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Kickers are people, too! While kickers are people, they are the least exciting position in fantasy football. However, they do matter! Last year, there were 123 weekly performances where a kicker scored 10 or more fantasy points. However, there were only 19 performers where a kicker scored 15 or more fantasy points and only four with 20 or more.
Those four kickers were Brett Maher, Tyler Bass, Chase McLaughlin, and Jake Elliott. According to Sleeper ADP, only Bass and Elliott have an ADP inside the top six kickers. That brings me to my pet peeve with kickers -- don’t draft Justin Tucker. The future Hall of Famer is arguably the best kicker of all time. However, he doesn’t give you an elite edge in fantasy football.
Last year, Tucker averaged only one fantasy point per game more than Michael Badgley. Yet, fantasy players have to spend an 11th or 12th-round pick to secure the former Longhorn. He isn’t worth the draft cost. Instead, here are four kickers that fantasy players should target in the final round of their draft this year.
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Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons
The former Georgia Southern star has become one of the top kickers in the NFL. Younghoe Koo has made over 90% of the field goal attempts since his rookie year. Furthermore, he has only six missed extra-point attempts on 126 career tries.
More importantly, the veteran has been a reliable kicker from a long distance. Koo has converted 80% of his field goals from 50 or more yards away in his career (20-25).
Last year, he converted 86.5% of his field goal attempts, the lowest conversion rate since his rookie season. Yet, that was still the eighth-highest in the NFL among kickers, with at least 26 field goal attempts.
More importantly, Koo was a top-five fantasy kicker last season, averaging 8.4 fantasy points per game. The veteran has made some clutch game-winning kicks in his career and is an underrated fantasy kicker.
Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks
After spending time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets early in his career, Jason Myers has found a home in Seattle. The veteran kicker has spent the past four years with the Seahawks, making over 87.5% of his field goal attempts with the team.
Furthermore, he made all 24 of his field goal attempts during the 2020 season. More importantly, Myers was one of the top-scoring kickers in fantasy football last year.
The veteran was the third-highest-scoring kicker, averaging 9.1 fantasy points per game, only 0.3 fewer fantasy points per game than Justin Tucker. However, Tucker made 86% of his field goal attempts last year, while Myers made 91.9%.
Furthermore, the veteran finished fifth in the NFL in conversion rate among kickers with at least 23 field goal attempts. The Seahawks should be one of the top-scoring offenses again in 2023, creating plenty of opportunities for Myers.
Greg Zuerlein, New York Jets
Last year, the veteran kicker showed why his nicknames are “Greg the Leg” and “Legatron” after he set the franchise record with a 60-yard field goal in Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Greg Zuerlein had a solid first year with the Jets, ending the 2022 season as the 11th-highest-scoring kicker, averaging 7.6 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he had four double-digit fantasy performances last season.
Two of his double-digit fantasy performances totaled 16 or more fantasy points, including 18 in the matchup against the Vikings. While fantasy players would like to get more than 7.6 fantasy points per game from their kicker, Zuerlein should have more opportunities to score points this year.
Last season, the Jets averaged only 17.4 points per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. That average should vastly improve this year with Aaron Rodgers on the team.
Nick Folk, Tennessee Titans
The veteran kicker recently got traded from the New England Patriots to the Titans. Last year, New England didn’t have an explosive offense. However, that can sometimes work out in the kicker’s favor. Nick Folk has averaged at least eight fantasy points per game in three of his four seasons with the Patriots.
The veteran kicker averaged 2.3 field goal attempts per game in those three years. Furthermore, he had over 35 field goal attempts for the fourth time in his career last season, marking the second consecutive year Folk has hit that.
More importantly, the veteran was the sixth-highest-scoring kicker. He was averaging eight fantasy points per game, only 0.3 fewer fantasy points per game than Tyler Bass. Yet, the Patriots averaged seven fewer points per game than the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
Folk made 86.5% of his field goal attempts last season, making it the third consecutive year the former Arizona kicker hit over 86% of his attempts. While he is joining a new team this year, expect the veteran kicker to remain one of the top options in fantasy football.
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