Best NFL Fantasy Football Kickers 2026

The best fantasy kickers in 2026 are more valuable than ever — and the data proves it. GridironGambler.com has compiled nine complete seasons of NFL kicker fantasy points (2017–2025), covering every regular-season game to deliver the most comprehensive kicker rankings available heading into your fantasy football draft. The position is no longer a throwaway pick. With field goal attempts climbing to all-time highs and total kicker fantasy scoring hitting a nine-year record of 4,003 points in 2025, where you draft your kicker can meaningfully swing your season.

HOW NFL KICKER FANTASY POINTS HAVE TRENDED FROM 2017 TO 2025

LEAGUE-WIDE NFL KICKER FANTASY SCORING BY SEASON (2017–2025)

Season	Games	Kickers	FGM	FGA	FG%	XPM	XPA	XP%	Total Pts	FGA/Gm	XPA/Gm	Pts/Gm
2017	501	42	866	1,027	84.3%	1,063	1,128	94.2%	3,661	2.05	2.25	7.31
2018	501	40	801	946	84.7%	1,167	1,237	94.3%	3,570	1.89	2.47	7.13
2019	502	41	795	974	81.6%	1,128	1,202	93.8%	3,519	1.94	2.39	7.01
2020	512	46	813	959	84.8%	1,242	1,336	93.0%	3,681	1.87	2.61	7.19
2021	533	47	874	1,025	85.3%	1,173	1,255	93.5%	3,795	1.92	2.35	7.12
2022	538	43	903	1,062	85.0%	1,121	1,183	94.8%	3,830	1.97	2.20	7.12
2023	535	39	909	1,058	85.9%	1,121	1,169	95.9%	3,848	1.98	2.19	7.19
2024	540	43	936	1,114	84.0%	1,189	1,240	95.9%	3,997	2.06	2.30	7.40
2025	535	42	931	1,088	85.6%	1,210	1,261	96.0%	4,003	2.03	2.36	7.48

The big-picture story of NFL kicker fantasy points from 2017 to 2025 is one of sustained, structural growth. Total league-wide scoring reached 4,003 points in 2025 — a 13.7% increase over the 2019 trough of 3,519 points and a new nine-year record. This is not random variance. The consistent upward trajectory from 2019 through 2025 reflects a fundamental shift in how NFL offenses operate: teams are kicking more, kicking more accurately on extra points, and creating more field goal opportunities than at any point in the dataset.

Field goal attempts per game is the most telling single metric in the table. After dipping to a nine-year low of 1.87 FGA/gm in 2020, the number climbed steadily to reach 2.06 in 2024 — the highest figure in the dataset — before settling at 2.03 in 2025. This structural shift means top kickers on productive offenses have more scoring opportunities per game than their predecessors a decade ago. Simultaneously, extra point accuracy improved from 94.2% in 2017 to 96.0% in 2025, reducing the variance drag that once made the kicker position unpredictable. The floor of the position has risen even as the ceiling has expanded.

The per-game scoring average of 7.48 pts/gm in 2025 versus 7.31 in 2017 might sound modest, but across a full 17-game season, that difference compounds meaningfully at the team and positional level. For fantasy managers, the takeaway is clear: the kicker position is not what it was five years ago. NFL kicker fantasy points are at record highs, the opportunity environment is the best it has ever been, and the reward for getting this position right — by targeting elite, consistent kickers in favorable offensive situations — has never been greater.

TOP FANTASY KICKER SEASON-BY-SEASON RANKINGS

TOP 5 FANTASY KICKERS BY SEASON — POINTS SCORED (2017–2025)

Season	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4	Rank 5
2017	Greg Zuerlein (158)	S. Gostkowski (156)	Robbie Gould (145)	H. Butker (142)	C. Boswell (142)
2018	Ka’imi Fairbairn (150)	J. Tucker (141)	H. Butker (137)	Wil Lutz (136)	Robbie Gould (130)
2019	H. Butker (147)	Wil Lutz (144)	J. Tucker (141)	Z. Gonzalez (128)	Matt Gay (124)
2020	D. Carlson (144)	Y. Koo (144)	J. Sanders (144)	Tyler Bass (141)	R. Succop (136)
2021	D. Carlson (150)	Nick Folk (150)	Matt Gay (144)	M. Prater (137)	J. Tucker (137)
2022	Jason Myers (143)	J. Tucker (142)	Brett Maher (137)	D. Carlson (137)	Robbie Gould (131)
2023	B. Aubrey (157)	J. Tucker (147)	Jason Myers (138)	H. Butker (137)	C. Santos (136)
2024	C. Boswell (158)	B. Aubrey (150)	C. Dicker (150)	C. McLaughlin (144)	Jake Bates (142)
2025	Jason Myers (171)	Ka’imi Fairbairn (160)	B. Aubrey (155)	C. Dicker (148)	Cam Little (140)

Perhaps the single most important strategic finding in nine years of kicker data is this: no kicker has finished first in back-to-back seasons. Not once. Zuerlein in 2017, Fairbairn in 2018, Butker in 2019, Carlson in 2020 and 2021 (though Carlson came closest with consecutive first-place finishes, a truly exceptional outlier), Myers in 2022, Aubrey in 2023, Boswell in 2024, and Myers again in 2025 with his record-shattering 171-point season — each year produces a new leader or a different face at the top. The implication for draft strategy is significant: targeting last year’s #1 kicker based on name recognition alone is a data-proven losing move. The position rewards research, not recency.

Aubrey’s presence in the top 5 in all three of his NFL seasons — 157 in 2023, 150 in 2024, 155 in 2025 — is historically exceptional and deserves its own conversation. Most elite kickers cycle through boom-and-bust patterns that produce big top-5 finishes alternating with middling years. Aubrey has delivered elite production in every single season of his professional career, with a 7-point range across all three campaigns. Meanwhile, Jason Myers’ 171-point 2025 season redefines what the ceiling for this position looks like: it is now confirmed that the right kicker, in the right offensive system, can deliver production that puts the entire positional conversation in a new light. The 150-point threshold has traditionally been the mark of a truly elite fantasy kicker season — Myers didn’t just clear it in 2025; he obliterated it by 21 points.

MOST CONSISTENT ELITE FANTASY KICKERS — STANDARD DEVIATION AND SEASON FLOOR DATA

ELITE FANTASY KICKER CONSISTENCY METRICS (2017–2025)

Player	Seasons	Avg Pts/Season	Std Dev	Season Floor	Risk Rating
Brandon Aubrey	3	154.0	2.9	150	LOW
Justin Tucker	8	138.1	6.5	126	LOW
Tyler Bass	5	131.4	6.6	121	LOW
Wil Lutz	8	128.6	13.1	102	MODERATE
Harrison Butker	9	124.7	19.1	92	HIGH
Evan McPherson	5	112.2	14.9	85	MODERATE
Jake Elliott	9	111.9	20.4	66	HIGH

Standard deviation is the most underused metric in fantasy kicker analysis. Raw scoring averages tell you what a kicker has done; standard deviation tells you how reliably he’ll do it again. Brandon Aubrey’s standard deviation of 2.9 is not just the lowest in this dataset — it is so far below every other elite kicker that it represents a genuine outlier in NFL history. To put it in perspective: Tucker’s already-excellent std dev of 6.5, accumulated over eight seasons, is still more than double Aubrey’s figure over three. Tyler Bass is the third member of the exclusive low-variance club at 6.6, making him a significantly underrated consistency asset in most fantasy markets.

At the other end of the spectrum, Jake Elliott’s standard deviation of 20.4 across nine seasons is the most alarming number in the table. Elliott has delivered elite seasons — but his 66-point season floor is a disaster waiting to happen. In any given year, Elliott might be a top-3 kicker or a kicker you’re streaming off the waiver wire. That is an unacceptable risk profile when better, more predictable options are available in 2026 drafts. Harrison Butker presents a similar dilemma: the career points leader at 1,122 total, but with a 19.1 standard deviation and a 92-point season floor that exposes managers to real bust risk in any given year.

The Gridiron Gambler Rule — std dev under 15 combined with a season floor above 100 — represents the minimum threshold for a genuinely reliable fantasy kicker. Wil Lutz comes close at std dev 13.1 and a floor of 102, just barely clearing both marks and making him a viable MODERATE-risk option. Evan McPherson’s 14.9 std dev puts him right at the boundary, though his 85-point floor knocks him out. The Rule is simple because the position is complex: consistency is the only thing that keeps a kicker from torpedoing your fantasy week. Three kickers clear the bar. Draft from that list whenever possible.

BIGGEST FANTASY KICKER MOVERS — 2024 TO 2025 YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGES

▲ RISERS — 2024 TO 2025

Player	2024 Pts	2025 Pts	Change
Riley Patterson	28	115	+87
Matt Prater	28	100	+72
Jason Myers	115	171	+56
Harrison Butker	92	130	+38
Cam Little	108	140	+32
Evan McPherson	85	116	+31
Andres Borregales	0	134	DEBUT

▼ DECLINERS — 2024 TO 2025

Player	2024 Pts	2025 Pts	Change
Younghoe Koo	101	31	-70
Matt Gay	126	77	-49
Daniel Carlson	125	87	-38
Chris Boswell	158	123	-35
Jake Moody	104	72	-32
Jake Elliott	131	101	-30

The 2024-to-2025 kicker movement data is a masterclass in why chasing last year’s results is a fantasy football trap. Of the five kickers who finished in the top 5 in 2024 — Boswell (158), Aubrey (150), Dicker (150), McLaughlin (144), and Bates (142) — only Aubrey and Dicker matched or exceeded their prior totals in 2025. Boswell fell 35 points in classic post-peak regression. Four of the top five declined. Meanwhile, the 2025 leaderboard was driven by a different cast entirely: a record-breaking Myers season, a Fairbairn resurgence, and the emergence of Cam Little as a legitimate starter. Every year is a reset.

Younghoe Koo’s collapse from 101 to 31 points is the most dramatic single-year decline in nine seasons of GridironGambler data and a cautionary tale for every fantasy manager who anchors too heavily on a kicker’s prior-year track record. A 70-point loss in a single season — from viable starter to undraftable — can happen to any kicker when the team situation deteriorates. Riley Patterson’s +87 and Matt Prater’s +72 swings illustrate the reverse: role changes and improved team contexts can produce massive single-season jumps. Andres Borregales debuting at 134 points in 2025 — a rate of 7.88 pts/gm — is the kind of breakout that only hindsight can fully explain, but that prospecting based on team context can help predict.

The volatility patterns seen in 2025 reinforce the core principle of this analysis: offensive context is the #1 driver of kicker performance, and it changes year-to-year with coaching staffs, rosters, and offensive philosophy shifts that no single prior-season ranking can account for. Butker’s +38 rebound from 92 to 130 shows that down years can reverse quickly when the team environment improves. Daniel Carlson’s continuing decline from 150 (2021) to 125 (2024) to 87 (2025) shows the opposite: when the offensive environment erodes, the kicker erodes with it — and there is rarely a snap recovery. The data rewards managers who look at two-year and three-year trajectories, not just the most recent stat line.

CAREER FANTASY KICKER POINT LEADERS

CAREER FANTASY KICKER POINT LEADERS — DATASET (2017–2025)

Rank	Player	Career Pts	Best Season (Pts)	Career GP	Pts/Gm
1	Harrison Butker	1,122	147 (2019)	137	8.19
2	Justin Tucker	1,105	147 (2023)	132	8.37
3	Jason Myers	1,069	171 (2025)	138	7.75
4	Chris Boswell	1,038	158 (2024)	140	7.41
5	Ka’imi Fairbairn	1,033	160 (2025)	134	7.71
6	Wil Lutz	1,029	144 (2019)	131	7.85
7	Jake Elliott	1,007	135 (2023)	146	6.90
8	Daniel Carlson	919	150 (2021)	125	7.35
9	Greg Zuerlein	930	158 (2017)	111	8.38
10	Matt Prater	912	137 (2021)	129	7.07

The career leaders table offers its own set of strategic insights, beginning with the Greg Zuerlein footnote at #9. Zuerlein’s per-game rate of 8.38 pts/gm is the best among any kicker in the nine-year dataset — better than Tucker (8.37), better than Butker (8.19), better than anyone still active. His 2017 masterclass of 158 points in just 111 games represents a rate of efficiency that the NFL has rarely seen. He is no longer playing, but his presence in the data reinforces that per-game rate, not raw totals, is the truest measure of kicker dominance. Tucker’s 8.37 pts/gm over 132 games is the benchmark for active kickers — a remarkable achievement across eight seasons and one that underpins his long-term elite status regardless of recent availability questions.

Harrison Butker sitting at #1 overall with 1,122 career points demands an important asterisk for 2026 drafters. His total reflects nine seasons of sustained production, but his year-by-year output has been anything but consistent — the 19.1 standard deviation figure is the loudest warning sign attached to any kicker at the top of the career list. Butker’s 2024 collapse to 92 points followed immediately by a 130-point rebound in 2025 perfectly illustrates his boom-or-bust profile. Ka’imi Fairbairn at #5 is perhaps the most underappreciated name in the top 10: 1,033 career points, a career-best 160-point season in 2025, and a per-game rate of 7.71 pts/gm — all without ever receiving the national hype that accompanies Tucker, Butker, or Boswell in mainstream fantasy coverage.

2026 FANTASY KICKER DRAFT TIERS — WHO TO TARGET, WHO TO AVOID

These tiers are grounded in nine seasons of GridironGambler data — not recency bias, not name recognition, and not the hot take of the week. Every tier assignment is backed by four core metrics: consistency score (standard deviation), average pts/season, pts/gm rate, and trajectory across the most recent two to three seasons. If a kicker scores well on all four, he moves up. If any metric flashes a red flag, he moves down or out. The tiers below represent the most defensible, data-driven kicker rankings available heading into 2026 drafts.

⚡ TIER 1 — LOCK & LOAD: DRAFT IN ALL FORMATS

Brandon Aubrey — Dallas Cowboys

Three NFL seasons. Average of 154 fantasy points per season. Standard deviation of 2.9. Season floor of 150 points. The Dallas Cowboys offense provides one of the highest field goal opportunity rates in the league, and Aubrey has maximized every rep of it without exception. He is the safest, most bankable kicker in fantasy football heading into 2026, and there is no credible argument against drafting him first among kickers in any league format. His consistency score is without precedent in this dataset. Draft him, start him, and move on — he will not be your problem this season.

2025 Stats: 155 pts  |  Career Avg: 154.0 pts/season  |  Std Dev: 2.9  |  Season Floor: 150

Jason Myers — Seattle Seahawks

The 2025 record-setter at 171 fantasy points — the highest single-season total in the GridironGambler nine-year dataset. Myers has now finished in the top 3 in two of the last three seasons and crossed the 1,000 career points threshold in 2025 at a rate of 7.75 pts/gm. Seattle’s high-powered offense is the engine behind his value, and as long as that engine is running at full throttle, Myers is the highest-ceiling kicker available in 2026 drafts. His one risk factor is variance: unlike Aubrey, Myers is capable of a middling season (115 pts in 2024) between elite campaigns. But the upside at 171 points makes him a must-draft in all formats.

2025 Stats: 171 pts (record)  |  Career Avg: 7.75 pts/gm  |  Career Total: 1,069 pts

🔵 TIER 2 — HIGH UPSIDE: STRONG STARTERS, SLIGHT RISK

Ka’imi Fairbairn

Back-to-back top-2 finishes — 142 in 2024, 160 in 2025. His nine-season career total of 1,033 points places him in elite company at #5 all-time in the dataset, and his 2025 career-best season shows an upward trajectory rather than decline. His offensive environment has trended toward giving him the consistent opportunity his per-game rate demands. A strong Tier 2 starter with legitimate Tier 1 upside if 2025 is the beginning of a new ceiling rather than an outlier.

Cameron Dicker — Los Angeles Chargers

Top-5 finishes in both 2024 (150 pts) and 2025 (148 pts) cement Dicker as one of the most reliable kickers in the game right now. His per-game rate of 8.27 pts/gm is elite — matching or exceeding every active kicker outside of Aubrey. The Chargers’ offensive environment suits him, and his back-to-back consistency puts him right at the Tier 1/Tier 2 border. A rock-solid starter in all formats.

Andres Borregales

Debuted with 134 fantasy points in 2025 on just 17 games — a rate of 7.88 pts/gm, the best among first-year kickers in the dataset. When a rookie kicker produces at that rate in his debut NFL season, the league takes notice. Strong upside heading into 2026 if his role is maintained. Needs a full season of data before elite status can be confirmed, but the first impression was exceptional.

Cam Little

Back-to-back seasons of 108 (2024) and 140 (2025) tell a clear upward story. His career pts/gm of 7.29 has room to grow as he develops within his offensive system. Little is one of the most compelling Tier 2 value picks in 2026 drafts — a player whose ADP will likely undervalue his production potential based on limited name recognition.

Will Reichard

Jumped from 110 to 130 fantasy points in just his second NFL season, posting an 8.28 pts/gm rate that puts him among the most efficient kickers in the league on a per-opportunity basis. His upward trajectory over two seasons is one of the most encouraging signals in this year’s data. A name to prioritize in 2026 drafts before the broader fantasy community catches up.

⚠️ TIER 3 — PROCEED WITH CAUTION: SITUATIONAL VALUE, HIGH VARIANCE

Harrison Butker — Kansas City Chiefs

The career leader in total fantasy points at 1,122 — but paired with a standard deviation of 19.1, the highest among named elite kickers in the dataset. His 2025 bounce-back to 130 pts is genuinely encouraging after his 2024 collapse to 92, but that same volatility pattern means another floor season is always possible. The Kansas City offensive environment provides opportunity, but Butker’s profile demands that managers price in bust risk explicitly. High upside at his current ADP; real floor risk that cannot be ignored.

Evan McPherson — Cincinnati Bengals

Improving trajectory over two seasons — 85 in 2024, 116 in 2025 — and a five-year average of 112.2 pts/season makes McPherson a viable streaming target and a reasonable late-round pick in deeper leagues. His 14.9 standard deviation keeps him just outside the Gridiron Gambler Rule safe zone. Not a reliable starter in most leagues, but his upward trend deserves a close watch heading into training camp.

Jake Bates — Detroit Lions

Two strong seasons — 142 (2023) and 135 (2024) — with a per-game efficiency of 8.15 pts/gm make Bates an intriguing name. However, just 34 career games in the dataset is not enough sample to confirm elite status. Detroit’s offensive environment is a legitimate strength. Needs more data before any Tier 2 promotion is warranted. Draft as a high-upside Tier 3 option with eyes on camp news.

🚫 TIER 4 — AVOID: HIGH RISK, DECLINING OR UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY

Younghoe Koo

Collapsed from 101 to just 31 points in 2025 — the worst single-year decline in the nine-year dataset. A 70-point freefall in one season indicates a fundamental breakdown in team usage or injury situation that no surface-level analysis can paper over. Undraftable in all formats until the team situation is fully stabilized and a concrete 2026 role is confirmed. Do not reach for a name.

Daniel Carlson

Three consecutive down years is a trend, not noise. Declining from 150 (2021) to 137 (2022) to 125 (2024) to 87 (2025), Carlson has lost 63 points of production over four seasons. The data trend is clear and the direction is consistently downward. Unless a materially improved offensive situation emerges before draft day, Carlson belongs in the avoid column.

Matt Gay

Fell to 77 fantasy points in 2025, a 49-point drop from his 126-point 2024 campaign. Not worth a roster spot without a demonstrably improved usage situation confirmed by training camp and preseason data. Monitor but do not draft in standard formats.

Justin Tucker

Legendary career totals — 1,105 career pts, 8.37 pts/gm, the best long-run per-game average among active kickers — but zero 2025 production in this dataset. Tucker’s health and team situation must be independently confirmed before any draft investment is justified. He remains one of the greatest kickers in NFL history; the question for 2026 is availability, not talent. If fully healthy and confirmed as the starter, he jumps to Tier 2 immediately. Until then: monitor closely, draft cautiously, do not assume.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q1: Who is the best fantasy kicker to draft in 2026?

Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys is the best fantasy kicker to draft in 2026. Over his three NFL seasons (2023–2025), Aubrey has averaged 154 fantasy points per season with a standard deviation of just 2.9 and a season floor of 150 points — the most consistent elite kicker in the nine-season GridironGambler dataset.

Q2: What NFL kicker scored the most fantasy points in 2025?

Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks scored the most fantasy points of any NFL kicker in 2025 with 171 total points — the highest single-season total in the GridironGambler nine-season dataset (2017–2025). Myers improved by 56 points over his 2024 total of 115.

Q3: How many fantasy points do NFL kickers average per game?

NFL kickers averaged 7.48 fantasy points per game in 2025, up from 7.31 in 2017. The position has grown in total value every year from 2019 to 2025, reaching a nine-season record of 4,003 total league-wide fantasy points in 2025.

Q4: Is it worth drafting a kicker in fantasy football?

Yes. NFL kickers have become increasingly valuable in fantasy football. Field goal attempts per game reached an all-time high of 2.06 in 2024 and held at 2.03 in 2025, and total kicker fantasy points hit a record 4,003 in 2025. Elite kickers like Brandon Aubrey average over 150 points per season, making top-tier kickers a meaningful positional advantage.

Q5: Which kickers should I avoid in the 2026 fantasy football draft?

Kickers to avoid in 2026 include Younghoe Koo, who collapsed from 101 to 31 points in 2025 (a loss of 70 points), Daniel Carlson, who has declined three consecutive seasons from 150 in 2021 to 87 in 2025, and Matt Gay, who dropped to 77 points in 2025. Justin Tucker should be monitored carefully before drafting due to his absence in 2025.