Fantasy Football Rankings 2016: Top 10 Kickers To Pick In Your Draft
Kickers are far down the list of fantasy football draft needs, but that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked. If you’re lucky enough to have Stephen Gostkowski or any of the other top NFL kickers on your team, they could be key contributors in a championship run.
So let’s look at the top 10 kickers available in your draft.
1. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots (Bye Week: 9)
If you’re planning on drafting a kicker, nobody is more worthy a pick than Gostkowski. He made 33 of 36 field-goal attempts and all 52 of his extra-point attempts last season. Plus, the Patriots’ prolific offense should score a lot, giving Gostkowski plenty of opportunities.
2. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys (Bye Week: 7)
There’s a big drop-off after Gostkowski in fantasy, and you shouldn’t pick any of the remaining names before the final rounds. That being said, Bailey also was a perfect 100 percent under the new PAT rules, and he made 30 of 32 field-goal attempts, which was tied with Josh Brown at an NFL-best 93.8 percent.
3. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens (Bye Week: 8)
Tucker did miss seven field-goal attempts last season, but he still made 33. He also was 100 percent on extra-point tries, which was no small feat with the new kicking rules in place for 2015.
4. Steven Hauschka, Seattle Seahawks (Bye Week: 5)
Hauschka got off to a slow start with the Ravens and Denver Broncos, but he has been a legit NFL kicker ever since he started playing for the Seahawks in 2011. He hasn’t missed a regular-season game in any of his five seasons with Seattle, and he missed just two field-goal tries in 2015.
5. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts (Bye Week: 10)
You never can go wrong with having Vinatieri as your kicker, both on the field and in fantasy. Vinatieri has been kicking footballs in the NFL since 1996, but he still made 92.6 percent of his field-goal attempts and 32 of his 35 extra-point tries in 2015.
6. Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers (Bye Week: 7)
Gano has been incredibly consistent over the past three seasons for the Panthers. He has played in every game during that stretch and made between 82.9 percent and 88.9 percent of his field-goal attempts in those 48 contests.
7. Josh Brown, New York Giants (Bye Week: 8)
Brown still is going after 13 NFL seasons, and he had one of the best of his career in 2015. He went 30 of 32 on field-goal attempts — tied for the best percentage in the NFL with Bailey — and missed only one extra-point try.
8. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers (Bye Week: 4)
Crosby was one of the few kickers who was perfect on extra-point attempts last season, which already makes him one of the top choices in fantasy. He never has missed a game in his nine NFL seasons, and he has been pretty consistent along the way, too.
9. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos (Bye Week: 11)
McManus has incredible range, which was on display when he made 5 of 7 field goals from 50-plus yards in 2015. He also made 30 of his 35 total field-goal attempts last season, and he has missed only one extra-point try in his two-year NFL career.
10. Roberto Aguayo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye Week: 6)
Here’s the wild card when it comes to fantasy kickers this year. Aguayo was one of the best college kickers ever with Florida State, and the Bucs drafted him in the second round (!!!!) as a result. But you’d be picking him in your fantasy league not knowing how he’ll perform in the NFL.
Thumbnail photo Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
