With the 2024 NFL season fast approaching, fantasy drafts are nearing and kickers are a much-maligned group of players who can swing close games. Kickers can be a reliable source of much-needed points, but the difficulty in predicting their output and the fluctuations that come naturally with the position makes them an inexact science at best.
Kickers are a late-round feature in fantasy drafts, and often for good reason. That said, some kickers could be set for good 2024 campaigns, so let’s take a look at seven of them:
#7. Greg Zuerlein, NY Jets
The New York Jets’ fanbase watched Aaron Rodgers hit the deck on the third snap of his debut with abject horror. Losing Rodgers for the season summed up the Jets’ fortunes in recent times and put their redemption run on hold.
Flash forward to now and if Rodgers and the defense can stay healthy, NY could be in for a much better campaign and who knows how far they could go. One of the beneficiaries of this could be their kicker, Greg Zuerlein. A better offense will get down the field and from there plenty of field goals could be in order.
Zuerlien was the K13 in 2023 with 143 fantasy points, which is impressive given that he missed a game and the Jets saw their fair share of poor game scripts for kickers.
#6. Cameron Dicker, LA Chargers
The LA Chargers are a team expected to be in something of a rebuild in 2023. However, new HC Jim Harbaugh is about as good an appointment as you can get, and the Chargers are expected to lean on the run to open up the field and offer a bit more protection to Justin Herbert.
Cameron Dicker is a very capable kicker and made 31/33 field goals in 2023, along with all 35 PATs. He recorded 151 fantasy points, which ranked eighth among kickers on the year. Harbaugh will have his team ready to grind out results, and ‘Dicker the Kicker’ will play a large part in determining their success.
#5. Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
An often unsung hero in Pittsburgh, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell has arguably been the difference maker for the franchise, frequently winning games as the clock hits zeroes. Boswell has been a key component of the Steelers’ ability to keep scrapping out winning seasons, especially with their offense being a hard watch in recent years.
With Arthur Smith at OC and two upgrades at QB in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh should be able to move the ball downfield a lot more. Better field position means more field goals, thus Boswell could be in for a big season.
The Steelers kicker finished 2023 with 133 fantasy points, tying for K17. He missed two field goals, one from 40+ yards and the other from over 50. If Pittsburgh gives him more and better opportunities, Boswell will make the most of them.
#4. Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans
Ka’imi Fairbairn missed five games in 2023, but the Texans kicker still managed 114 fantasy points. Averaging 9.5 fppg, Fairbairn is a very reliable kicker and will benefit from Houston’s Super Bowl window starting to open.
Over the course of his seven-year career, the Texans kicker is 175/201 for field goals, with 11 of those misses from farther than 50 yards and only four missed from 39 yards or fewer. Fairbairn can certainly kick, and presuming he stays healthy, he could be a very reliable piece in fantasy this season.
#3. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have been through it since leading the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. They’ve been set for multiple bounce-back campaigns and have largely disappointed, but one of their consistent bright spots has been their kicker, Younghoe Koo.
Koo was, for a brief period, the most accurate kicker in NFL history before missing a field goal, but is as reliable a kicker as you can find for fantasy football. Finishing as the K15 in 2023 with 138 fantasy points was a disappointment, but the Falcons could be on the rise after a loud offseason that saw Kirk Cousins arrive.
#2. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens
When Younghoe Koo briefly took the crown of most accurate kicker last season, it was from Baltimore Ravens icon Justin Tucker that he took it. Koo has a much smaller sample size than Tucker, who was part of the Ravens team that won the Super Bowl in February 2013. Now 34 years old, Tucker is aging like fine wine and was the K2 in 2023 with 160 fantasy points.
Tucker has a career 90.183% field goal success rate and the Ravens know they can trust him from very long ranges. As you don’t lose points from missed attempts (in most leagues), this can only be a bonus, and with Derrick Henry spearheading a potent Baltimore offense, expect the Ravens to be in Tucker’s range often.
#1. Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys
Brandon Aubrey had one of the most talked-about rookie NFL seasons in kicking history and went on an incredible run of nailing 35 field goals in a row. Not only that, he became the first player to score two 59+ yard kicks in the same game in December vs. the Philadelphia Eagles.