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