Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings 2024: Best kickers, top sleepers and breakouts in fantasy drafts

Are you playing in a fantasy football redraft league that still uses kickers in 2024? Then you better not ignore the position as it can be a valuable source of scoring.

Kickers don't get the respect they deserve among other "real football players." They continue to improve their combination of distance and accuracy and are often tasked with high-pressure field-goal and extra-point attempts.

In fantasy, kicker should be the last starting position you fill, but the position shouldn't be a total afterthought. Last year for the Cowboys, rookie Brandon Aubrey averaged well more than 10 fantasy points per game in many formats. That put him on par with top WR3s and back-half TE1s in his contributions.

At the same time, there wasn't much difference between the No. 2 scoring kicker, the Ravens' Justin Tucker, and the rest of the top 12. Consistent, productive kickers are valuable in fantasy, but they are also plentiful.

There are only three key questions to ask to identify the best kicker values late in drafts. First, does he play for a team whose offense will give him plenty of field-goal tries in relation to extra-point chances? Second, will he be accurate enough to convert most of those opportunities? Third, in leagues where bonuses are given for range, will he boom home some longer field goals?

That's it. That's all can you do at a position that tends to be rather unpredictable given the offensive variables such as a team's red zone inefficiency. Here's a look at Sporting News' overall kicker rankings for 2024, breaking down the sleepers and breakouts who stand out.

2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings 2024: Best kickers, top sleepers

Three best sleepers

Greg Zuerlein, New York Jets: The Jets were the worst red zone offense in the NFL last season. That will improve with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, but in general, they will move the ball better and allow "Greg the Leg" several tack-on shots in defensive-minded games.

Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Falcons were shaky in the red zone under Arthur Smith. The Steelers aim to run better near the goal line, but the scoring chances will increase minus last year's QB mess.

Riley Patterson, Washington Commanders: They will be a more productive offense overall with Kliff Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels, but they are bound to drop a bit in red zone prowess to the point Patterson could score much more than predecessor Joey Slye.

Three breakouts to watch

Joshua Karty, Los Angeles Rams: The rookie sixth-rounder replaces the Brett Maher-Lukas Havrisik combination. The former was money early in the season, and this offense is potent enough for him to succeed.

Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings weren't a good red zone offense last season, and that trend will continue. But they also have a better option now than Greg Joseph in this other rookie sixth-rounder.

Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars: Little is also a sixth-round rookie in one of the best incoming kicker classes. Brandon McManus was a borderline K1 in the job last season, and the Jaguars' offense can have familiar bogging down late in drives.