Week 6 Rankings (2018): Top 15 Kickers

by Ray Kuhn

We know how frustrating the kicking position can be, but there are generally some veterans who we can at least count on to be somewhat reliable. Mason Crosby usually falls into that category, but this past week was an extreme level disaster fand until further notice we have to stay away from veteran. I would say there are other reliable options to chose from for this week, but you truly never know. Let’s take a look at how our options rank for this week:

1. Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots – vs. Kansas City
2. Justin Tucker – Baltimore Ravens – at Tennessee
3. Harrison Butker – Kansas City Chiefs – at New England
4. Matt Bryant – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Tampa Bay
5. Ka’imi Fairbairn – Houston Texans – vs. Buffalo
6. Cairo Santos – LA Rams – at Denver
7. Chandler Catanzaro – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Atlanta
8. Dan Bailey – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Arizona
9. Chris Boswell – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
10. Cody Parkey – Chicago Bears – at Miami
11. Randy Bullock – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Pittsburgh
12. Jake Elliott – Philadelphia Eagles – at NY Giants
13. Graham Gano – Carolina Panthers – at Washington
14. Caleb Sturgis – LA Chargers – at Cleveland
15. Jason Myers – NY Jets – vs. Indianapolis

Notes:

• The Texans’ struggles in the red zone are frustrating to both fantasy owners and Houston fans, but all isn’t lost. Through five games, the Texans rank 31st in red zone efficiency at 36.4%, and the beneficiary is Ka’imi Fairbairn. Currently he is the third ranked kicker in fantasy as he has been the main source of scoring for the Texans. He has missed three kicks, but he is still getting by based on sheer quantity of work by converting 13 of his 16 field goal attempts to go along with 11 extra points. This week Fairbairn faces the Bills, who are allowing the fifth most points to opposing kickers.
• There is a lot of football left to be played this season, but so far we could argue that the Eagles are going through a Super Bowl hangover. That has even extended to their kicker, as Jake Elliot doesn’t qualify as a fantasy starter based on his production. It does work to Elliot’s advantage that this week he gets to face the Giants, who are allowing the most points to opposing kickers in 2018. Elliot has missed two kicks so far this season, eight conversions, but the big problem is that he has yet to make a kick from beyond 40 yards (where the true value is). In a short week, the Eagles play on Thursday, I would expect to see a good amount of offense.
• We were on Cody Parkey earlier this season, and with the Bears returning from their bye week it’s worth taking another look. Owned in just 7.3% of ESPN leagues, after all who carries two kickers, Parkey is the eighth ranked fantasy option at the position even while taking into account the bye week. He faces the Dolphins, who have allowed the seventh most points to opposing kickers. He has converted nine of his 10 field goal attempts, with four of those kicks coming from beyond 40 yards. The Bears proved two weeks ago how explosive their offense can be, and that only stands to benefit Parkey.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 6 rankings: