The first week of the 2023 season provided a ton of surprises, monster performances, and some head-scratching stat lines. Seriously, Tee Higgins had eight targets and not a single catch. Don’t even get me started on my Aaron Rodgers, Ja’Marr Chase, and Drake London roster.

Kickers were not immune to the craziness of the week, as five of the six most heavily rostered kickers failed to score double digits. Justin Tucker and Daniel Carlson each posted a pedestrian five points, while Evan McPherson joined all the other Bengals with a dud performance in a rainy game against the Browns.

Rookies Jake Moody of the 49ers, Blake Grupe of the Saints, and Andres Carlson of the Packers started with double-digit performances in their respective NFL debuts.

The shootout of the week proved to be the back-and-forth contest between the Chargers and Dolphins in Los Angeles, with the two teams combining for 70 points. Both kickers in the game finished as top-10 plays, including one of my starts of the week, Cameron Dicker.

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Fantasy Football Week 2 Kicker Rankings & Waiver Wire Advice

Here are a few Week 1 strong performances from widely-available kickers

Nick Folk (K – TEN) @ New Orleans: 20% roster percentage on Yahoo

The veteran kicker replaced Randy Bullock for the Titans, promptly starting his career in Tennessee with a Week-1 best 18 points. While I don’t anticipate this team to be that poor in the redzone, Folk’s performance is promising, and he should be rostered in more than 20% of leagues.

Brett Maher (K – LAR) @ Seattle: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo

If you had the Rams destroying the Seahawks in Seattle, you are better than me at predicting games. That lopsided win was arguably the biggest surprise of the weekend, with the Bucs beating the Vikings in Minnesota a close second. While his history of struggles prohibits me from recommending Maher as a waiver claim, he does play half of his games indoors, and the Rams may struggle as the season progresses with Cooper Kupp sidelined.

Week 1 Dud Performances from heavily-owned kickers

Evan McPherson (K – CIN) @ Browns 98% roster percentage on Yahoo

On Sunday, the Bengals were dreadful in all three facets of the game, including special teams, with Evan McPherson managing just four fantasy points. Just toss this one out and look for a better outcome from all skill players on Cincinnati.

Kicker Rankings:

*RedZone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well the kicker’s offense does in the redzone. 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 redzone, 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 2.

Brandon Aubrey (K – DAL) vs. NYJ: 3% roster percentage on Yahoo

The Cowboys’ defense looked stout on Sunday Night in their 40-0 beatdown of the Giants, and now they get to sink their teeth into the Jets and Zach Wilson. Lost in the beatdown was the fact that Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense were not super efficient against the G-Men, and the Jets boast a much more talented defense. It would not shock me to see Aubrey score at least 12 points in this game, and will have a nice floor of around seven.

Anders Carlson (K – GB) @ Atlanta: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo

In keeping with the rookie theme, I love this week’s game for the Packers and Carlson on the road against the Falcons. His K Score of 39 suggests at least seven points, and the tight Vegas spread makes me think this will be a decent game script for kicking.

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.

Cameron Dicker (K – LAC) vs. Miami: 54% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 14
My Rank: 11
Week 1 Finish: Tied #6

Both kickers in this game benefitted from a high-scoring affair that included a positive game script. Dicker made two field goals and four extra points to finish with 12 points and a near top-5 finish. Dicker should continue to have top-10 finishes going forward and should be rostered in nearly all leagues.

Greg Zuerlein (K – NYJ) vs. Buffalo: 20% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 5
Week 1 Finish: Kicker Tied #10

Beyond the defense forcing four Josh Allen turnovers and an overtime punt return for a touchdown, the only other bright spot on an otherwise dreadful day for Jets fans was the play of Greg Zuerlein. Greg the Leg scored 11 fantasy points, with three field goals and an extra point. Believe it or not, I actually like Zuerlein more now that Rodgers is out and Wilson is under center, as more drives should end in kicks with Wilson.

Waiver Wired

Top Add

Cameron Dicker (K – LAC) vs. Miami: 62% roster percentage on Yahoo

I am sticking with Dicker as my favorite waiver-wire kicker for another week, and I believe he will jump up to around an 80% roster percentage when he posts another top-10 week against the Titans. This might be your last chance to snag a player who may finish as a top-5 kicker on the season.

Other players to consider:

Brandon Aubrey (DAL) vs. NYJ: 3% roster percentage on Yahoo
Nick Folk (TEN) vs. LAC: 20% roster percentage on Yahoo