Week 5 Kicker Rankings: Cairo Santos Becomes A Fantasy Football Legend

When we say Week 4 was bad for NFL kickers, we’re talking “Godfather III” or “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” bad.

Kickers missed a combined 18 kicks — an incredibly high number that doesn’t include missed kicks that were nullified due to penalties or timeouts.

In 2013 and 2014, there were just 13 total missed PATs. Through four weeks in 2015, there have been 17. Accordingly, four kickers already have lost their jobs: Josh Scobee, Kai Forbath, Randy Bullock and Kyle Brindza.

Watch out for that first step, it’s a doozy.

Without further ado, here are our Week 5 fantasy football kicker rankings.

1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots
Week 5 Opponent: Dallas Cowboys
2015 Stats: 7 of 7 field goals (3 of 3 40-49 yards, 1 of 1 50+)
The last time Gostkowski took the field, he set an NFL record. He also kicked three field goals and put up 17 points despite the Patriots playing a bad team against which they conceivably could’ve taken their foot off the gas. The beat-up Cowboys are a bad team.

2. Josh Brown, New York Giants
Week 5 Opponent: Buffalo Bills
2015 Stats: 10 of 10 field goals (4 of 4 40-49 yards, 1 of 1 50+)
The Giants’ offense, while not great, has been better than expected. Brown consistently has put up great numbers through the quarter mark of the season.

3. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears
Week 5 Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
2015 Stats: 9 of 9 field goals (3 of 3 40-49 yards, 3 of 3 50+ yards)
The Chiefs’ defense is better than it has shown the past two weeks. Therefore, it’s more than reasonable to believe the Bears again will rely on Gould, as they did last week when he had a nice 13-point bounce-back performance.

4. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos
Week 5 Opponent: Oakland Raiders
2015 Stats: 9 of 9 field goals (3 of 3 40-49 yards, 3 of 3 50+)
The Raiders are a team on the rise, but their defense still is sub-par. Opportunities abound for McManus, who’s making a strong push for best kicker in the league.

5. Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks
Week 5 Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals
2015 Stats: 10 of 10 field goals (2 of 2 40-49 yards, 3 of 3 50+)
Seattle’s offense hasn’t found its groove, but Hauschka has: He nailed another two kicks from 50 yards or longer last week.

6. Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons
Week 5 Opponent: Washington Redskins
2015 Stats: 6 of 6 field goals (4 of 4 40-49 yards)
Bryant didn’t attempt a field goal last week and still put up six points, just on PATs. He’s a lock in the Falcons’ prolific offense, especially against the Redskins’ defense.

7. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
Week 5 Opponent: Cleveland Browns
2015 Stats: 10 of 11 field goals (3 of 3 40-49 yards, 1 of 2 50+)
A sneaky productive player, Tucker is tied for the second-most points among kickers. He’s a reliable option in a mediocre offense.

8. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers
Week 5 Opponent: St. Louis Rams
2015 Stats: 7 of 8 field goals (2 of 3 40-49 yards, 1 of 1 50+)
The Packers score points when they need to, but they let up in easier games like last week’s 17-3 victory over the 49ers. Likewise, Crosby’s numbers reflect that.

9. Chandler Catanzaro, Arizona Cardinals
Week 5 Opponent: Detroit Lions
2015 Stats: 7 of 7 field goals (1 of 1 40-49 yards)
Catanzaro has made six PATs in a game twice already this season. And doesn’t it seem like every time you look up, the Cardinals are in the red zone again? This is a complete team, and Catanzaro is a big, reliable part of that.

10. Cairo Santos, Kansas City Chiefs
Week 5 Opponent: Chicago Bears
2015 Stats: 10 of 10 field goals (2 of 2 40-49 yards, 2 of 2 50+)
Major props to Santos, who easily wins Kicker of the Week honors. In a weekend when 18 kicks were missed, Santos went 7 of 7 and dropped 27 points in leagues where longer kicks count for more points. That always will win you a spot in the rankings. Bravo, Mr. Santos.

Thumbnail photo via John Rieger/USA TODAY Sports Images