Kicker scoring was down across the board in Week 8, with only seven players posting double-digit points. Of those seven players, five are available in nearly 40% of Yahoo leagues, including the top scorer of the week, Nick Folk.
Folk made all five field goal attempts and one extra point in New England’s 22-17 win over the Jets. The veteran kicker outscored the second kicker on the week by seven fantasy points, making Folk a week-winning asset for many fantasy managers.
Jason Myers continues to climb the season-point total leaderboard after scoring 11 points last week against the Giants. He now has ten or more points in five of his last six games and trails Justin Tucker on the season by just two fantasy points. Why he is available in 39% of Yahoo leagues is a mystery to me.
Week 8 Stud Performances from widely available kickers
Nick Folk (NE) vs. Jets: 52% roster percentage on Yahoo
Folk was a fantasy stud last week with a whopping 21 fantasy points. It was the second time in four weeks that Folk scored 18 or more points and the third time this season of over ten. The problem is he scored seven or fewer points in the remaining five games in 2022, including a pair of games with two or fewer points. While I do worry about him continuing to have boom/bust games, I do like him this week at home against the Colts, and he has the Jets again after the bye in Week 11.
Younghoe Koo (ATL) vs. Carolina: 62% roster percentage on Yahoo
Koo is back in the stud section after three straight weeks of six or fewer fantasy points. The game script in this matchup worked in his favor, and Koo loves kicking at home in the Mercedes Benz dome. His K Score of 62 is not great this week, and I have him ranked 10th among kickers, with the Falcons hosting the Chargers.
Week 8 Dud Performances from widely-rostered kickers
Evan McPherson (CIN)@ Browns: 99% roster percentage on Yahoo
It is not often that a kicker rostered in 99% of fantasy leagues posts negative fantasy points. But that was the case for McPherson on Monday Night Football against the Browns, in a game in which the Bengals struggled in all three facets of the game. I am not recommending moving on from McPherson, and I currently have him ranked fourth this week against Carolina.
Kicker Rankings
| Rank | ECR | Name | TEAM | Opponent | Spread | O/U | OPP RZ D | RZ EFF* | OFF RNK | K Score** | Weather |
| 1 | 1 | Justin Tucker | BAL | at NO | -3 | 48 | 8 | 17 | 10 | 35 | Dome |
| 2 | 4 | Ryan Succop | TB | vs. LAR | -3 | 43 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 27 | 80F, 9 MPH Wind |
| 3 | 2 | Tyler Bass | BUF | at NYJ | -13 | 48 | 19 | 15 | 1 | 35 | 73F, 10 MPH Wind |
| 4 | 3 | Evan McPherson | CIN | vs. CAR | -8.5 | 44 | 8 | 25 | 13 | 46 | 67F, 4 MPH Wind |
| 5 | 8 | Jason Myers | SEA | at ARI | 2 | 49 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 37 | Dome |
| 6 | 10 | Nick Folk | NE | vs. IND | 5.5 | 40 | 19 | 3 | 20 | 42 | 73F, 11 MPH Wind |
| 7 | 5 | Harrison Butker | KC | vs. TEN | -10.5 | 47 | 13 | 31 | 2 | 46 | 53F, 4 MPH Wind |
| 8 | 6 | Daniel Carlson | LV | at JAC | 1 | 46 | 17 | 10 | 16 | 43 | 75F, 10 MPH Wind |
| 9 | 7 | Jake Elliott | PHI | at HOU | -13 | 44 | 5 | 26 | 3 | 34 | Dome |
| 10 | 9 | Younghoe Koo | ATL | vs. LAC | 3 | 50 | 14 | 23 | 25 | 62 | Dome |
| 11 | 16 | Michael Badgley | DET | vs. GB | 3 | 49 | 4 | 29 | 4 | 37 | Dome |
| 12 | 20 | Dustin Hopkins | LAC | at ATL | -3 | 50 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 44 | Dome |
| 13 | 11 | Jason Sanders | MIA | at CHI | -4.5 | 45 | 26 | 28 | 7 | 61 | 58F, 11 MPH Wind |
| 14 | 12 | Wil Lutz | NO | vs. BAL | 3 | 48 | 23 | 24 | 5 | 52 | Dome |
| 15 | 13 | Greg Joseph | MIN | at WAS | -3.5 | 44 | 8 | 27 | 15 | 50 | 75F, 8 MPH Wind |
| 16 | 14 | Matt Gay | LAR | at TB | 3 | 43 | 29 | 12 | 30 | 71 | 58F, 11 MPH Wind |
| 17 | 15 | Mason Crosby | GB | at DET | -3 | 49 | 30 | 19 | 17 | 66 | Dome |
| 18 | 27 | Eddy Pineiro | CAR | at CIN | 8.5 | 44 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 38 | 67F, 4 MPH Wind |
| 19 | 17 | Matt Prater | ARI | vs. SEA | -2 | 49 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 51 | Dome |
| 20 | 18 | Riley Patterson | JAC | vs. LV | 1 | 46 | 31 | 8 | 9 | 48 | 75F, 10 MPH Wind |
| 21 | 19 | Chase McLaughlin | IND | at NE | -5.5 | 40 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 40 | 73F, 11 MPH Wind |
| 22 | 21 | Ka’imi Fairbairn | HOU | vs. PHI | 13 | 44 | 15 | 13 | 31 | 59 | Dome |
| 23 | 22 | Cairo Santos | CHI | vs. MIA | 4.5 | 45 | 28 | 9 | 27 | 64 | 58F, 11 MPH Wind |
| 24 | 23 | Greg Zuerlein | NYJ | vs. BUF | 13 | 48 | 8 | 20 | 19 | 47 | 73F, 10 MPH Wind |
| 25 | 24 | Randy Bullock | TEN | at KC | 10.5 | 47 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 88 | 53F, 4 MPH Wind |
*Red Zone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well the kicker‘s offense does in the red zone. For example, the Ravens rank 15th in red zone efficiency; therefore, Justin Tucker has an RZ EFF score of 17. The lower number, the better for kickers, as playing on a team that struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone equates to more field goal opportunities.
**The K Score is the sum of a player’s opponent’s red zone, the red zone efficiency of his offense, and the overall rank of his respective team in terms of total yards. A low score indicates that a kicker has variables working in his favor for a good fantasy kicking performance.
Kicker rankings are based on numerous factors, including matchups, Vegas lines, and score projections, weather conditions, the ability of a kicker‘s team offense and their ability to move the ball into field goal range, offensive red zone efficiency, and how well the opposing defense limits touchdowns in the red zone. These factors are a guide but not a definitive way to predict kicking success, as other variables and negative game scripts significantly impact the outcome.
Based on all of the variables mentioned above, the following two kickers are players ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be an excellent play in Week 9.
Michael Badgley (DET) vs. GB: 2% roster percentage on Yahoo
If your kicker is one of the six players on bye this week, you should consider Michael Badgley of the Lions at home against the Packers. He has 19 points in his last two games, and his K Score of 37 projects to make him a top-10 player.
Dustin Hopkins/Taylor Bertolet (LAC) @ Atlanta: 6% roster percentage on Yahoo
I’m not super excited about this matchup because the Chargers have been so difficult to predict. However, I like that this game is in a dome, and the Falcons rank 18th in points allowed to opposing kickers. There is not an excellent K Score play this week, but if you are in a bind, one of these two could be an option.
Prediction Review
Each week I suggest two kickers ranked outside the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who I believe will be solid performers based on the variables described in the K Score section. The following is a review of my picks from the previous week to see where I was successful and where I missed the mark.
Jason Myers (SEA) vs. NYG: 60% roster percentage on Yahoo
ECR Rank: 12
My Rank: 7
Week 8 Finish: 3
Myers continues to be a stud kicker with 11 fantasy points at home against the Giants. He is now the second-ranked kicker on the season and should be rostered in most leagues.
Riley Patterson (JAX) vs. Denver: 13% roster percentage on Yahoo
ECR Rank: 21
My Rank: 8
Week 8 Finish: T15
The projected low-scoring game script between the Jags and Broncos came to fruition, but unfortunately, Patterson had just one field goal try. His five points were not backbreaking for fantasy managers in what turned out to be a low-scoring week, but it was half of what I anticipated.
Waiver Wired
Top Add
Jason Myers (SEA) vs. NYG: 60% roster percentage on Yahoo
Another week of football and another solid game by Myers. The veteran kicker now has 22 more fantasy points than Tyler Bass and 24 more than Evan McPerson, yet he remains available in many leagues. I will keep recommending him until he gets a roster percentage over 90%.
Other players to consider:
Nick Folk (NE) vs. Indy: 52% roster percentage on Yahoo
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