The great thing about kickers heading into Week 2 is that, unless they got injured or missed, like, three PAT attempts, it doesn't matter what happened last week. Everyone knows kicking opportunities can be fluky, and a week with five points is often followed by a week with 10 for the most proven, consistent guys. Our Week 2 fantasy kicker rankings generally keep the drafted kickers high while taking a wait-and-see approach with all the rest.
Of course, just because a kicker is ranked 18th doesn't mean he can't produce a solid week. That's the frustrating thing about this position. As much as we preach trusting consistent kickers in good offenses (preferably with big legs), it's almost impossible to predict how many field-goal opportunities they'll get on a weekly basis. Just look at Matt Gay and Justin Tucker last week. Meanwhile Chris Boswell and Cad York went off. Are Boswell and York gonna be top-10 fantasy scorers at the end of the year? Maybe, but for now, we're cautious.
We also know matchups don't mean nearly as much to kickers as other positions, and even if they did, it wouldn't matter much anyway at this point in the season. Until we get a bigger sample size and see which defenses consistently allow the most points, our kicker rankings will be pretty vanilla.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST
The major movement this week is due to who's playing in stadiums with a roof. There are quite a few notable kickers who will be in optimal conditions, including Gay (vs. Falcons), Ryan Succop (@ Saints), Daniel Carlson (vs. Cardinals), Matt Prater (@ Raiders), Evan McPherson (@ Cowboys), Wil Lutz (vs. Buccaneers), and Younghoe Koo (@ Rams). We also get the added bonus of Brandon McManus (vs. Texans) being at home in the thin Denver air, which can lead to more long-distance kicks.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST
All of these kickers are in our top 16 and make for solid options. Lutz and Koo are probably the riskiest given the defenses they're up against, but as long as their teams are able to move the ball even a little bit, they should get a couple FG attempts. Harrison Butker (vs. Chargers) is also risky given the ankle injury he suffered last week, but he managed to return to the game and hit a 54-yard field-goal attempt, so we're hoping he's OK. (UPDATE: Butker has been ruled out for Thursday night's game.)
WEEK 2 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Getting more stats this week will help us have a clearer picture of fantasy's most unpredictable position, but chances are, you're still going to trust whoever you drafted. That's the easiest -- and smartest -- play this early in the year, so just hope your guy comes through.
WEEK 2 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
We'll be updating our kicker rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes.
WEEK 2 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 2: Who to start, sit in fantasy football
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Justin Tucker, Ravens vs. Dolphins |
| 2 | Tyler Bass, Bills vs. Titans |
| 3 | Matt Gay, Rams vs. Falcons |
| 4 | Ryan Succop, Buccaneers @ Saints |
| 5 | Daniel Carlson, Raiders vs. Cardinals |
| 6 | Dustin Hopkins, Chargers @ Chiefs |
| 7 | Matt Prater, Cardinals @ Raiders |
| 8 | Brandon McManus, Broncos vs. Texans |
| 9 | Robbie Gould, 49ers vs. Seahawks |
| 10 | Evan McPherson, Bengals @ Cowboys |
| 11 | Wil Lutz, Saints vs. Buccaneers |
| 12 | Mason Crosby, Packers vs. Bears |
| 13 | Younghoe Koo, Falcons @ Rams |
| 14 | Nick Folk, Patriots @ Steelers |
| 15 | Jake Elliott, Eagles vs. Vikings |
| 16 | Jason Sanders, Dolphins @ Ravens |
| 17 | Brett Maher, Cowboys vs. Bengals |
| 18 | Greg Zuerlein, Jets @ Browns |
| 19 | Greg Joseph, Vikings @ Eagles |
| 20 | Matt Ammendola, Chiefs vs. Chargers |
| 21 | Graham Gano, Giants vs. Panthers |
| 22 | Chase McLaughlin, Colts @ Jaguars |
| 23 | Randy Bullock, Titans @ Bills |
| 24 | Ka'imi Fairbairn, Texans @ Broncos |
| 25 | Joey Slye, Commanders @ Lions |
| 26 | Cade York, Browns vs. Jets |
| 27 | Chris Boswell, Steelers vs. Patriots |
| 28 | Cairo Santos, Bears @ Packers |
| 29 | Riley Patterson, Jaguars vs. Colts |
| 30 | Austin Seibert, Lions vs. Eagles |
| 31 | Eddy Pineiro, Panthers @ Giants |
| 32 | Jason Myers, Seahawks @ 49ers |
Week 2 kicker fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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