE) @ Houston: 5% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 18
- My Rank: 14
- Week 13 Finish: 9
There was an error last week in the article where my prediction for the previous weeks showed up. Cade York was one of my players ranked outside the top 12 in ECR who appeared to be a solid play based on his K Score of 38 and the fact that the Texans had given up a ton of points to opposing kickers. York posted two field goals and an extra point to finish as a top-10 play.
Joey Slye (WAS) @ New York Giants: 7% roster percentage on Yahoo
- ECR Rank: 25
- My Rank: 16
- Week 13 Finish: T14
Slye posted a solid nine fantasy points with two field goals and a pair of extra points. Like his counterpart in the game, Graham Gano, Slye would have been a top-five play had he made his 50-plus-yard attempt.
Waiver Wired
Top Add
Jason Myers (SEA) vs. Carolina: 51% roster percentage on Yahoo
Another week of Myers scoring at least 10 fantasy points, and another week of the fantasy community looking the other way. It’s not often that in Week 14 of a season that a fantasy kicker ranked fourth overall and just four points behind the top spot is available in nearly 50% of leagues.
Other players to consider:
Jason Sanders (MIA) @ LA Chargers: 16% 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.