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 16 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 16: Waiver Wire | FAAB Guide | Start & Sit | Loves & Hates | Stock Watch | Sleepers & Streamers | D/ST Streamers
Implied Points (Weeks 1-15)
| Kicker | Team | Difference | Implied Points | Fantasy PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Folk | NE | 0.097 | 10.103 | 10.2 |
| Rodrigo Blankenship | IND | -1.874 | 9.874 | 8.0 |
| Greg Zuerlein | DAL | -0.853 | 9.653 | 8.8 |
| Greg Joseph | MIN | -0.116 | 9.016 | 8.9 |
| Daniel Carlson | LV | 0.205 | 8.895 | 9.1 |
| Mason Crosby | GB | -0.993 | 8.593 | 7.6 |
| Matt Gay | LAR | 0.868 | 8.532 | 9.4 |
| Tyler Bass | BUF | 0.049 | 8.351 | 8.4 |
| Chris Blewitt | WAS | -3.351 | 8.351 | 5.0 |
| Evan McPherson | CIN | 0.930 | 8.170 | 9.1 |
| Justin Tucker | BAL | 0.830 | 8.170 | 9.0 |
| Matt Prater | ARI | 0.430 | 8.170 | 8.6 |
| Randy Bullock | TEN | -0.391 | 8.091 | 7.7 |
| Chris Boswell | PIT | 0.551 | 8.049 | 8.6 |
| Joey Slye | WAS | 0.019 | 7.881 | 7.9 |
| Dustin Hopkins | LAC | -0.207 | 7.807 | 7.6 |
| Harrison Butker | KC | 0.814 | 7.686 | 8.5 |
| Robbie Gould | SF | 0.410 | 7.590 | 8.0 |
| Michael Badgley | IND | -0.090 | 7.590 | 7.5 |
| Jake Elliott | PHI | 0.595 | 7.505 | 8.1 |
| Graham Gano | NYG | 0.255 | 7.445 | 7.7 |
| Ryan Succop | TB | -0.142 | 7.142 | 7.0 |
| Eddy Piñeiro | NYJ | 0.418 | 7.082 | 7.5 |
| Zane Gonzalez | CAR | 0.430 | 6.871 | 7.3 |
| Brandon McManus | DEN | 0.060 | 6.840 | 6.9 |
| Jason Sanders | MIA | -0.459 | 6.659 | 6.2 |
| Riley Patterson | DET | 0.541 | 6.659 | 7.2 |
| Austin Seibert | DET | -0.318 | 6.518 | 6.2 |
| Brett Maher | NO | -0.290 | 6.490 | 6.2 |
| Cairo Santos | CHI | -0.336 | 6.236 | 5.9 |
| Younghoe Koo | ATL | 0.485 | 6.115 | 6.6 |
| Chase McLaughlin | CLE | -0.055 | 6.055 | 6.0 |
| Matt Ammendola | NYJ | -1.244 | 6.044 | 4.8 |
| Brian Johnson | WAS | 0.450 | 5.450 | 5.9 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn | HOU | 0.225 | 5.275 | 5.5 |
| Jason Myers | SEA | -0.148 | 5.148 | 5.0 |
| Tristan Vizcaino | LAC | -0.408 | 5.108 | 4.7 |
| Ryan Santoso | DET | -0.467 | 4.967 | 4.5 |
| Matthew Wright | JAX | 0.310 | 4.890 | 5.2 |
| Aldrick Rosas | DET | -0.798 | 4.798 | 4.0 |
| Josh Lambo | JAX | -2.703 | 4.403 | 1.7 |
| Lirim Hajrullahu | DAL | 1.725 | 3.275 | 5.0 |
| Cody Parkey | NO | -0.275 | 3.275 | 3.0 |
| Alex Kessman | NYJ | -0.737 | 0.737 | 0.0 |
With the Cowboys continuing to be conservative on fourth downs as of late, Greg Zuerlein continues to move closer to the #1 spot on this list, though Nick Folk still holds it as of now. With Zuerlein’s Cowboys projected for more points against the Washington Football Team than the Patriots are against the Bills, I have Zuerlein as the #1 kicker of the week. Yes, past usage matters, but we need to adjust that to amount of points they are projected to score this week, and compare it to previous norms. Folk, for example, is likely to be hurt by the fact that New England is facing one of the tougher defenses in the NFL, while kickers like Dustin Hopkins and Jake Elliot rise up the rankings due to very favorable matchups.
Hopefully, this helps explain my thought process when it comes to my kicker rankings. Speaking of which, here they are!
Week 16 Kicker Rankings
More Week 16 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | PPR | Flex
| Rnk | Kicker | Team | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Zuerlein | DAL | WSH |
| 2 | Matt Gay | LAR | MIN |
| 3 | Nick Folk | NE | BUF |
| 4 | Greg Joseph | MIN | LAR |
| 5 | Tyler Bass | BUF | NE |
| 6 | Mason Crosby | GB | CLE |
| 7 | Matt Prater | ARI | IND |
| 8 | Justin Tucker | BAL | CIN |
| 9 | Daniel Carlson | LV | DEN |
| 10 | Dustin Hopkins | LAC | HOU |
| 11 | Evan McPherson | CIN | BAL |
| 12 | Jake Elliot | PHI | NYG |
| 13 | Robbie Gould | SF | TEN |
| 14 | Elliot Fry | KC | PIT |
| 15 | Randy Bullock | TEN | SF |
| 16 | Ryan Succop | TB | CAR |
| 17 | Chris Boswell | PIT | KC |
| 18 | Michael Badgley | IND | ARI |
| 19 | Brett Maher | NO | MIA |
| 20 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | DET |
| 21 | Riley Patterson | DET | ATL |
| 22 | Graham Gano | NYG | PHI |
| 23 | Brandon McManus | DEN | LV |
| 24 | Brian Johnson | WSH | DAL |
| 25 | Jason Sanders | MIA | NO |
| 26 | Jason Myers | SEA | CHI |
| 27 | Eddy Pineiro | NYJ | JAX |
| 28 | Matthew Wright | JAX | NYJ |
| 29 | Panthers Kicker | CAR | TB |
| 30 | Cairo Santos | CHI | SEA |
| 31 | Chase McLaughlin | CLE | GB |
| 32 | Kaimi Fairbairn | HOU | LAC |
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