Every season, going on four years with DavidGonos.com, I have written an article about that year’s kickers, usually titled something like “2015 Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings,” where I explain why kickers can make a difference in your Fantasy league.
Last year, Jake Ciely from RotoExperts.com, decided to eliminate the position from the lineup requirements in the 2015 FLEX Fantasy Football League. At first, I thought it was annoying because I’m a purist and I think Fantasy Football leagues should have kickers and Fantasy Baseball leagues should start two catches (Rotisserie). Jake and I differed on both points.
Until now. I have officially come around on the fact that kickers are no longer necessary. I thoroughly enjoyed filling out my FLEX league lineup last year because it meant I didn’t have to fumble around worrying about kicker bye weeks. Let’s face it, when you draft a kicker, and he goes on a bye week, you’re essentially not going to have that kicker again for the rest of the year. Someone else might pick him up before you get a chance, and you are left with the kicker you used in his place, while he was resting on his couch.
So here we are — with another article about Fantasy kickers —but this one is going to be different.
Good Kicker Strategy Articles!
I decided to share some of my favorite articles about Fantasy kickers over the past summer, even though in doing so, you might leave my page! That’s OK — it’s just the 2015 Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings and you’ll be lost without them!
“Trying to Predict Kicker Performance”
This is a great article by ESPN’s A.J. Mass, as he tries to reason and rhyme his way into figuring out what to look for with kickers from year to year. One interesting stat he points out is worth looking at is “First Downs” gained by the offense. This is indicative of a strong offense, but one that doesn’t necessarily score a lot of touchdowns, as they are moving between the goal lines.
“The Fantasy Kicker Mistake”
The guys over at FootballDocs.com do a good job of explaining three reasons you really shouldn’t draft a Fantasy kicker earlier than the last — or second-to-last — round of your draft. One thing they point out is that kickers are one of the only positions that are truly not in control of their own fate. In other words, a kicker can be the best in the league, but if he’s on a team that just can’t move the ball offensively, he’s not going to get many field-goal or extra-point opportunities. If a running back is great —he’ll break tackles for scores and earn more carries. If a quarterback is great, he’ll get more pass plays called. If a wide receiver or tight end is great, he’ll get more targets.
“Kickers — By the Numbers”
Michael Tomlin does a great job of looking at the new rule that moves the point-after attempt (PAT) to the 15-yard line.
“So let’s make it an even 95% (succcess rate at the 15-yard line), as there will be less pressure and the kicker will get to pick his most comfortable spot on the field. If you score 40 touchdowns on the season and kick every extra point, you end up with 38 extra points. If you go for two every touchdown, at the average success rate, you get 40 points.”
2015 Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings
Here are my own 2015 Fantasy Kicker rankings for standard leagues that award three points for a field goal, with a couple extra points for a 50-yard field goal.
- 2015 Fantasy Quarterback Rankings
- 2015 Fantasy Running Backs Rankings
- 2015 Fantasy Wide Receivers Rankings
- 2015 Fantasy Tight Ends Rankings
I hope you enjoyed this deeper look into the Fantasy kicker position — now go out there and draft an awesome kicker!
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