Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at kicker in fantasy football

Matt Lutovsky

Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit at kicker in fantasy football image

The excitement of a new NFL season is upon us, and nothing can kill the Week 1 mood faster than fantasy kicker rankings. Yes, kicker -- a complete afterthought on draft day and during most start 'em-sit 'em decisions. Of course, seasoned fantasy football owners know that disparate kicker outcomes can greatly affect a matchup, and no one wants to lose a week because their kicker scored three and their opponents' kicker scored 12.

As always, we caution against trying to overanalyze the position, especially this early in the season. We don't know for sure which offenses and defenses are good and bad, nor do we know how new kickers will fare or how new coaches will gameplan. Obviously, we have some ideas, but we're largely going off historical performance and general projections.

Week 1 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST

Even if we did know those things, matchups only matter so much with kickers anyway. If there's any factor we're looking at more than past performance, it's whether someone is playing in good conditions (especially indoors), but this early in the season, even weather isn't a major worry. Rain and wind could affect some games, but we'll adjust for that as we get closer to kickoffs. 

WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST

As you can see, the usual suspects are high in the rankings, and it doesn't hurt that many (Justin Tucker @ Raiders, Younghoe Koo vs. Eagles, Matt Gay vs. Bears, Daniel Carlson vs. Ravens, Robbie Gould @ Lions, Jason Myers @ Colts) play in stadiums with roofs. 

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | Yahoo | FanDuel

There's no right or wrong answer at this position. Anyone on the list below could produce a lot of points this week. You can try to figure out which offenses will stall out at the 30-yard line or which defenses will tighten up in the red zone, but ultimately, we're all just looking for accurate, strong-legged guys on good offenses. That's it. That's the formula. Beyond that, you're crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. 

So, don't stress out over your kicker decision. It's too early in the season for that. Pick a guy, throw him in the lineup, watch the weather reports, and move on to other, more exciting players. It shouldn't be hard to find them.

MORE WEEK 1 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder

Note We'll update these kicker rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest player movement.

WEEK 1 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, Sit 'em

Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 1: Who to start, sit in fantasy football

RankPlayer
1Justin Tucker, BAL @ LV
2Harrison Butker, KC vs. CLE
3Younghoe Koo, ATL vs PHI
4Matt Prater, ARI @ TEN
5Ryan Succop, TB vs. DAL
6Matt Gay, LAR vs. CHI
7Ryan Santoso, CAR vs. NYJ
8Daniel Carlson, LV vs. BAL
9Jason Sanders, MIA @ NE
10Robbie Gould, SF @ DET
11Jason Myers, SEA @ IND
12Mason Crosby, GB vs. NO
13Greg Zuerlein, DAL @ TB
14Rodrigo Blankenship, IND vs. SEA
15Aldrick Rosas, NO vs. GB
16Tyler Bass, BUF vs. PIT
17Jake Elliott, PHI @ ATL
18Brandon McManus, DEN @ NYG
19Tristan Vizcaino, LAC @ WAS
20Josh Lambo, JAX @ HOU
21Greg Joseph, MIN @ CIN
22Cody Parkey, CLE @ KC
23Chris Boswell, PIT @ BUF
24Cairo Santos, CHI @ LAR
25Dustin Hopkins, WAS vs. LAC
26Graham Gano, NYG vs. DEN
27Joey Slye, HOU vs. JAX
28Evan McPherson, CIN vs MIN
29Michael Badgley, TEN vs ARI
30Matt Amendola, NYJ @ CAR
31Quinn Nordin, NE vs. MIA
32Austin Seibert, DET vs. SF

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.