DID YOU KNOW?

The most points ever scored by a kicker in fantasy was 28. It was Rob Bironas of the Titans in 2007 where he kicked an NFL record 8 for 8 on the day including a game winner. I like to bring that up because so far this season we have had 2 weeks where a kicker has scored more than 20 points in fantasy. Those 2 kickers are now in the top 10 of all time fantasy points in a single game for kickers. Stephen Gostkowski of the Titans , where this seems to be a tradition to only score field goals, scored 25 points going 6 for 6 in week 3 of the season, and Brandon McManus scored 24 fantasy points just last week in week 6. In the case of McManus, he actually scored all of his teams points that week in a surprising win while also having more fantasy points than actual points in the game, a weird feat for kickers.

Kickers, after 2015, take up 8 out of the top 14 fantasy performances by a kicker ever and even if we cut it to performances after 2017 there are still 6 in the top 14. Kickers seem to becoming more and more fantasy relevant year after year, and I am taking a stand right now. If you don’t value having kickers in fantasy anymore then maybe you’re just not that good at fantasy football.

Justin Tucker, Rodrigo Blankenship, and Jason Sanders all are tied for most points by a kicker this year with 68 and Younghoe Koo is second with 67 points while missing a game. At that many points 6 weeks into the season, they would be ranked RB25, above D’Andre Swift, Melvin Gordon, and Devin Singletary. They would also be WR21 above Keelan Cole, Keenan Allen, and Cooper Kupp. Finally, as the most damning evidence I have, the top kickers in the league would be TE3, behind only Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Kickers deserve the fantasy respect the have been lacking for all these years, and I firmly believe a solid top 5 kicker in fantasy can be the difference maker when it matters most, especially when you have one who is averaging double digit points a game.