Fantasy Football Week 1 Kicker Rankings

September 9, 2020

I will be the first to admit I am against the industry normal when it comes to kickers in fantasy football. A lot of leagues have ditched the position through the years, and a lot of writers for the big box companies like to bash the position. However, the kicker position has been a staple in fantasy football since day one and if you do your homework each week, you can use it as an advantage against your opponent. Let’s just say, I spend way too much time each week researching kickers and heck, we even hosted a kicker only league at Bruno Boys for upward of a decade.

Check out Marc Caviglia’s fantasy football rankings and hot takes on the Week 1 kicker matchups:

I will keep this simple. If you own Harrison Butker, Justin Tucker or Will Lutz you start them weekly unless they are on a Bye. All three of those kickers give your fantasy football team an edge at the position each week.
The Atlanta Falcons are going to be in a lot of high scoring games this season and Younghoe Koo is a guy who I feel can become a top level kicker. He was 23 of 26 on field goals in just 8 games last year and was extremely accurate from 40-plus yards. The Seahawks only allowed 25 made FGs in 2019, but Koo should be able to benefit from their bend not break defense. Koo is a top-10 kicker in Week 1.
Stephen Gostkowski was am automatic start at the kicker position for over a decade when with the Patriots. Now a member of the Tennessee Titans, Gostkowski is a match-up play and in Week 1 against the Broncos he should be in your lineup. The Titans offense came to life during the NFL playoffs last season and should be able to move the football up and down the field. On top of that, in 2019 the Broncos gave up 9.13 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers and surrendered 34 made field goal attempts.
Another kicker that should put together a big Week 1 is Jason Myers. The Seahawks kicker was inconsistent at times, however a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons can’t be overlooked. as mentioned in our Koo write-up, this game will likely be high scoring and Myers should have a handful or more of opportunities to score points. The Falcons gave up 16 made field goals from 40-plus yards and 9 points per game to opposing kickers. Double digit fantasy points for Myers is in the cards.
There is a lot of hype around Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez right now. After all, the Cardinals are supposed to take another big step offensively, and Gonzalez did drill 31 of 35 field goal attempts a year ago, however fantasy owners should tread lightly in Week 1. The 49ers gave up just 5.75 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers in 2019 and they limited Gonzalez to just 3 field goal attempts and 3 extra points in two meetings last year.
Another top-10 preseason kicker that could struggle in Week 1 is Matt Prater of the Detroit Lions. The veteran produced 13 made field goals from over 40 yards last season, however he had just 4 kicking chances (just one over 40 yards) in two games against the Bears last season. Plus, Chicago was top-5 in the NFL against opposing kickers in 2019 and allowed just 4 field goals over 40 yards in 16 games.