Kickers. They’re the Rodney Dangerfields of fantasy football.
But what if I told you that last year’s leading fantasy kicker, Brandon Aubrey, scored more points than all but nine tight ends … and that’s in PPR leagues! The top three kickers outpaced players like Hollywood Brown, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kyle Pitts, and Dallas Goedert. And, with more leagues going to fractional scoring (so a 49-yard field goal is worth 4.9 points instead of just four), the position is seeing a slight uptick in draft value.
With that said, fantasy managers should be targeting the stars at the position like Aubrey, Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker in the later rounds of drafts. If you don’t get one of that trio, however, don’t fret. There are plenty of other kickers in great spots to produce strong totals this season, and I have five in particular that you can land in the last round.
Jake Moody, San Francisco 49ers
Moody finished just 18th in points among kickers last season, but he still has plenty of upside. His downfall wasn’t the fact that he didn’t convert on most of his field goals, but rather that the 49ers offense scored so many touchdowns. In fact, Moody led all kickers with 60 extra points. If we believe in regression to the mean, that should equate to more field-goal opportunities for Moody in what should be a productive campaign.
Jake Elliott, Eagles
Elliott has quietly been one of the top kickers in fantasy football. He finished as the K4 last year, tied with Justin Tucker, and he’s been in the top 10 in two of the last three years. One of the most accurate booters of 2023, Elliott nailed 93.8% of his field goals. That includes seven field goals from 50-plus yards. Behind an explosive Eagles offense, Elliott should remain one of the more productive kickers on the field and in fantasy football.
Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans
Fairbairn nailed an impressive 96.4% of his field goals last season, and he finished second in points-per-game average at the position. Remember, he missed five games. Had he played in all 17 contests, he would have been the K2 behind Aubrey. The Texans added Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs in the offseason, and C.J. Stroud has a full season of work as a No. 1 quarterback under his belt, so Fairbairn should remain a highly productive option.
Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins
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Sanders wasn’t the most consistent fantasy kicker last season, but he did finish in the top 10 in points at the position. Like Moody, he was an extra-points machine behind a Dolphins offense that scored a ton of points. With the promise of plenty of scoring opportunities in what promises to remain an explosive offense, Sanders has top-10 potential again.
Cairo Santos, Chicago Bears
Santos was quietly tied for the second-best kicker in fantasy football last season, scoring 150 points. That put him in the same company as Aubrey, Tucker, and Butker. The Bears offense should be even more explosive this season, as the team added Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Gerald Everett. While that might mean more extra points (Santos had 33 last year), he should be set up to produce well.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Top 5 Best Kickers to Draft in 2024 Fantasy Football.
