We are now in the third week of the fantasy football season. As always, it is crucial to know what players are the preferable starts. Taking player talent, performance, and matchup into account, here are my Week 3 kicker rankings.
Top 28 Fantasy Kicker Rankings
1) Brandon Aubrey | Dallas Cowboys (vs. BAL)
2) Ka’imi Fairbairn | Houston Texans (at MIN)
3) Jake Moody | San Francisco 49ers (at LAR)
4) Harrison Butker | Kansas City Chiefs (at ATL)
5) Evan McPherson | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
6) Chase McLaughlin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. DEN)
7) Tyler Bass | Buffalo Bills (vs. JAX)
8) Jake Elliott | Philadelphia Eagles (at NO)
9) Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens (at DAL)
10) Jake Bates | Detroit Lions (at ARI)
11) Daniel Carlson | Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CAR)
12) Cameron Dicker | Los Angeles Chargers (at PIT)
13) Blake Grupe | New Orleans Saints (vs. PHI)
14) Matt Gay | Indianapolis Colts (vs. CHI)
15) Chris Boswell | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. LAC)
16) Cairo Santos | Chicago Bears (at IND)
17) Younghoe Koo | Atlanta Falcons (vs. KC)
18) Jason Sanders | Miami Dolphins (at SEA)
19) Jason Myers | Seattle Seahawks (vs. MIA)
20) Dustin Hopkins | Cleveland Browns (vs. NYG)
21) Matt Prater | Arizona Cardinals (vs. DET)
22) Wil Lutz | Denver Broncos (at TB)
23) Joshua Karty | Los Angeles Rams (vs. SF)
24) Greg Zuerlein | New York Jets (vs. NE)
25) Cam Little | Jacksonville Jaguars (at BUF)
26) Eddy Piñeiro | Carolina Panthers (at LV)
27) Brayden Narveson | Green Bay Packers (at TEN)
28) Nick Folk | Tennessee Titans (vs. GB)
The Top Kickers To Start in Week 3
Chase McLaughlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. DEN)
Kickers are off to an electric start this season. We’ve had multiple kickers post 20+ point fantasy weeks. Chase McLaughlin is not among them, but he has hit double-digits in each of his first two games.
McLaughlin has benefited from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers avoiding negative game scripts, which is important for field goal attempts. Fortunately, that is going to be the case once again, as the Bucs host the hapless Denver Broncos in Tampa, Fla.
With the Bucs at home, we have great weather. They are touchdown home favorites. And the Broncos do not have a great defense. All of the elements exist for the Bucs to have several trips into scoring position. Surely they will stall out a couple of times.
Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CAR)
I would not have advised drafting a kicker on the Las Vegas Raiders, regardless of how good Daniel Carlson actually is at kicking field goals. But streaming? Sign me up.
The Raiders have a home date against the Carolina Panthers, who to this point have been the worst team in football. Andy Dalton replacing Bryce Young should help, but it’s not as if the Panthers will suddenly become an offensive juggernaut. At worst, the Raiders should have a neutral game script, keeping the field goal in play.
In Week 1, facing a negative game script, Carlson made just one field goal. In Week 2, a back-and-forth affair with the Baltimore Ravens, Carlson hit four of them. This week will likely lie somewhere in the middle, which is perfectly fine for fantasy managers.