Andrew Swanson | Wed, Nov 27th 2024, 2:02pm EST

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 13 (2024)

Week 12 was filled with kicker drama, with Austin Seibert missing an extra point following an improbable late touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin. That heartbreaking turn of events was followed by a missed chip shot field goal try by Ka’imi Fairbairn, which would likely secure a win for the Texans over the Titans.

With the proliferation of 50-plus field goals this season, it is important to remember that kicking is hard, and even the best, like Fairbairn, can miss clutch kicks.

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice

Here are a few Week 12 strong performances from widely available kickers

Wil Lutz (K – DEN) vs. Las Vegas: 21% roster percentage on Yahoo

Lutz was pure money on Sunday, with five made field goals and two extra points against the Raiders. His is likely going to be the top waiver kicker ad this week.

Nick Folk (K – TEN) @ Houston: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo

The old man of the kicking world posted his second-best game of the season with 18 fantasy points against Houston. Outside of this game and his 24-point showing against the Dolphins, Folk has been someone to avoid in fantasy. Of the two, I would rather add Lutz.

Week 12 Dud Performances from heavily-owned kickers

Jake Moody (K – SF) vs. Green Bay: 70% roster percentage on Yahoo

The 49ers are a shell of their former self, and all of their players should be downgraded with Allen under center. In addition, this week against the Bills in the blizzard is not a great start for Moody.

Kicker Rankings:

Rank	ECR	Name	TEAM	Opponent	Over/Under	Spread	OPP RZ D	RZ EFF*	OFF RNK	K Score**	Weather
1	2	Jake Bates	DET	vs. CHI	48.5	-10	3	28	2	23	Dome
2	6	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	vs. NYG	37.0	-3.5	11	1	20	28.5	Dome
3	11	Younghoe Koo	ATL	vs. LAC	48.0	2	4	10	8	24	Dome
4	13	Brandon McManus	GB	vs. MIA	47.0	-3.5	7	12	5	20.5	28F, 8% chance of snow. Light Wind
5	10	John Parker Romo	MIN	vs. ARI	45.0	3.5	8	11	10	32.5	Dome
6	7	Justin Tucker	BAL	vs. PHI	51.5	-3	5	31	1	34	37F, Light Wind
7	12	Jake Elliott	PHI	at BAL	51.5	3	15	16	3	37	37F, Light Wind
8	1	Cameron Dicker	LAC	at ATL	48.0	-2	21	19	21	59	Dome
9	3	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	at JAC	43.0	-5	26	13	16	50	61F, Light Wind
10	4	Chris Boswell	PIT	at CIN	48.0	3	31	2	18	54	27F, 16% chance of snow
11	5	Chase McLaughlin	TB	at CAR	46.5	-6	23	30	7	54	46F, Light Wind
12	8	Tyler Bass	BUF	vs. SF	44.5	-7	29	26	13	61	29F and Blizzard Conditions
13	9	Wil Lutz	DEN	vs. CLE	42.0	-5.5	22	20	23	59.5	40F, Light Wind
14	14	Spencer Shrader	KC	vs. LV	42.5	-10	24	16	14	44	34F, Light Wind
15	16	Evan McPherson	CIN	vs. PIT	48.5	-3	11	29	9	46	27F, 16% chance of snow
16	17	Joshua Karty	LAR	at NO	48.5	-3	6	7	17	27	Dome
17	15	Jason Sanders	MIA	at GB	47.0	3.5	20	21	19	63.5	28F, 8% chance of snow. Light Wind
18	18	Matt Gay	IND	at NE	42.5	-2.5	19	8	22	46.5	37F, Light Wind
19	19	Chad Ryland	ARI	at MIN	45.0	-3.5	27	24	15	62.5	Dome
20	20	Zane Gonzalez	WAS	vs. TEN	44.5	-5.5	25	23	6	48.5	37F, Light Wind
21	25	Jake Moody	SF	at BUF	44.5	7	10	7	4	28	29F and Blizzard Conditions
22	21	Jason Myers	SEA	at NYJ	41.5	-2	17	14	12	41	37F, Light Wind
23	22	Blake Grupe	NO	vs. LAR	48.5	3	9	25	11	48	Dome
24	23	Joey Slye	NE	vs. IND	42.5	2.5	18	3	32	55.5	37F, Light Wind
25	24	Nick Folk	TEN	at WAS	44.5	5.5	28	3	25	61.5	37F, Light Wind
26	27	Eddy Pineiro	CAR	vs. TB	46.5	6	16	22	31	75	46F, Light Wind
27	29	Cairo Santos	CHI	at DET	48.5	10	2	27	26	65	Dome
28	30	Dustin Hopkins	CLE	at DEN	42.0	5.5	1	19	29	54.5	40F, Light Wind
29	31	Anders Carlson	NYJ	vs. SEA	41.5	2	13	9	27	51	37F, Light Wind
30	32	Graham Gano	NYG	at DAL	37.0	3.5	32	0	24	59.5	Dome
31	28	Cam Little	JAC	vs. HOU	43.0	5	30	17	30	82	61F, Light Wind
32	33	Daniel Carlson	LV	at KC	42.5	10	14	7	28	59	34F, 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 1st 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’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.

Brandon McManus (K – GB) vs. Miami 13% roster percentage on Yahoo

I am staying in the flames here with McManus. The weather against the Dolphins on Thursday looks solid for kicking, and I anticipate there will be a positive game script here for some points. Look for another 10-plus performance from McManus.

Younghoe Koo (K – ATL) vs. LA Chargers 50% roster percentage on Yahoo

It has been a rough year for Koo, but I like him more than consensus this week. He is going to outperform his ECR of 11. Assuming this game does not go sideways, I have him as a top-5 player. Looking at you, Kirk Cousins.

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.

Brandon McManus (K – GB) vs. San Francisco: 13% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 14
My Rank: 7
Week 12 Finish: 10

McManus came through with a nice 10-point performance against the visiting 49ers. I anticipated even more production based on the 49ers red zone defense, but the Pack were too efficient and steamrolled a once-solid defense.

Parker Romo (K – MIN) @ Chicago 8% roster percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 9
Week 12 Finish: T5

After a rough week in which Austin Seibert did not suit up in week 11, it was nice to have a pair of top-10 finishes, including Parker Romo‘s 13 points against the Bears. I like him again this week against the Cardinals.

Waiver Wired

Wil Lutz (K – DEN) vs. Cleveland: 21% roster percentage on Yahoo