Week 9 Rankings (2016): Top 15 Kickers

by Ray Kuhn

There truly is a kicking epidemic in the NFL. Quite frankly, they just are not that good. Missed field goals and extra points have become the norm around the league, and the weather hasn’t even begun to impact the kicking game. Let’s take a look at how the options for this week:

1. Mason Crosby – Green Bay Packers – vs. Indianapolis
2. Dan Bailey – Dallas Cowboys – at Cleveland
3. Adam Vinatieri – Indianapolis Colts – at Green Bay
4. Justin Tucker – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Pittsburgh
5. Cairo Santos – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Jacksonville
6. Matt Bryant – Atlanta Falcons – at Tampa Bay
7. Brandon McManus – Denver Broncos – at Oakland
8. Stephen Hauschka – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Buffalo
9. Josh Lambo – San Diego Chargers – vs. Tennessee
10. Will Lutz – New Orleans Saints – at San Francisco
11. Graham Gano – Carolina Panthers – at Los Angeles
12. Sebastian Janikowski – Oakland Raiders – vs. Denver
13. Ryan Succop – Tennessee Titans – at San Diego
14. Blair Walsh – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Detroit
15. Robbie Gould – New York Giants – vs. Philadelphia

Notes:

• With the way the kicker position has gone, should it really come as a surprise that Will Lutz scored the most points last week? After all he is owned in just 1% of all Yahoo leagues, so it only makes sense. After not making a field goal two weeks ago, Lutz converted four last week, which also included his third of the season from beyond 50 yards. At first glance he hasn’t exactly been efficient in his rookie season, making 11 of 15 field goals, but three of those misses were from beyond 50 yards. This week the Saints face the 49ers, granted it is in San Francisco, and there will be plenty of opportunities.
• If you are looking to deal with a bye week, another kicker who is owned in just 1% of Yahoo leagues that deserves a look is Ryan Succop. He took advantage of his match-up against the Jaguars last week by converting all three of his field goal attempts while also making three of four extra points. At this point we have to accept that kickers are not going to be perfect, but in Succop’s case it is a good sign that both of his misses this season have come from beyond 50 yards while he is perfect on all five of his field goal attempts between 40 and 49 yards. This week he faces the Chargers on the road in a game that figures to have a lot of offense.
• The Jaguars are a team trending in the wrong direction, and they also have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing kickers. This week’s beneficiary is Cairo Santos, who faces Jacksonville at home in Kansas City. He hasn’t been perfect this season, 82.4%, but he has proved to be a dependable option in his two plus seasons. At home he is perfect on his five field goal attempts while making all nine of his extra points. This is a match-up, and situation, to take advantage of.

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Make sure to check out all of our Week 9 rankings:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends