It’s a new year. Relying on 2023 alone when creating your fantasy football rankings for 2024 is dangerous, as much has changed across the landscape. Here is my early look at the kicker position and how I see the players stacking up for the upcoming season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Kickers
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF
1) Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens
2) Tyler Bass | Buffalo Bills
3) Harrison Butker | Kansas City Chiefs
4) Evan McPherson | Cincinnati Bengals
5) Daniel Carlson | Las Vegas Raiders
6) Jake Elliott | Philadelphia Eagles
7) Jason Sanders | Miami Dolphins
8) Younghoe Koo | Atlanta Falcons
9) Jason Myers | Seattle Seahawks
10) Cameron Dicker | Los Angeles Chargers
11) Dustin Hopkins | Cleveland Browns
12) Jake Moody | San Francisco 49ers
13) Brandon Aubrey | Dallas Cowboys
14) Ka’imi Fairbairn | Houston Texans
15) Matt Gay | Indianapolis Colts
16) Wil Lutz | Denver Broncos
17) Greg Joseph | Green Bay Packers
18) Greg Zuerlein | New York Jets
19) Chris Boswell | Pittsburgh Steelers
20) Michael Badgley | Detroit Lions
21) Nick Folk | Tennessee Titans
22) Riley Patterson | Jacksonville Jaguars
23) Cairo Santos | Chicago Bears
24) Graham Gano | New York Giants
25) Matt Prater | Arizona Cardinals
Who Are the Best Kickers To Draft in Fantasy?
Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
Why get cute? Tucker has been a top-five producer at the position in three consecutive seasons. Even after a slow first month last season, he finished as K8 or better eight times in a 10-game stretch.
Tucker has made 90.2% of his career field-goal attempts and is part of a Todd Monken offense that should rank among the five highest scoring in the sport this season. Drafting a kicker in the middle rounds is asking to lose value, and even the great Tucker isn’t worth that investment.
However, if you play in a sharp league where all kickers last until the final few rounds, I don’t mind jumping to the front of the line and taking Tucker in the 13th round, understanding that the sleeper Flex player you’d otherwise take in that spot will likely still be available a round or two later.
Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons
Kicker production can be highly variable week over week, so I prefer to draft a profile and go from there.
- Offense with upside
- Indoor home field
- Length
Is that oversimplifying things? Maybe, but it’s a strategy that has worked in the past and one that Koo fits perfectly.
He’s nailed 78.3% of his career 50+ yard field-goal attempts at home, and the excitement around Atlanta’s offense as a whole is palpable with Kirk Cousins now leading the way.
As for weather evaluation, it’s not a strength of mine. Meteorology was the class I came closest to failing in college, and it’s very likely that you have a better understanding of weather fronts/patterns than I do.
That said, I know that indoor games are weatherproof and that the Falcons play six of seven games from Weeks 9-16 under a roof. The lone exception? A Week 11 date with the Broncos at altitude.
The Week 12 bye is a bit of a pain, but at that point, it’s likely that you have some dead weight on your roster and that, for one week, rostering two kickers is viable.