RADIO
The NFL's preseason has come to an end. By Saturday afternoon, all NFL rosters need to be cut down to 53 players. Over 1,000 players will be cut by 4:00 p.m. Fortunately for most of the players that we're looking at today, they have their spots locked up. It's time to look at everyone's favorite position for fantasy football. That's right... we're talking about kickers.
Moreso this year than in past seasons have fantasy leagues continued to drop the kicker position in favor of one more flex or wide receiver or what have you. For those of you that hold steadfast in your kicker ways, I'm here to make it all go right for you.
In addition to these draft rankings, our kicker rankings will be updated on a weekly basis, and, if a player suffers an injury or is no longer the starter for some other reason, the appropriate change will be made as quickly as possible. For 2019, this is roughly how I expect the rankings to turn out. Good teams with good kickers will be near the top, and they'll downgrade as we move down the list.
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Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings
Below are RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings for the 2019 fantasy football season. These rankings are compiled by Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Scott Engel, Bill Dubiel, Dominick Petrillo and Spencer Aguiar.
In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was the #11 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season, and #9 overall in 2017. Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.
| Position Rank | Overall Rank | Player Name | Position Tier | Overall Tier |
| 1 | 197 | Harrison Butker | 1 | 11 |
| 2 | 208 | Greg Zuerlein | 1 | 11 |
| 3 | 211 | Wil Lutz | 1 | 12 |
| 4 | 221 | Stephen Gostkowski | 1 | 12 |
| 5 | 232 | Justin Tucker | 2 | 12 |
| 6 | 237 | Jake Elliott | 2 | 12 |
| 7 | 260 | Austin Seibert | 2 | 13 |
| 8 | 265 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | 2 | 13 |
| 9 | 270 | Brett Maher | 3 | 13 |
| 10 | 272 | Dan Bailey | 3 | 13 |
| 11 | 274 | Jason Myers | 3 | 14 |
| 12 | 278 | Robbie Gould | 3 | 14 |
| 13 | 283 | Matt Gay | 4 | 14 |
| 14 | 285 | Mason Crosby | 4 | 14 |
| 15 | 288 | Michael Badgley | 4 | 14 |
| 16 | 293 | Joey Slye | 4 | 14 |
| 17 | 296 | Chris Boswell | 4 | 14 |
| 18 | 307 | Matt Prater | 4 | 14 |
| 19 | 317 | Matt Bryant | 5 | 15 |
| 20 | 329 | Steven Hauschka | 5 | 15 |
| 21 | 341 | Adam Vinatieri | 5 | 15 |
| 22 | 344 | Brandon McManus | 5 | 15 |
| 23 | 350 | Taylor Bertolet | 5 | 15 |
| 24 | 351 | Eddy Pineiro | 6 | 15 |
| 25 | 353 | Daniel Carlson | 6 | 15 |
| 26 | 358 | Cairo Santos | 6 | 15 |
| 27 | 362 | Aldrick Rosas | 6 | 16 |
| 28 | 369 | Josh Lambo | 6 | 16 |
| 29 | 370 | Dustin Hopkins | 6 | 16 |
| 30 | 374 | Zane Gonzalez | 6 | 16 |
| 31 | 392 | Randy Bullock | 6 | 16 |
| 32 | 422 | Jason Sanders | 6 | 17 |
Kicker Rankings Analysis
When looking through the initial rankings, a lot of the top offenses are at the top of this list. Among offenses that I expect to finish in the top half of the league, the only two kickers I have questions about are Eddy Pineiro of the Chicago Bears and Giorgio Tavecchio of the Atlanta Falcons. Throughout this preseason, both have struggled terribly. Pineiro might still lose the starting job after barely winning the war of attrition, and Tavecchio has been getting pushed by Blair Walsh as well as long-time starter Matt Bryant.
Both could finish well above these rankings, but, with how much they've struggled so far, I couldn't reasonably rank them above the guys ahead of them. My big sleeper of the year is Matt Gay of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I have him 13th in my rankings, and that could honestly be low. If head coach Bruce Arians is able to spin some more quarterback magic with Jameis Winston, this offense has some scary-good potential.
Tier One
In the top tier, we have the usual suspects. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Dustin Hopkins is in what should or could be the number one offense in football. Unless things drastically fall apart, he's going to finish at or near the top of the position this year. Slightly behind him, we have Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein. When he's been healthy, he's been a consistent top kicking threat. He goes a little early in fantasy drafts, but, if you end up with him, you'll have no complaints about it.
Next, we have New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz. The Saints are consistently a top offense on a weekly basis. Even if they don't score a ton of touchdowns, they'll get down into the red zone. Finally, in the top tier, we have New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Gostkowski has been the most consistent kicker over the last decade. Unless father time finally catches quarterback Tom Brady, they'll continue to plug along with Gostkowski as a top-five kicker.
Tier Two
Tier two has a couple of names that may surprise. The top name on the list shouldn't though as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, Baltimore Ravens' kicker Justin Tucker, has been the NFL's best at the position over the last five years. The Ravens' offense is expected to take a step forward this season which is a positive sign for Tucker. Behind him, we have Philadelphia Eagles' kicker Jake Elliot. As long as quarterback Carson Wentz is healthy, this Eagles' offense should be very good. For Elliot, the NFC East consistently has games that finish with multiple field goals which boost his opportunities to score.
Cleveland Browns kicker Austin Seibert is probably going to raise some eyebrows, but, if this Browns offense is everything everyone expects it to be, this is right about the range I expect him to finish. Similar to Elliot, the AFC North has a lot of games that aren't always high scoring and kickers get a good amount of work. Wrapping up this second tier is Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. Fairbairn was a consistent threat last year for the Texans, and their offense should only be better this season with all of the skill players healthy.
Tier Three
Tier three is full of players we've seen for a while. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher has the luxury of playing in a good offense, and he plays in a dome. Dome kickers have the luxury of always having a good playing surface. That just makes the case to take him all the better especially if quarterback Dak Prescott takes the next step. Next, we have the ever-consistent Minnesota Vikings kicker Dan Bailey. Bailey is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. The Vikings offense figures to be more low-scoring than in the past couple of seasons, but they should still give him opportunities to score.
Behind him is Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers. Myers plays on a team that has changed their game plan from living on the defense to a much more high-scoring group. He should have a top-10 campaign this season. Wrapping up tier three, we head down from Seattle to the Bay area to find San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould. After he signed the second-most expensive kicker contract in history, he's locked himself in with a team that is hoping to be one of the NFL's best with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Even if they aren't, Gould will continue to be gold for them and his fantasy owners.
Tier Four
Among the kickers in these rankings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Gay is the one that could outperform his ranking the most. The Bucs are expected to have an elite offense under Arians. Gay will be one of the many beneficiaries of that. After beating out kicker Sam Ficken in training camp, Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby will continue to be a consistent fantasy threat. If the team's offense takes a step forward like they're hoping, Crosby could see a major point increase.
Los Angeles Chargers kicker Michael Badgley finished in the bottom half of the position last season, but he should improve this year. The Chargers offense has a ton of weapons, and they're expected to be one of the top units in football this season. Behind Badgley, we find an unfamiliar face in Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye. Long-time kicker Graham Gano (leg) was placed on injured reserve to end his season. In his place, is the young Slye with a big leg. The opportunities will be the same, but we have to be wary of his nerves throughout the year.
Next up, we have Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell. The "Wizard of Boz" has had some great and not so great moments early in his NFL career. Kicking for the Steelers gives him scoring opportunities behind a good offense, but he also kicks at Heinz Field where the playing surface has had many questionable outings in recent years. To close out this tier, we have Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater. Prater has been a fantasy fixture for years, especially during his time with the Denver Broncos. Unfortunately for him, the Lions are moving towards a more defensive-minded approach which means less scoring opportunities.
Tier Five
To lead off the fifth tier, we head to the Atlanta Falcons' kicker Matt Bryant. Bryant has been locked in kicker for the past decade. After watching the struggles of kickers Blair Walsh and Giorgio Tavecchio, they have brought Bryant in. Bryant's leg has diminished in strength, and he's dealt with injuries over the past couple of years. However, if his accuracy is still there, he has a chance to shoot way up these rankings. Behind Bryant, we have another familiar face. Buffalo Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka just received a new contract. The Bills offense should be better than last year, but they still have a fair number of question marks that keep Hauschka from moving higher up on this list.
After Hauschka, we have Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri who took a huge fall in the rankings after quarterback Andrew Luck announced his retirement. He'll still be an accurate threat especially inside of 40 yards, but it's hard to tell how many times those opportunities will happen. For the first time in a long time, Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is in the bottom third of kickers. This offense just doesn't appear that exciting and could struggle to score points. To round out this tier, we have New York Jets kicker Taylor Bertolet. The Jets offense is supposed to take a step forward, but head coach Adam Gase just doesn't give the good vibes of bringing that to them.
Tier Six
In our final tier, we have a bunch of guys that you play if the matchup is right but not otherwise. Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro gets the top spot in this group because he plays on the best offense. After his performance this preseason though, he leaves a ton to be desired. Oakland Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson gets the next spot on this list. The Raiders offense should be better this year, but they're still nothing crazy with a lot of question marks on that side of the ball. We don't like question marks when we're talking about kickers.
Tenessee Titans kicker Cairo Santos grabs out next spot. His ranking slid this year because of the struggles of quarterback Marcus Mariota and an offense that doesn't expect to score a lot of points. After Santos, we have New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas. He's a solid player in an unfortunate circumstance. This offense could easily be in the bottom five of the NFL despite having running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Evan Engram. He sadly should be avoided.
After Rosas, we have Josh Lambo of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last season, the Jaguars looked awful compared to the way they performed in 2017. They should improve this year, but they still lack any superstar threats on offense. Dustin Hopkins of the Washington Redskins is here now. We're splitting hairs at this point, but the offense could have some explosive players that could give him some extra opportunities.
Arizona Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez plays on an offense that could be one of the NFL's best. However, with a rookie quarterback in Kyler Murray and a rookie head coach. There's too much guesswork to be confident in starting him. We're in the final two now, and Cincinnati Bengals kicker Dustin Hopkins gets the nod over our number 32 kicker. Hopkins gets the nod simply because, as bad as the Bengals should be, they still have plenty of playmakers. Bringing up the rear, we have Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders. Sanders is playing on a team that has issues at each of the major positions on offense, and the defense doesn't figure to be that much better.
More Fantasy Football Rankings Analysis
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.
