When it comes to critical fantasy football decisions, we’re always focused on quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. Heck, even defense and special teams units get their fair share of attention as well! Yet, what about kickers? Unless your league doesn’t force you to roster one, they still score points for you, and can be the difference between winning and losing your matchup!
This brings me to my Week 12 kicker rankings. You don’t usually see kickers dissected, but that’s what I plan to do today. You’ve probably heard of expected/implied points for other positions, yet not for kickers. Let’s solve that, shall we?
We know a field-goal attempt is at least three times more valuable than an extra point, but it depends on distance. Thus, a raw field goal attempt is closer to four times more valuable than an extra point. With that in mind, here are the expected points for each kicker thus far, based on their usage.
More fantasy football fun for Week 12: Waiver Wire | FAAB Guide | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Stock Watch | Sleepers & Streamers | D/ST Streamers
Implied Points (Weeks 1-11)
| Kicker | Team | Difference | Implied Points | Fantasy PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Folk | NE | 0.2339 | 9.9661 | 10.2 |
| Rodrigo Blankenship | IND | -1.8738 | 9.8738 | 8.0 |
| Greg Joseph | MIN | 0.1646 | 9.5354 | 9.7 |
| Greg Zuerlein | DAL | -0.9030 | 9.1030 | 8.2 |
| Tyler Bass | BUF | 0.0722 | 9.0278 | 9.1 |
| Joey Slye | WAS | 0.0433 | 8.4568 | 8.5 |
| Randy Bullock | TEN | 0.0490 | 8.3510 | 8.4 |
| Daniel Carlson | LV | -0.0510 | 8.3510 | 8.3 |
| Chris Blewitt | WAS | -3.3510 | 8.3510 | 5.0 |
| Mason Crosby | GB | -1.1510 | 8.3510 | 7.2 |
| Justin Tucker | BAL | 0.4336 | 8.2664 | 8.7 |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | 1.2182 | 8.1818 | 9.4 |
| Dustin Hopkins | LAC | -0.1818 | 8.1818 | 8.0 |
| Matt Prater | ARI | 0.0797 | 8.1203 | 8.2 |
| Matt Gay | LAR | 0.6874 | 8.0126 | 8.7 |
| Zane Gonzalez | CAR | 0.3412 | 7.7588 | 8.1 |
| Brandon McManus | DEN | -0.3588 | 7.7588 | 7.4 |
| Evan McPherson | CIN | 0.9258 | 7.6742 | 8.6 |
| Ryan Succop | TB | -0.1742 | 7.6742 | 7.5 |
| Graham Gano | NYG | 0.7104 | 7.5896 | 8.3 |
| Brian Johnson | NO | 0.2950 | 7.5050 | 7.8 |
| Jake Elliott | PHI | 0.6719 | 7.4281 | 8.1 |
| Harrison Butker | KC | 0.5795 | 7.1205 | 7.7 |
| Michael Badgley | IND | 0.3784 | 7.0216 | 7.4 |
| Robbie Gould | SF | 1.0590 | 6.9410 | 8.0 |
| Austin Seibert | DET | -0.3180 | 6.5180 | 6.2 |
| Younghoe Koo | ATL | 0.3640 | 6.2360 | 6.6 |
| Jason Sanders | MIA | -0.4206 | 6.1206 | 5.7 |
| Chase McLaughlin | CLE | 0.5332 | 5.9668 | 6.5 |
| Matt Ammendola | NYJ | -1.0438 | 5.6438 | 4.6 |
| Matthew Wright | JAX | 0.1287 | 5.5713 | 5.7 |
| Cairo Santos | CHI | -0.0592 | 5.5592 | 5.5 |
| Jason Myers | SEA | -0.0746 | 5.4746 | 5.4 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | HOU | -0.5087 | 5.2087 | 4.7 |
| Tristan Vizcaino | LAC | -0.4080 | 5.1080 | 4.7 |
| Ryan Santoso | DET | -0.4670 | 4.9670 | 4.5 |
| Brett Maher | NO | 0.0330 | 4.9670 | 5.0 |
| Aldrick Rosas | DET | -0.7978 | 4.7978 | 4.0 |
| Josh Lambo | JAX | -2.7030 | 4.4030 | 1.7 |
| Lirim Hajrullahu | DAL | 1.7250 | 3.2750 | 5.0 |
| Cody Parkey | NO | -0.2750 | 3.2750 | 3.0 |
After being relied upon heavily on Thursday Night Football, Nick Folk is now the leader in expected fantasy points for the year. Additionally, Greg Zuerlein went back to his normal usage back from the COVID-19 list. The same cannot be said for Tyler Bass and Randy Bullock, who combined for a grand total of zero fantasy points last week. Also, Joey Slye maintained his strong usage as Washington’s new kicker, which is in line with the usage of Chris Blewitt. Thus, I’d recommend picking him up and starting him in a favorable matchup against the Seahawks this week.
Hopefully, this helps explain my thought process when it comes to my kicker rankings. Speaking of which, here they are!
Week 12 Kicker Rankings
BYES: ARI, KC
More Week 12 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Kicker | D/ST | PPR | Flex
| Rnk | Kicker | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Zuerlein | DAL | LV |
| 2 | Tyler Bass | BUF | NO |
| 3 | Nick Folk | NE | TEN |
| 4 | Greg Joseph | MIN | SF |
| 5 | Justin Tucker | BAL | CLE |
| 6 | Daniel Carlson | LV | DAL |
| 7 | Matt Gay | LAR | GB |
| 8 | Randy Bullock | TEN | NE |
| 9 | Zane Gonzalez | CAR | MIA |
| 10 | Ryan Succop | TB | IND |
| 11 | Joey Slye | WSH | SEA |
| 12 | Dustin Hopkins | LAC | DEN |
| 13 | Chris Boswell | PIT | CIN |
| 14 | Mason Crosby | GB | LAR |
| 15 | Jake Elliot | PHI | NYG |
| 16 | Robbie Gould | SF | MIN |
| 17 | Evan McPherson | CIN | PIT |
| 18 | Brandon McManus | DEN | LAC |
| 19 | Graham Gano | NYG | PHI |
| 20 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | JAX |
| 21 | Michael Badgley | IND | TB |
| 22 | Brian Johnson | NO | BUF |
| 23 | Jason Myers | SEA | WSH |
| 24 | Cairo Santos | CHI | DET |
| 25 | Kaimi Fairbairn | HOU | NYJ |
| 26 | Matthew Wright | JAX | ATL |
| 27 | Jason Sanders | MIA | CAR |
| 28 | Chase McLaughlin | CLE | BAL |
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