Week 7 Rankings (2018): Top 15 Kickers

by Ray Kuhn

I’m not even going to try and rationalize what goes on at the kicker position anymore. Mason Crosby did redeem himself heading into the bye week, and with four teams enjoying a week off this is your friendly reminder not to roster more than one kicker. Bench spots are simply too valuable for that. With that being said, let’s jump right into our rankings:

1. Adam Vinatieri – Indianapolis Colts – vs. Buffalo
2. Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots – at Chicago
3. Justin Tucker – Baltimore Ravens – vs. New Orleans
4. Greg Zuerlein – LA Rams – at San Francisco
5. Harrison Butker – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Cincinnati
6. Wil Lutz – New Orleans Saints – at Baltimore
7. Jason Myers – NY Jets – vs. Minnesota
8. Cody Parkey – Chicago Bears – vs. New England Patriots
9. Dan Bailey – Minnesota Vikings – at NY Jets
10. Robbie Gould – San Francisco 49ers – vs. LA Rams
11. Josh Lambo – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Houston
12. Randy Bullock – Cincinnati Bengals – at Kansas City
13. Brett Maher – Dallas Cowboys – at Washington
14. Matt Prater – Detroit Lions – at Miami
15. Stephen Hauscka – Buffalo Bills – at Indianpolis

Notes:

• Seven field goals… Entering this season Jason Myers wasn’t on the radar of many fantasy owners, but apparently he should be as he was perfect last week converting on all seven of his field goal attempts. With the Jets struggling to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns it is the perfect storm for a kicker, and Myers has come through as he has made 16 of his 17 field goals kicks. With an additional 15 extra points he has been busy this season, and I wouldn’t expect that to stop as the Vikings have allowed the fifth most points to opposing kickers.
• While we are targeting the Colts defense against Buffalo, by the same logic let’s take a look at the Bills’ kicker. Stephen Hauschka hasn’t been off the charts dominating, but the veteran has been dependable. As he faces Indianapolis, we like his outlook as the Colts have allowed the most points to opposing kickers in 2018. In each of his last four games, Hauschka didn’t attempt a kick in Buffalo’s shutout loss to Green Bay, he has converted each of his two field goal attempts to go along with seven extra points. The fact that this week’s game will be in a dome also works to his advantage.
• As we mentioned above about only keeping one kicker on your roster, their might be some opportunity sitting on your waiver wire. After missing a few weeks with a groin injury, Greg Zuerlein is all set to make his return as the Rams released his replacement, Cairo Santos. Currently Zuerlein is owned in just 55.1% of ESPN leagues, and that is likely the lowest we will see that percentage as he is one of the best kickers in the league with one of the best offenses backing him.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 rankings: