The summer leading up to the 2023 season was filled with more kicker drama and intrigue than any other in recent memory. Three kickers were traded, with the Broncos acquiring Wil Lutz to reunite with Sean Payton in Denver, the Titans moving away from Randy Bullock in favor of Nick Folk from the Patriots, and the Browns finally cutting loose Cade York and replacing him with Dustin Hopkins.
Veterans Mason Crosby and Ryan Succop are looking for new teams as their respective teams moved on in favor of new options, while five teams are relying on rookie kickers to start the season, including Crosby’s Packers, who are leaning on Anders Carlson, a first-year player from Auburn.
Of those five rookies, two are slated to kick for teams that project to be top-10 offenses, including Notre Dame’s Brandon Aubrey for the Cowboys and Michigan’s Jake Moody for the San Francisco 49ers. Moody is an interesting player to watch, as he struggled in both camp and the preseason and is now dealing with a leg injury that could force him to miss Week 1 against the Steelers.
While there has been quite a bit of turnover at the position, there is certainty to be found with Justin Tucker, Harrison Butker, Tyler Bass and Daniel Carlson. If you were fortunate to land one in your draft, you will likely not need to stream kickers in 2023. For everyone else, this weekly column will help you find kicker options that will help you win your week.
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Fantasy Football Week 1 Kicker Rankings & Waiver Wire Advice (2023)
(Rostership percentages course of Yahoo)
Below are my kicker rankings for the opening week of the NFL. Chances are, most fantasy managers will stick with whatever kicker they selected in their drafts, and rankings don’t matter too much this week.
However, for those who did not use a pick on a kicker, or perhaps you are unsure of your choice, the two players listed after my rankings are worthy streaming options this week.
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 | vs. HOU | -9 | 44 | 19 | 2 | 16 | 37 |
82F, 9 MPH Wind, Possible Thunderstorms
|
| 2 | 4 | Tyler Bass | BUF | at NYJ | -2.5 | 46.5 | 3 | 23 | 2 | 28 | 71F, Light Wind |
| 3 | 5 | Jason Myers | SEA | vs. LAR | -5.5 | 46.5 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 19 |
65F, 9 MPH Wind, Rain
|
| 4 | 9 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at DEN | 3.5 | 44 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 26 |
83F, 10 MPH Wind, Chance of Thunderstorms
|
| 5 | 12 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | vs. BUF | 2.5 | 46.5 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 28 | 71F, Light Wind |
| 6 | 2 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. DET | -6.5 | 54 | 26 | 30 | 1 | 57 |
82F, 10 MPH Wind
|
| 7 | 3 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | vs. CAR | -3.5 | 40 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 60 | Dome |
| 8 | 6 | Evan McPherson | CIN | at CLE | -2.5 | 47.5 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 51 |
69F, 12 MPH Wind
|
| 9 | 7 | Brandon McManus | JAC | at IND | -4.5 | 45 | 32 | 15 | 7 | 54 | Dome |
| 10 | 8 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at LAC | 3 | 51 | 12 | 22 | 8 | 42 | Dome |
| 11 | 14 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | vs. MIA | -3 | 51 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 46 | Dome |
| 12 | 10 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at NE | -3.5 | 45 | 21 | 29 | 3 | 53 |
73F, 10 MPH Wind, Light Rain
|
| 13 | 11 | Greg Joseph | MIN | vs. TB | -6 | 45.5 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 60 | Dome |
| 14 | 13 | Graham Gano | NYG | vs. DAL | 3 | 46 | 5 | 27 | 19 | 51 | 74F, Light Wind |
| 15 | 15 | Wil Lutz | DEN | vs. LV | -3.5 | 44 | 31 | 18 | 21 | 70 |
83F, 10 MPH Wind, Chance of Thunderstorms
|
| 16 | 16 | Riley Patterson | DET | at KC | 6.5 | 54 | 28 | 28 | 4 | 60 |
82F, 10 MPH Wind
|
| 17 | 17 | Dustin Hopkins | CLE | vs. CIN | 2.5 | 47.5 | 5 | 13 | 14 | 32 |
69F, 12 MPH Wind
|
| 18 | 30 | Blake Grupe | NO | vs. TEN | -3 | 41 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 34 | Dome |
| 19 | 24 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL | at NYG | -3 | 46 | 10 | 31 | 10 | 51 | 74F, Light Wind |
| 20 | 18 | Matt Gay | IND | vs. JAC | 4.5 | 45 | 25 | 3 | 27 | 55 | Dome |
| 21 | 19 | Jake Moody | SF | at PIT | -2.5 | 40 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 33 |
72F, 9 MPH Wind
|
| 22 | 20 | Cairo Santos | CHI | vs. GB | -1 | 43 | 11 | 19 | 28 | 58 |
71F, 12 MPH Wind
|
| 23 | 21 | Joey Slye | WAS | vs. ARI | -7 | 38 | 28 | 8 | 20 | 56 |
82F, 9 MPH Wind, Rain
|
| 24 | 22 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | at ATL | 3.5 | 40 | 13 | 20 | 29 | 62 | Dome |
| 25 | 23 | Nick Folk | TEN | at NO | 3 | 41 | 5 | 26 | 30 | 61 | Dome |
| 26 | 25 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. SF | 2.5 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 23 | 53 |
72F, 9 MPH Wind
|
| 27 | 26 | Anders Carlson | GB | at CHI | 1 | 43 | 27 | 9 | 17 | 53 |
71F, 12 MPH Wind
|
| 28 | 28 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at BAL | 9 | 44 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 39 |
82F, 9 MPH Wind, Possible Thunderstorms
|
*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 30th in red zone efficiency; therefore, Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 2. 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’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 the variables outlined above, the following two kickers are players ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be an excellent play in Week 1.
Cameron Dicker (LAC) vs. Miami (54% rostership)
Cameron Dicker and the Chargers have an exciting matchup to kick off the season with a home game indoors against the high-flying Dolphins. The 51 over/under suggests a high-scoring game, and the -3 line for the Chargers projects a close score, with both teams scoring a ton of points. I like Dicker’s floor here, with a projected line of a pair of field goals and three extra points.
Greg Zuerlein (NYJ) vs. Buffalo: (21% rostership)
Greg “the Leg” Zuerlein is not one of my favorite kickers heading into the season because of Aaron Rodgers‘ historic high red zone efficiency. However, I think it will take Rodgers some time to get acclimated to the offense, and some stalled drives in the red zone and field goal range are likely.
Vegas projects a close game, and both defenses are stout. This might be a disappointing game for some fantasy options, but I like both kickers to finish as top-10 options.
Waiver Wire
Top Add: Cameron Dicker (LAC) vs. Miami (54% rostership)
Dicker is my favorite free-agent kicker to add for this week, and I anticipate he will jump up to around 75% roster percentage by the end of September. He plays half of his games indoors, the Chargers will be a top-12 offense and he was fairly accurate last season with the Eagles and Chargers.
Other Players to Consider
- Greg Joseph (MIN) vs. Tampa Bay (15% rostership)
- Graham Gano (NYG) vs. Dallas (rostership)
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