It really comes down to the distribution of matchups. Entering Week 11, the top 10 teams in fantasy points per game allowed to kickers were the Saints, Broncos, Giants, Chargers, Cowboys, Cardinals, Rams, Texans, Falcons, and Jets. You’ll notice a mix of “good” and “bad” defenses there, by the way, which should be a reminder of how difficult it is to handicap this position.
Now, let’s look at the 10 kickers facing those defenses this week: Robbie Gould (vs. Saints in Week 12), Eddy Pineiro (vs. Broncos), Brett Maher (vs. Giants), Matt Prater (vs. Chargers), Graham Gano (@ Cowboys), Cameron Dicker (@ Cardinals), Harrison Butker (vs. Rams), Jason Sanders (vs. Texans), Joey Slye (vs. Falcons), and Cairo Santos (@ Jets).
WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
Among that group, Butker and Gano are the only ones owned in more than 50 percent of fantasy leagues. Maher and Santos are at around 45-percent ownership levels. Clearly, fantasy owners aren’t too excited about most of these kickers, and only a handful have performed well throughout the year. Gano, Pineiro, and Maher are in the top 12 in kicker points, but the rest are sprinkled throughout the lower half of the overall rankings.
WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
So, should you trust the matchup or just stick with guys like Younghoe Koo (@ Commanders), Wil Lutz (@ 49ers), or Nick Folk (@ Vikings) who have been solid most of the season? Normally, we’d just recommend going with your regular starter. Matchups only mean so much, and solid producers tend to get appreciable opportunities no matter what. However, there’s also that little nagging factor that needs to be considered this time of year: Weather.
If a kicker is kicking indoors, then you might want to play it safe with him. This week, Prater and Dicker are safe from the elements. We also like Tyler Bass (@ Lions), Folk, and both kickers in the Giants-Cowboys game. Unfortunately, there aren’t many more standout indoor options unless you want to take a chance on either guy in the Steelers-Colts game.
Ultimately, if you watch the weather reports and take a glance at the stats, you should be fine at kicker. Things might not always work out, but there’s only so much you can do to prevent that. Kicker is the most unpredictable position in fantasy, so don’t stress about it too much, especially in a week like this.
We’ll be updating our kicker rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes.
Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 12: Who to start, sit in fantasy football
Rank Player 1 Graham Gano, Giants @ Cowboys 2 Ryan Succop, Buccaneers @ Browns 3 Brett Maher, Cowboys vs. Giants 4 Nick Folk, Patriots @ Vikings 5 Jason Myers, Seahawks vs. Raiders 6 Daniel Carlson, Raiders @ Seahawks 7 Justin Tucker, Ravens @ Jaguars 8 Tyler Bass, Bills @ Lions 9 Cameron Dicker, Chargers @ Cardinals 10 Eddy Pineiro, Panthers vs. Broncos 11 Younghoe Koo, Falcons @ Commanders 12 Greg Zuerlein, Jets vs. Bears 13 Wil Lutz, Saints @ 49ers 14 Harrison Butker, Chiefs vs. Rams 15 Jason Sanders, Dolphins vs. Texans 16 Matt Prater, Cardinals vs. Chargers 17 Robbie Gould, 49ers vs. Saints 18 Joey Slye, Commanders vs. Falcons 19 Cairo Santos, Bears @ Jets 20 Cade York, Browns vs. Buccaneers 21 Jake Elliott, Eagles vs. Packers 22 Matt Gay, Rams @ Chiefs 23 Evan McPherson, Bengals @ Titans 24 Brandon McManus, Broncos @ Panthers 25 Chase McLaughlin, Colts vs. Steelers 26 Ka’imi Fairbairn, Texans @ Dolphins 27 Matthew Wright, Steelers @ Colts 28 Greg Joseph, Vikings vs. Patriots 29 Riley Patterson, Jaguars vs. Ravens 30 Mason Crosby, Packers @ Eagles 31 Michael Badgley, Lions vs. Bills 32 Caleb Shudak, Titans vs. Bengals
Week 12 kicker fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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