Welcome to "Justin Tucker Week" -- the week where fantasy football owners have to decide between cutting the league's best kicker or committing the ultimate sin of carrying two kickers on their roster for a week (more on that in a minute). Maybe it's because it's so late in the season or maybe it's because Tucker hasn't been quite as good this year, but the choice doesn't seem quite as tough as it was in the past. Either way, Tucker owners will need to consult our Week 13 fantasy kicker rankings to find a solid replacement.
Fortunately, there's no shortage of solid options despite six byes. That's the blessing and curse of kicker -- there's always someone to slot in, but finding the best option is never easy.
We're here to help you complete your lineup with the best booter, so let's get to it and break down our Week 13 rankings.
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Which kickers are on bye in Week 13?
The Bills (Tyler Bass), Ravens (Justin Tucker), Bears (Cairo Santos), Raiders (Daniel Carlson), Vikings (Greg Joseph), and Giants (Randy Bullock) are off this week, taking away two of fantasy's highest-owned kickers in Bass and Tucker.
WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
As we've been saying all season, you shouldn't hold your kicker through his bye week, so even if you own Tucker, don't waste two roster spots on him and a replacement. You're better off having an RB handcuff or a matchup-based streamer at WR or TE (for either this week or next week) on your bench. You might be able to get Tucker back in free agency next week, and if someone else in your league picks him up, then so be it. You'll find another good kicker.
WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
Who are the best fantasy kickers in Week 13?
Dustin Hopkins (@ Rams in Week 13), Matt Gay (@ Titans), Brandon McManus (vs. Bengals), Nick Folk (vs. Colts), and Younghoe Koo (@ Jets) make up our top five this week. All have been steady, high-scoring options this year, and all face defenses that entered last week in the top 10 in fantasy points per game (FPPG) allowed to kickers. We wish more than Hopkins was playing indoors (and technically SoFi Stadium is open-air), but unless the weather is particularly ugly, all should be solid.
Brandon Aubrey (vs. Seahawks), Jake Elliott (vs. 49ers), Blake Grupe (vs. Lions), Cameron Dicker (@ Patriots), and Harrison Butker (@ Packers) round out our top 10. Aubrey and Grupe are indoors, which is nice, while Dicker has a highly favorable matchup. Ultimately, though, this group largely consists of high-scoring kickers we're trusting regardless of matchups.
WEEK 13 FANTASY ADVICE: Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit
Who are the best fantasy kicker sleepers in Week 13?
McManus (vs. Bengals), Folk (vs. Colts), Grupe (vs. Lions), and Dicker (@ Patriots) are all owned in fewer than 50 percent of fantasy leagues, so they qualify as the top sleepers. Grupe is especially safe since he's indoors, but his matchup isn't as statistically strong as Folk's, Dicker's, or McManus's.
If you fully trust the matchup numbers, you could also go for Jason Sanders (@ Commanders), Matt Ammendola (vs. Broncos), and Greg Zuerlein (vs. Falcons), all of whom face defenses that entered Week 12 in the top 10 in FPPG allowed to kickers. Ammendola is indoors, giving him a nice boost.
If your No. 1 goal is avoiding weather worries and you can't get Grupe or Ammendola, you can try Riley Patterson (@ Saints), Wil Lutz (@ Texans), or Lucas Havrisik (vs. Browns).
WEEK 13 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best stacks | Best values
Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at kicker
Rank Player
1 Dustin Hopkins, Browns @ Rams
2 Matt Gay, Colts @ Titans
3 Brandon McManus, Jaguars vs. Bengals
4 Nick Folk, Titans vs. Colts
5 Younghoe Koo, Falcons @ Jets
6 Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys vs. Seahawks
7 Jake Elliott, Eagles vs. 49ers
8 Blake Grupe, Saints vs. Lions
9 Cameron Dicker, Chargers @ Patriots
10 Harrison Butker, Chiefs @ Packers
11 Jason Myers, Seahawks @ Cowboys
12 Jason Sanders, Dolphins @ Commanders
13 Matt Ammendola, Texans vs. Broncos
14 Greg Zuerlein, Jets vs. Falcons
15 Riley Patterson, Lions @ Saints
16 Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers vs. Panthers
17 Jake Moody, 49ers @ Eagles
18 Evan McPherson, Bengals @ Jaguars
19 Wil Lutz, Broncos @ Texans
20 Matt Prater, Cardinals @ Steelers
21 Lucas Havrisik, Rams vs. Browns
22 Joey Slye, Commanders vs. Dolphins
23 Eddy Pineiro, Panthers @ Buccaneers
24 Chris Boswell, Steelers vs. Cardinals
25 Chad Ryland, Patriots vs. Chargers
26 Anders Carlson, Packers vs. Chiefs
Week 13 Kicker fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week
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