When I started working on the K Score seven years ago, I noticed a trend that jumped off the page when tracking kicker performance. In just about every season, a kicker kicking on the roster of a rookie quarterback would come out of nowhere and become fantasy-relevant. Whether it was Ka’imi Fairbairn for Deshaun Watson, Zane Gonzalez for Kyler Murray or Harrison Butker for Patrick Mahomes, rookie quarterbacks can be sneaky valuable for kickers.
In the case of Mahomes, it was just pure volume in extra points, as he had 16 more extra points than any other kicker. But in the cases of Fairbairn and Gonzalez, and Fairbairn again with C.J. Stroud, their rookie quarterbacks moved the ball well but often struggled in the red zone.
My prediction for this season’s kicker that would benefit from a rookie QB was Cairo Santos, but he has been lackluster after a strong start. It appears as though I should have been looking at the second pick of the draft, with Jaylen Daniels leading an impressive offense that ranks in the top five in yards per game but 16th in red zone efficiency.
Austin Seibert, a journeyman kicker who appears to have found a strong landing spot, has scored more fantasy points than any other kicker after laying a goose egg in Week 1 against the Bucs. When you consider the Commanders have a home game against the Panthers this week, Seibert could once again be a top-ranked kicker this week and is available in 74% of Yahoo Leagues.
Fantasy Football Week 7 Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice (2024)
Strong Week 6 Performances from Widely-Available Kickers
Jake Bates (DET) @ Dallas: 25% roster percentage on Yahoo
This week’s game against the Cowboys was an Oprah Winfrey meme of “you get points,” as everyone on the Lions roster got into the action, including 2023 undrafted rookie Jake Bates. His 19 points on Sunday were more than his three previous weeks combined.
Chase McLaughlin (TB) @ Atlanta: 17% roster percentage on Yahoo
If you take out a one-point dud against the Broncos in Week 3, McLaughlin has double-digit points every week this year. His latest performance of 16 points against the Falcons was his best of the year so far. He is a great option to add if you are looking for a replacement for Jake Moody.
Dud Week 6 Performances from Heavily-Owned Kickers
Tyler Bass (BUF) @ NYJ: 78% roster percentage on Yahoo
The majority of kickers rostered in 75% or more of Yahoo leagues came through with solid performances this week, with Tyler Bass of the Bills being the lone outlier. Bass’ struggles were primarily wind-related and not something fantasy managers should worry about.
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Over/Under | Spread | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 1 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | vs. SEA | 50 | -3 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 27 | Dome |
| 2 | 2 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at TB | 47.5 | -3.5 | 12 | 31 | 1 | 40.5 | 75F, Light Wind |
| 3 | 9 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at NYG | 44 | -4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 69F, Light Wind |
| 4 | 3 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | at GB | 46 | 3 | 20 | 31 | 6 | 60 | 67F, Slight Chance of Rain |
| 5 | 4 | Austin Seibert | WAS | vs. CAR | 51.5 | -8.5 | 31 | 18 | 5 | 45.5 | 72F, 3 MPH Wind |
| 6 | 12 | Jake Bates | DET | at MIN | 51 | 1.5 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 37.5 | Dome |
| 7 | 5 | Chase McLaughlin | TB | vs. BAL | 47.5 | 3.5 | 25 | 23 | 9 | 60.5 | 75F, Light Wind |
| 8 | 6 | Evan McPherson | CIN | at CLE | 44.5 | -4.5 | 16 | 22 | 12 | 45.5 | 66F, Light Wind |
| 9 | 7 | Will Reichard | MIN | vs. DET | 51 | -1.5 | 10 | 27 | 17 | 52.5 | Dome |
| 10 | 8 | Harrison Butker | KC | at SF | 46.5 | 1.5 | 19 | 3 | 11 | 34.5 | 73F Light Wind |
| 11 | 18 | Matthew Wright | SF | vs. KC | 46.5 | -1.5 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 17.5 | 73F Light Wind |
| 12 | 23 | Joshua Karty | LAR | vs. LV | 44 | -5.5 | 21 | 8 | 16 | 39.5 | Dome |
| 13 | 10 | Cameron Dicker | LAC | at ARI | 44 | 1.5 | 18 | 4 | 28 | 51.5 | Dome |
| 14 | 11 | Tyler Bass | BUF | vs. TEN | 42 | -9 | 4 | 26 | 21 | 42 | 62F, Light Wind |
| 15 | 13 | Jason Myers | SEA | at ATL | 50 | 3 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 46 | Dome |
| 16 | 21 | Greg Joseph | NYG | vs. PHI | 44 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 36 | 69F, Light Wind |
| 17 | 14 | Blake Grupe | NO | vs. DEN | 36.5 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 18 | 49 | Dome |
| 18 | 15 | Chris Boswell | PIT | vs. NYJ | 37 | -1.5 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 50.5 | 60F, Light Wind |
| 19 | 16 | Matt Gay | IND | vs. MIA | 42.5 | -4 | 25 | 17 | 13 | 51 | Dome |
| 20 | 27 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | at PIT | 37 | 1.5 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 40.5 | 60F, Light Wind |
| 21 | 17 | Wil Lutz | DEN | at NO | 36.5 | -1 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 43 | Dome |
| 22 | 19 | Brayden Narveson | GB | vs. HOU | 46 | -3 | 28 | 13 | 4 | 42 | 67F, Slight Chance of Rain |
| 23 | 20 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at IND | 42 | 4 | 27 | 1 | 23 | 55 | Dome |
| 24 | 24 | Cam Little | JAC | vs. NE | 41 | -5.5 | 22 | 10 | 19 | 45.5 | 62F, Rain, Light Wind |
| 25 | 28 | Matt Prater | ARI | vs. LAC | 42.5 | -1.5 | 8 | 19 | 15 | 40.5 | Dome |
| 26 | 32 | Joey Slye | NE | at JAC | 41 | 5.5 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 40.5 | 62F, Rain, Light Wind |
| 27 | 26 | Nick Folk | TEN | at BUF | 42 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 31 | 69 | 62F, Light Wind |
| 28 | 25 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | at WAS | 51 | 8.5 | 29 | 15 | 25 | 77.5 | 72F, 3 MPH Wind |
| 29 | 30 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at LAR | 44 | 5.5 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 79.5 | Dome |
| 30 | 22 | Dustin Hopkins | CLE | vs. CIN | 44.5 | 4.5 | 24 | 25 | 32 | 85.5 | 66F, Light Wind |
*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 2nd in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has a RZ EFF score of 31. 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 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 7.
Jake Bates (DET) @ MIN: 25% roster percentage on Yahoo
While I do not anticipate a monster 19-point performance from Bates, this game is projected to be a high-scoring indoor game with a close spread. Bates’ 37.5 KScore is not the lowest on the day, but I think he will get multiple opportunities against a stingy Vikings defense.
Joshua Karty (LAR) vs. LV: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
It may take some intestinal fortitude to start a kicker with a roster percentage of 1%, but there are reasons behind this selection. First, his KScore of 39 and a favorable home matchup indoors improve his odds for multiple field goal attempts. Add in the fact that the Raiders are a dumpster fire and no longer have Davante Adams, and you have a recipe for at least eight fantasy points and a ceiling.
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.
Jake Elliott (PHI): vs. Cleveland – 44% roster percentage on Yahoo
ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 9
Week 6 Finish: T11
Elliott came through with a respectable ten fantasy points, although I predicted an even better performance against the lowly Browns. For those owners who picked him up and streamed him, keep him in your lineup for Week 7 in a road matchup against the Giants.
Wil Lutz (DEN) vs. LAC: 4% roster percentage on Yahoo
ECR Rank: 19
My Rank: 8
Week 6 Finish: 19
The game script worked out with it being a low-scoring matchup. Unfortunately, the Broncos struggled to move the ball as well as I thought against a banged-up Chargers defense.
Waiver Wired
Chase McLaughlin (TB) vs. Baltimore: 52% roster percentage on Yahoo
Cameron Dicker (LAC) @ Arizona: 17% roster percentage on Yahoo
Jake Bates (DET) @ MIN: 25% roster percentage on Yahoo
