It’s important to enter your fantasy football drafts with a good set of rankings. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but having a valuable baseline to help guide you throughout your draft is a necessary starting point. Here are our fantasy kicker rankings, including a couple of highlighted players worth further discussion.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Kickers
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF
1) Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens
2) Brandon Aubrey | Dallas Cowboys
3) Evan McPherson | Cincinnati Bengals
4) Younghoe Koo | Atlanta Falcons
5) Jason Sanders | Miami Dolphins
6) Harrison Butker | Kansas City Chiefs
7) Jake Elliott | Philadelphia Eagles
8) Ka’imi Fairbairn | Houston Texans
9) Tyler Bass | Buffalo Bills
10) Jake Moody | San Francisco 49ers
11) Dustin Hopkins | Cleveland Browns
12) Matt Gay | Indianapolis Colts
13) Michael Badgley | Detroit Lions
14) Cameron Dicker | Los Angeles Chargers
15) Jason Myers | Seattle Seahawks
16) Cairo Santos | Chicago Bears
17) Daniel Carlson | Las Vegas Raiders
18) Blake Grupe | New Orleans Saints
19) Greg Zuerlein | New York Jets
20) Wil Lutz | Denver Broncos
21) Chase McLaughlin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22) Chris Boswell | Pittsburgh Steelers
23) Greg Joseph | Green Bay Packers
24) Eddy Piñeiro | Carolina Panthers
25) Anders Carlson | Green Bay Packers
26) Graham Gano | New York Giants
27) Matt Prater | Arizona Cardinals
28) Nick Folk | Tennessee Titans
29) Riley Patterson | Jacksonville Jaguars
30) Joey Slye | New England Patriots
31) Joshua Karty | Los Angeles Rams
32) Will Reichard | Minnesota Vikings
Who Are the Best Kickers To Draft In Fantasy?
Evan McPherson
You shouldn’t spend up to draft a kicker. Always wait until the last round or two before drafting one. The thing is, though, almost every fantasy manager in your league is going to do the same thing. That means even when we get to those final couple of rounds, the top kickers are still available.
Two short years ago, Evan McPherson was one of the top kickers ahead of fantasy drafts. He was a top three kicker as a rookie in 2021.
Last year, McPherson didn’t really have a chance. The Bengals offense was a disaster between Joe Burrow’s calf strain and then his season-ending wrist ligament tear.
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As a result, McPherson attempted four fewer extra points than the year before and eight fewer than his rookie year. This is despite playing in an extra game.
With Burrow back healthy, the Bengals should be humming along offensively, creating more scoring opportunities, allowing McPherson to return to the ranks of the top kickers.
Jake Bates
There’s a very good chance most of you don’t know who Jake Bates is. The rookie kicker spent the early part of this season in the UFL with the Michigan Panthers. His first ever field goal attempt was a 64-yard game-winner as time expired.
The kid has a massive leg, and head coach Dan Campbell won’t be afraid to send him out for long attempts. Bates drilled three kicks from 60+ in his debut UFL season.
The Lions sport one of the best offenses in football. They are going to score a lot. Campbell’s fourth down aggressiveness will certainly result in some situations that would otherwise be field goals end up being extra points or nothing. Nevertheless, there should be plenty of opportunities for Bates to score fantasy points. He’s going to be a complete afterthought in fantasy drafts. If you’re the type to be the last team to draft a kicker, take Bates.
Check out PFN’s Fantasy Rankings for each position: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF