Week 13 Rankings (2018): Top 15 Kickers

by Ray Kuhn

At this point in the season we should consider ourselves relatively lucky that weather really hasn’t come into play when looking for the best option at kicker. Match-ups and trends are important, and there is nothing wrong with riding the hot hand on a weekly basis. With that in mind let’s take a look at how our options rank:

1. Greg Zuerlein – LA Rams – at Detroit
2. Will Lutz – New Orleans Saints – at Dallas
3. Ka’imi Fairbairn – Houston Texans – vs. Cleveland
4. Harrison Butker – Kansas City Chiefs – at Oakland
5. Justin Tucker – Houston Texans – at Atlanta
6. Brett Maher – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New Orleans
7. Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots – vs. Minnesota
8. Mason Crosby – Green Bay Packers – vs. Arizona
9. Matt Bryant – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Baltimore
10. Adam Vinatieri – Indianapolis Colts – at Jacksonville
11. Sebastian Janikowski – Seattle Seahawks – vs. San Francisco
12. Matt Prater – Detroit Lions – vs. LA Rams
13. Ryan Succop – Tennessee Titans – vs. NY Jets
14. Aldrick Rosas – NY Giants – vs. Chicago
15. Josh Lambo – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Indianapolis

Notes:

• The most points out of the kicker position came from an option who has been widely ignored so far this season. That would be none other than the 40-year old Seattle kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Even with a three percent ownership surge he is owned in just 10.3% of ESPN leagues despite being a Top 15 option at the position based on his production this season. The veteran attempted six kicks last week, three field goals and three extra points, and he was perfect on all of them. On the season Janikowski has misfired on four his 19 field goal attempts, but the good news is that he has been perfect on all his kicks (including extra points) from closer than 40 yards. Three of his four missed kicks have come from beyond 50 yards, but he has converted three field goals from that distance. Additionally Janikowski has a favorable match-up this week against San Francisco.
• It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Justin Tucker, once again, in the Top 10 with a chance to finish in the Top 5. After a three game stretch in which he attempted just one field goal (he made it), Tucker has converted all eight of his opportunities over the last three weeks. Baltimore’s offense has appeared to stabilize with Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards ruling the backfield, and that is trickling down to Tucker. This week the Ravens get to travel to Atlanta, so not only does he get to kick in a dome but Baltimore will be able to take advantage of a weak defense. With his propensity for long kicks, Tucker is perfect on four attempts from beyond 50 yards, we can’t lose sight of his ability to win a week for you.
• So far this season the Colts have allowed the fourth most points to opposing kickers, and this week they travel to Jacksonville to face a team in disarray. With the benching of Blake Bortles Cody Kessler is now starting under center, but I wouldn’t expect Jacksonville to all of a sudden become an offensive power house. Also working against them is Leonard Fournette’s suspension, so that could lead to multiple field goal opportunities for Josh Lambo. Lambo has missed two field goal attempts so far this season (one from 40-49 yards and one from greater than 50 yards), while missing one of his 19 extra point attempts. A good portion of his lack of consistent fantasy value has been attributed to the Jaguars’ offensive struggles, so any change can only serve to benefit him.

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Make sure to check out all of our Week 13 rankings: