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It's time to look at everyone's favorite position for fantasy football. That's right... we're talking about kickers!
More so this year than in the past, fantasy leagues continue to drop the kicker position in favor of one more flex spots. 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 weekly kicker rankings will be updated throughout the season 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.
Some teams have obvious kicker battles and some will have unexpected ones crop up. It happens without fail. For the most part, this is roughly how I expect the 2021 kicker rankings to turn out. Good teams with good kickers will be near the top, and they'll downgrade accordingly as we move down the list.
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Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings
Below are RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings for the 2021 fantasy football season. These rankings are compiled by Nick Mariano, Brandon Murchison, Pierre Camus, Scott Engel, and Michael Florio.
In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was one of the most accurate industry expert rankers for the previous several seasons. Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel is a veteran of the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.
| Pos. Rank | Pos. Tier | Player Name | Overall Tier | Overall Rank |
| 1 | 1 | Harrison Butker | 11 | 179 |
| 2 | 1 | Younghoe Koo | 11 | 183 |
| 3 | 1 | Justin Tucker | 11 | 194 |
| 4 | 2 | Greg Zuerlein | 12 | 209 |
| 5 | 2 | Rodrigo Blankenship | 12 | 216 |
| 6 | 2 | Wil Lutz | 13 | 218 |
| 7 | 2 | Tyler Bass | 13 | 225 |
| 8 | 2 | Ryan Succop | 13 | 232 |
| 9 | 3 | Robbie Gould | 13 | 237 |
| 10 | 3 | Matt Prater | 13 | 239 |
| 11 | 3 | Jason Sanders | 13 | 243 |
| 12 | 3 | Matt Gay | 14 | 254 |
| 13 | 3 | Mason Crosby | 14 | 259 |
| 14 | 4 | Jason Myers | 14 | 268 |
| 15 | 4 | Michael Badgley | 15 | 274 |
| 16 | 4 | Jake Elliott | 15 | 280 |
| 17 | 4 | Joey Slye | 15 | 306 |
| 18 | 4 | Brandon McManus | 16 | 329 |
| 19 | 4 | Chris Boswell | 17 | 355 |
| 20 | 4 | Zane Gonzalez | 17 | 366 |
| 21 | 5 | Dan Bailey | 18 | 386 |
| 22 | 5 | Daniel Carlson | 18 | 393 |
| 23 | 5 | Josh Lambo | 18 | 395 |
| 24 | 5 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | 18 | 399 |
| 25 | 6 | Dustin Hopkins | 18 | 403 |
| 26 | 6 | Cairo Santos | 18 | 417 |
| 27 | 6 | Cody Parkey | 18 | 420 |
| 28 | 6 | Graham Gano | 18 | 423 |
| 29 | 6 | Daniel Carlson | 18 | 425 |
| 30 | 6 | Evan McPherson | 18 | 435 |
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 Tyler Bass and Robbie Gould. Gould gets a lot of higher projections this year but he is 38 and only attempted 23 field goals. Will San Francisco give him a few more looks with a healthier offense? That remains to be seen.
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 Graham Gano. I have him 23rd in my rankings, and that could honestly be low. If the New York Giants can muster any kind of improved offense this year over the first half last year, that will be something. Also, Gano kicked 31 field goals out of 32 attempts last year. That gets forgotten.
Tier One
In the top tier, we have the usual suspects. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker 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 Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo. When he is on, he is scary good. Koo led the NFL with 37 field goals made in 15 contests last year. This year, there are 17 games. Keep that in mind.
Next, we have Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens offense is stacked again and Tucker could easily make 30+ field goals and a bunch of extra points. The problem this year is with so much uncertainty among kickers, gauging after the first couple of tiers feels like negotiating a hot potato.
Tier Two
Tier two has a couple of names that may surprise. The top name is Ryan Succop of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes, that is the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers. Some could lump into the top tier but Tampa Bay has so many weapons that maybe Succop kicks a few fewer field goals and about the same amount of extra points.
Tyler Bass is on our list but if he yanks a few field goal attempts in the pre-season then watch out. The Buffalo Bills kicker may have to look over his shoulder with increased expectations.
New Orleans kicker Will Lutz worries us a bit with the Drew Brees retirement. It will be intriguing to see how the New Orleans offense looks this year. Maybe it will result in more field-goal attempts again. He may be a bit of a disappointment in the sense that 57 extra points made feel unlikely, to say the least.
Greg Zuerlein is also up here because he will kick just enough field goals to make this list. Rodrigo Blankenship is our one to watch though and it is not entirely his fault. See what happens with the Carson Wentz injury as the season approaches. That could be a pivotal decision with Blankenship, who made 32 of 37 last year in Indianapolis for the Colts.
Tier Three
Tier three is full of players we've seen and some that could rise. Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders has the luxury of playing in a good offense, and he plays in a mostly warm to hot climate. Hey, footballs travel further in warmer weather climates. Sanders kicked 36 of 39 field goals last year for the Dolphins and could see just as many opportunities this year with an offense that figures to be pretty good.
Some have concerns about Crosby but he was well preserved last year. He only attempted 16 kicks and made all 16. Expect some more to go through the uprights in 2021.
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 provided that San Francisco can stay healthier than 2020.
Tier Four
Among the kickers in these rankings, Los Angeles Rams kicker Matt Gay is the one that could outperform his ranking the most. The Rams should have a better offense with Matthew Stafford throwing the ball instead of Jared Goff. At the very worst, Stafford will stretch the field which should lead to more opportunities.
Philadelphia Eagles Jake Elliott which is a case of potential, extreme frustration, and possibly could get cut too. The Eagles saw him only attempt 19 field goals and convert just 14. If he struggles at all during the preseason, Philadelphia expects more out of its offense and they may just find another kicker.
Michael Badgley of the Los Angeles Chargers may be in a similar position. He missed nine field goals in 33 attempts last year and cost the Chargers a couple of games to boot. Needless to say, August will be a pivotal month for these two kickers.
Joey Slye is a good kicker in an interesting situation. Does anyone know what to really expect with the Carolina Panthers' offense? Despite that, Slye might come close to 30 field goals made when the season is over. Again, remember there are 17 games in the NFL season. It will be a point hammered home again and again.
Tier Five
The same goes for Brandon McManus who figures to have a bit better of an offense in front of him for the Denver Broncos. After all, it could not have gone much worse than last year.
After McManus, we have plenty of question marks. The first is Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker Josh Lambo. He only played in four games last year but was perfect from the field as they say. Jacksonville looks to have a marginally improved offense. He could be overlooked in a few leagues. Consider him a deeper waiver option.
Chris Boswell from the Pittsburgh Steelers is in this group because let's face it, Pittsburgh does not attempt a ton of field goals. Boswell had just 20 attempts in 13 contests last year. That does not figure to change much in 2021.
Tier Six
In our final tier, we have a bunch of guys that you play if the matchup is right but not otherwise. There is one exception and that is Graham Gano. He averaged two field goals made a week and if the offense in New York even remotely improves, that could be enough to get him in the upper half of most rankings. He is our one to take a shot on in a division that is still offensive when it comes to defense.
Cody Parkey was actually pretty good for Cleveland as he kicked 19 of 22 field goals last year. Everyone remembers what happened in Chicago but he seems to have put that behind him. He could actually have an even better 2021.
Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos grabs another one of those hey he could surprise spots. What might the Chicago offense look like this year? Who winds up starting ultimately? There are plenty of questions which the only reason why Santos is so low. One should look to scoop him up once things become clearer in training camp.
After that, there are still many question marks because it is August. Preseason games have not even taken place yet so just hang in there and get ready for the chaos that is August in the NFL. Surely, there will be just a few changes between now and Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season.
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