They may not be the flashiest player on your fantasy team, but a few points from kickers can put you over the top of your competition. With six weeks left until the start of the college football season, it’s time to take a look into which kickers will keep your season from going wide right.
10. Louie Zervos, Ohio
Sophomore Louie Zervos finished as a top 10 kicker in fantasy last year as a freshman with his 29 field goals made. Of the 29 field goals, six of those came from 40-plus yards out. Zervos also finished his freshman season by making more field goals than any other college freshman ever. The stat that stands out about the Bobcat kicker is the 35 field goal attempts last season. His 35 attempts were the most for any kicker last season, which gives him more chances to score than any other kicker.
9. Greg Huegel, Clemson
Greg Huegel is one of the more productive kickers due to his offense Clemson has one of the more potent offenses in the nation and even with Deshaun Watson gone, the Tigers are still going to find ways to score this season. Huegel had some issues in the home stretch with extra points, but if he can fix the mistakes then he should be a top kicker this fantasy season.
8. Emmit Carpenter, Minnesota
Emmit Carpenter finished last season with the fifth most field goals made in the FBS. The stat that really stands out about Carpenter, however, is the 10 field goals made from 40-plus yards last season in which two were from 50-plus. Carpenter has proven to be reliable, missing on only two field goal attempts and one extra point. The 2016 Big Ten Kicker of the Year will be one of the best in field goal percentage and be a reliable fantasy option all season.
7. Ricky Aguayo, Florida State
Florida State has built a reputation for kickers with big names like Ricky’s brother Roberto Aguayo, Dustin Hopkins, Graham Gano, and the great Sebastian Janikowski. Ricky Aguayo is no exception, as he nailed 19 field goals last season with seven coming from 40-plus yards. Aguayo had a couple bad misses last season (including three in a loss to North Carolina) but the current FSU record holder for field goals in a single game is improving and will prove to be one of the best in 2017.
6. Michael Badgley, Miami FL
Michael Badgley set expectations high this season after breaking the Miami school record for field goals in a single game and tying the record for longest field goal, at 57 yards. Badgley hit 80.8 percent of his field goal attempts by going 21-for-26 on all field goal attempts. The stat that really stands out about Badgley is that he went 10-11 on field goals from 40+ yards. With a new inexperienced Quarterback playing for the U this season, the Canes will need Badgley as a reliable scoring option if Rozier fails to find the end zone.
5. John Baron II, San Diego State
John Baron II may not have Donnel Pumphrey to get him in range this season, but Rashaad Penny will make it easier for him. Baron II had an impressive 91.3 percent of his field goals last season, going 21-for-23 on field goal attempts including 6-for-8 from 40-plus yards. San Diego State will score often this season against Mountain West teams and that’s the appeal of Baron II. Last season Baron attempted 58 extra points which helped solidify him as a top ten fantasy option.
4. Tyler Davis, Penn State
Tyler Davis was a top 10 kicker with a 91.3 kicking percentage as he went 22-for-24, with the only two misses coming from blocks. He was also one of four kickers to not miss a single extra point in 2016 while also having more than 60 extra point attempts. With Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley back this season, Penn State will likely have the second most potent offense in the Big Ten, which means Davis is looking at sixty plus PATs again this season.
3. Redford Jones, Tulsa
Redford Jones is a beneficiary of a Tulsa offense that has been lightning over the past few seasons. Although Dane Evans is off playing for the Eagles now, Tulsa is still going to be almost as deadly on that side of the ball this season. Jones converted 67-of-67 extra points making him (as well as Tyler Davis) one of the four kickers with 100 percent accuracy on extra points with more than 60 attempts. The only concerning factor about Jones is his five missed field goals, but if he can limit that to two he will contend for the best kicking option for fantasy owners.
2. Jonathan Barnes, Louisiana Tech
The kicker who led the nation in extra points last season was Johnathan Barnes with 77… Wow. Barnes returns to an offense that loses its starting quarterback but benefits from one of the more plug and play offenses in college football at LA Tech. Barnes also missed five field goals last season which may hurt his stock but not much considering the extra point totals make up for it. Expect Barnes to be a top two kicker again this season.
1. Daniel Carlson, Auburn
Daniel Carlson is another reliable kicker in a long line of reliable kickers for Auburn, and he comes in at number one on this list due to his ability to kick from range. Last season, Carlson put 11-of-14 of his field goals from 40-plus through the uprights (all seven between 40 and 50 yards were good) which leagues that reward kickers for distance will see points rack up for Carlson. This season, the Tigers brought in Jarrett Stidham to play quarterback and allow him to kick extra points more often than last season in which Auburn rotated three quarterbacks.
Looking for help at Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Reciever, Tight End or Defense? Check out Fantrax’s other positional rankings for the 2017 season.