Can you feel that energy? Days are getting shorter, nights are getting longer. Pumpkin candles are for sale. Halloween pop-up shops are opening. Fall and football are on the horizon.
That means fantasy football drafts are off and running.
You’re already watching every rookie wide receiver's pre-season tape and crunching numbers to find that perfect sleeper tight end. You’re scrutinizing all 32 depth charts for the best handcuff running backs and arguing with your league mates about who the number one Konami Code quarterback is. That’s a lot of work and we haven’t even gotten to the objectively best position.
Kicker. That’s where I come in.
We’re looking at win totals, strength of schedule, number of dome games, 2023 (or otherwise relevant*) field goal percentage, and 2023 field goal attempts per game. Each statistic has been assigned a weight and below are the weighted kicker ranks for 2024. Win totals and field goal attempts per game last season carry the majority of weight for my season-long rankings. Below are the results.
| 1 | Harrison Butker | KC |
| 2 | Jake Moody | SF |
| 3 | Brandon Aubrey | DAL |
| 4 | Jake Elliott | PHI |
| 5 | Younghoe Koo | ATL |
| 6 | Evan McPherson | CIN |
| 7 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ |
| 8 | Justin Tucker | BAL |
| 9 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | HOU |
| 10 | Tyler Bass | BUF |
| 11 | Jake Bates | DET |
| 12 | Cameron Dicker | LAC |
| 13 | Cairo Santos | CHI |
| 14 | Jason Sanders | MIA |
| 15 | Matt Gay | IND |
| 16 | Josh Karty | LAR |
| 17 | Anders Carlson | GB |
| 18 | Cam Little | JAX |
| 19 | Blake Grupe | NO |
| 20 | Dustin Hopkins | CLE |
| 21 | Chase McLaughlin | TB |
| 22 | Chris Boswell | PIT |
| 23 | Jason Myers | SEA |
| 24 | Matt Prater | ARI |
| 25 | Will Reichard | MIN |
| 26 | Daniel Carlson | LV |
| 27 | Nick Folk | TEN |
| 28 | Graham Gano | NYG |
| 29 | Cade York | WAS |
| 30 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR |
| 31 | Wil Lutz | DEN |
| 32 | Ryland/Slye | NE |
Analysis: I find myself targeting Jake Bates and Ka’imi Fairbairn. Detroit has been aggressive on 4th downs with Dan Campbell but they have a kicker with a cannon for a leg now and the offense will still be red hot. Plus they play 14 of their games indoors this season. In Houston last year, Fairbairn attempted 38 field goals, tied for fifth-most in the NFL. He converted on 96.4% of those field goals.
As of writing this, I don’t feel comfortable predictinng who wins the Patriots kicking job, but my advice is to avoid drafting the Patriots kicker, regardless of who he is. Unless of course, someone from my home league is reading this. Collin, if you see this, Chad Ryland is a league winner.
Like last season, I will upload weekly kicker rankings to help you through disappointing draft picks, bye weeks, and potential injuries. Now, let's go draft ourselves a positional advantage!
*Jake Bates UFL FG%; Cade York 2022 FG%; Joey Slye FG%; Graham Gano Career FG% (injured last season); Josh Karty, Cam Little, Will Reichard 2023 college FG%
