2016 Preseason Rankings: Top 15 Kickers

by Ray Kuhn

Wait… Please, just exercise patience and wait. While some kickers are obviously better than others, we are looking at you Stephen Gostkowski, there is no need to reach. Do your research and due diligence, but wait until the last round prior to selecting your kicker. Good, but not great, offenses are generally the ones you want to target since from the perspective of your kicker, you want drives to stall in the red zone. Let’s take a look at how they rank entering the season:

1. Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots
2. Dan Bailey – Dallas Cowboys
3. Justin Turner – Baltimore Ravens
4. Steven Hauschka – Seattle Seahawks
5. Chandler Catanzaro – Arizona Cardinals
6. Graham Gano – Carolina Panthers
7. Chris Boswell – Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Mason Crosby – Green Bay Packers
9. Blair Walsh – Minnesota Vikings
10. Cairo Santos – Kansas City Chiefs
11. Brandon McManus – Denver Broncos
12. Adam Vinatieri – Indianapolis Colts
13. Matt Prater – Detroit Lions
14. Dan Carpenter – Buffalo Bills
15. Matt Bryant – Atlanta Falcons

Thoughts:

• Dan Bailey generally finds himself atop these lists, and it is with good reason (he has converted over 90% of his field goals since entering the league). With the move last season to increase the distance for extra points, some kickers were impacted, but not Bailey who was perfect. With a strong offensive line and what shapes up to be a successful running game, and don’t forget Dez Bryant, Dallas shouldn’t have too many issues moving the ball. Without Tony Romo, and instead rookie Dak Prescott, under center, I would expect the Cowboys to stall in the red zone. That will benefit Bailey.
• If you are looking at Matt Bryant’s stats from last season, remember that he missed six weeks due to a quad injury. Even when he was healthy, it wasn’t a banner year as he missed 4 of his 18 field goal attempts. Prior to last year he was generally successful on over 85% of his kicks, and the fact that he calls a dome home helps. If you are one of the last to select a kicker, you can do worse than Bryant who can be expected to rebound.
• Graham Gano is not going to be the second ranked kicker again this season, but fantasy owners will likely be pleased with him. Despite Cam Newton’s ability to find the end zone last season, Gano still managed to attempt the fifth most field goals along with the most extra points. Part of his success does come from volume, as his success rate of 83.3% last season was just off the league average.
• After struggling in 2014, Walsh bounced back last season to hit 87.2% of his field goal attempts ,which included six of eight from beyond 50 yards. Walsh missed four of his 37 extra points attempts in 2015, but now he benefits from Minnesota’s move into the dome. With Teddy Bridgewater out for the season, the Vikings will likely have their drives stalling which will lead to more long distance attempts for Walsh.

Make sure to check out all of our updated preseason rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Defenses