Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice: Week 15 (2024)

As we close out the fantasy regular season for most leagues, I thought it would be the right time to share my end-of-year awards.

Rookie of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Bust of the Year and MVP are the awards to be given today, with an honorable second for each category.

2024 Kicker Awards

Rookie of the Year: Jake Bates (K – DET)

As expected, the Lions were a source of ample fantasy goodness this year, with both running backs posting RB1 seasons, Amon-Ra St. Brown continuing to be a stud and even Jared Goff was a great option for fantasy managers. But many may not realize that rookie Jake Bates has been a top-five kicker this year, with 10+ points in four of his last five games.

Honorable Mention: Will Reichard (K – MIN)

Breakout Player of the Year: Austin Seibert (K – WAS)

Despite missing multiple games due to injury and a key extra point at the end of a game, Austin Seibert ranks seventh in points per game and was a fantasy stud in the first half.

Honorable Mention: Chase McLaughlin (K – TB)

Bust of the Year: Justin Tucker (K – BAL)

I have spent too much time this season blasting Justin Tucker. Everyone is aware of his struggles. It is painful to watch the GOAT struggle, but he deserves this award based on his preseason average draft position (ADP).

Honorable Mention: Jake Elliott (K – PHI)

MVP: Chris Boswell (K – PIT)

Six games of 12+ fantasy points and two over 24 propelled Chris Boswell to be the top scoring kicker this season. Outside of one four-point game against the Commanders, Boswell provided a solid floor as well.

Honorable Mention: Ka’imi Fairbairn (K -HOU)

Week 15 Kicker Rankings & Start/Sit Advice

Week 15 Kicker Rankings

Rank	ECR	Name	TEAM	Opponent	Over/Under	Spread	OPP RZ D	RZ EFF*	OFF RNK	K Score**	Weather
1	10	Chase McLaughlin	TB	at LAC	46.5	-3	1	28	3	29	Dome
2	3	Will Reichard	MIN	vs. CHI	42.5	-5.5	3	21	11	29.5	Dome
3	8	Chris Boswell	PIT	at PHI	45.5	4.5	6	3	17	30.5	49F, Rain, Light Wind
4	5	Ka’imi Fairbairn	HOU	vs. MIA	46.5	-2.5	6	11	18	32.5	Dome
5	1	Jake Bates	DET	vs. BUF	51.5	-2.5	16	26	2	41.5	Dome
6	16	Justin Tucker	BAL	at NYG	44.5	-13	14	31	1	33	45F, Rain, Light Wind
7	23	Zane Gonzalez	WAS	at NO	48.0	-3.5	8	24	5	33.5	Dome
8	13	Brandon McManus	GB	at SEA	46.5	-3	11	20	6	34	44F, Rain, f8 MPH Wind
9	11	Jake Moody	SF	vs. LAR	47.0	-3	8	10	4	19	53F, 9 MPH Wind
10	18	Chad Ryland	ARI	vs. NE	45.0	-6.5	21	8	12	34.5	Dome
11	9	Matthew Wright	KC	at CLE	44.5	-6.5	19	7	16	35.5	46F, Chance of Rain
12	14	Younghoe Koo	ATL	at LV	44.5	-3	25	6	8	36	Dome
13	15	Jake Elliott	PHI	vs. PIT	45.5	-4.5	13	23	7	38.5	49F, Rain, Light Wind
14	6	Tyler Bass	BUF	at DET	51.5	2.5	4	27	10	43.5	Dome
15	21	Matt Gay	IND	at DEN	43.0	4.5	2	15	23	44.5	56F, Light Wind
16	26	Joey Slye	NE	at ARI	45.0	6.5	5	2	31	44.5	Dome
17	4	Brandon Aubrey	DAL	at CAR	44.0	-1.5	26	1	20	45.5	52F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain
18	2	Cameron Dicker	LAC	vs. TB	46.5	3	10	13	24	50	Dome
19	12	Wil Lutz	DEN	vs. IND	43.0	-4.5	17	17	21	50.5	56F, Light Wind
20	20	Jason Myers	SEA	vs. GB	46.5	3	23	12	13	51	44F, Rain, f8 MPH Wind
21	25	Anders Carlson	NYJ	at JAC	40.5	-3	20	9	27	53	70F, 10 MPH Wind
22	24	Daniel Carlson	LV	vs. ATL	44.5	3	24	4	25	56	Dome
23	32	Graham Gano	NYG	vs. BAL	44.5	13	18	0	26	57	45F, Rain, Light Wind
24	31	Dustin Hopkins	CLE	vs. KC	44.5	6.5	12	19	22	59.5	46F, Chance of Rain
25	19	Cade York	CIN	at TEN	49.0	-4	27	30	9	62	55F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain
26	30	Cam Little	JAC	vs. NYJ	40.5	3	21	15	28	67	70F, 10 MPH Wind
27	17	Nick Folk	TEN	vs. CIN	49.0	4	30	5	29	68	55F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain
28	27	Joshua Karty	LAR	at SF	47.0	3	31	19	15	68	53F, 9 MPH Wind
29	7	Jason Sanders	MIA	at HOU	46.5	2.5	28	22	19	71.5	Dome
30	22	Blake Grupe	NO	vs. WAS	48.0	3.5	29	25	14	71.5	Dome
31	29	Eddy Pineiro	CAR	vs. DAL	44.0	1.5	32	16	30	79.5	52F, Light Wind, Chance of Rain
32	28	Cairo Santos	CHI	at MIN	42.5	5.5	15	29	32	81.5	Dome

*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, giving Justin Tucker an 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 an 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 a kicker has variables working in his favor for a good fantasy kicking performance.

Kicker fantasy football 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 FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR) top 10 who could be excellent in Week 15.

Zane Gonzalez (K – WAS) @ New Orleans: 1% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

Starting a player with a 1% roster percentage in the final week of the regular season in the first round of the fantasy playoffs may be a test of intestinal fortitude. However, keep in mind that the Saints will not have Derek Carr and the Commanders should be able to move the ball against them.

Chad Ryland (K – ARI) vs. New England: 7% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

I love this matchup at home in what should be a positive game script. Chad Ryland has a K Score of 34 and I love that he is indoors.

Week 14 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.

Chad Ryland (K – ARI) vs. Seattle: 1% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 1
My Rank: 4
Week 14 Finish: T-25

The game script did not go as predicted and Chad Ryland turned out to be a dud with just three fantasy points. I am staying in the fire, however, and recommend him this week at home against New England.

Jake Moody (K – SF) vs. Chicago: 50% Roster Percentage on Yahoo

ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 2
Week 14 Finish: T-8

Jake Moody posted a solid eight fantasy points but did not deliver the monster game I anticipated. The Bears’ top-rated defense and the 49ers’ poor red-zone offense flip-flopped.

Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

Zane Gonzalez (K – WAS) @ New Orleans: 1% roster percentage on Yahoo
Will Reichard (K – MIN) vs. Chicago: 8% roster percentage on Yahoo

NFL Rankings Waiver Wire NFL Weekly Advice Austin Seibert Chase McLaughlin Justin Tucker Jake Elliott Chris Boswell Ka’imi Fairbairn Will Reichard Jake Bates Zane Gonzalez Brandon McManus Jake Moody Chad Ryland Matthew Wright Younghoe Koo Tyler Bass Matt Gay Joey Slye Brandon Aubrey Cameron Dicker Wil Lutz Jason Myers Anders Carlson Daniel Carlson Graham Gano Dustin Hopkins Cade York Cam Little Nick Folk Joshua Karty Jason Sanders Blake Grupe Eddy Pineiro Cairo Santos Derek Carr

About Author

Andrew Swanson

@FFKickerGuy

In addition to his work as a featured writer for FantasyPros, Andrew is a staff writer for fftoday.com and the webmaster/beat writer for ESPN Radio in Albuquerque, NM. Outside of writing about sports, Andrew is a Children’s Book author with three books available on leading retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart.com. His first title, “Bella’s Magic Dream Glasses” debuted number one on Amazon’s hot new releases for large print children’s picture books. Visit www.andrewswansonbooks.com for more information.