Fantasy Football Week 13 Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice

Younghoe Koo signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, replacing veteran Josh Lambo as the starter after a lengthy preseason competition. Koo, the fourth Korean-born player in the NFL, would not last long with the Chargers, as he made just three of his first six NFL kicks, and was cut in favor of journeyman veteran Nick Novak.

Koo resurfaced in the defunct AAF with the Atlanta Legends before getting a second opportunity in the NFL when the Falcons moved on from longtime kicker Matt Bryant in October 2019. He managed to impress the team and was signed to a one-year deal for the 2020 season. After making 35 of 37 attempts in 2020, Koo would make his first Pro Bowl and was rewarded with a long-term deal from Arthur Blank and the Falcons front office.

When Justin Tucker missed a 47-yard field goal attempt on Sunday, the future Hall-of-Fame kicker fell from the top of the all-time kicker percentage list, albeit for likely only a short period of time.

Tucker now owns a career percentage of 89.930%, second behind Koo, who now sits as the most accurate kicker in NFL history (min 100 tries), at 90%. For those interested in geeky kicker trivia, Adam Vinatieri, widely considered the most clutch kicker in NFL history, is 31st on the all-time list at 83.776%.

Fantasy Football Week 13 Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice

Week 12 strong performances from widely-available kickers

Blake Grupe (K – NO) @ Atlanta: 3% roster percentage on Yahoo

Grupe posted a week-best 19 fantasy points when he made five of six field goal attempts against the Falcons. Had he made the 50-yarder that was his lone miss, Grupe would have posted the second-best week of the year. Death, taxes and Derrick Carr providing fantasy goodness for his kicker. We thought Daniel Carlson was a great kicker, perhaps we did not give Derick Carr and his ineptness enough credit.

Cairo Santos (K – CHI) @ Minnesota: 3% roster percentage on Yahoo

Santos makes the list for the second week in a row, with a surprising 13-point fantasy day against the Vikings. This one comes as a bit of a surprise, as the Bears created five turnovers, including four Josh Dobbs interceptions to result in short fields for the Bears’ offense.

Week 12 Dud Performances from heavily-owned kickers

Riley Patterson (K – DET) vs. Green Bay: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo

For two weeks in a row, Patterson gets the unfortunate distinction of being a fantasy dud. His negative one-point performance was a killer and a negative game script created by the surprising performance by the Packers.

Kicker Rankings:

*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 fourth in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 28. 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 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 13.

Younghoe Koo (K – ATL) @ NY Jets: 58% roster percentage on Yahoo

I’m not sure why Koo is ranked outside the top 10 this week, as he is a must-start against a Jets defense that has given up the fifth-most points to opposing kickers. The last four kickers to play the Jets have averaged four points, making Koo a strong option this week.

Nick Folk (K – TEN) vs. Indianapolis: 19% roster percentage on Yahoo

There are not any options ranked outside the top 10 that possess a K Score of under 40 this week. I am not as high on Folk as I am on Koo, but I do think Folk has a chance to finish inside the top 12. He posted 12 points when the teams played each other earlier this season and could put up a similar number this week.

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.

Jason Sanders (K – MIA) @ NY Jets: 51% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 13
My Rank: 9
Week 12 Finish: 4

As bad as the Jets have been this season, their defense has continued to play well and they are a top-10 red zone defense. That fact, along with the fact that their offense is terrible and continues to create short fields, and you have the recipe for a big kicking week. Sanders came through with 13 points and was a great play in Week 12.

Matt Ammendola (K – HOU) vs. JAC: 10% Rostered

ECR Rank: 14
My Rank: 12
Week 11 Finish: T24

Amendola was a bust, but he did have two 50-plus yard attempts that had he made them, he would have finished as a top-five play. The K Score primarily looks to predict attempts, and the attempts were there for Amendola.