Skip to main content
Advertising

2016 fantasy football profiles (K 1-15)

Auction...............$4

Bye Week.............9

For the second time in three years, Stephen Gostkowski finished right at the top of the fantasy kicker scorers. His 159 points were nine more than the next highest kicker in 2015, and he scored fewer than eight points just four times last  season. He's an automatic lock to finish as a top-five fantasy kicker as long as the Patriots offense continues to be a strong unit under Tom Brady. All indications are that should hold up for another year. Gostkowski will likely be the first off the board when kickers have their names called in your fantasy draft.

Auction...............$2

Bye Week.............9

It's always a plus kicking for one of the best offenses in the entire NFL, hence Catanzaro attempting the second-most PATs in the league last year. It also helps that the Cardinals kicker was one of the more accurate kickers around, converting more than 90 percent of his field goal attempts. The biggest knock on the former Clemson Tiger has been a lack of a big leg. In two seasons in Arizona, Catanzaro has attempted just five field goals of 50-plus yards -- making two. By comparison, 17 different kickers attempted five or more kicks from that distance in 2015 alone. Nonetheless, with the Redbirds offense expected to be just as potent this season, there's little reason to think Catanzaro won't once again be a top 10 fantasy kicker.

Auction...............$2

Bye Week.............7

Following the surprising success of his NFL team, Graham Gano finished the season as the second-highest scoring fantasy kicker. The Panthers were the highest scoring team of 2015, and consequently Gano ended up with the most extra points attempted. The Panthers offense will only take a step back if Cam Newton falls back after an MVP performance last season. With the supporting cast he carried last year that feels unlikely.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............5

The Seattle kicker finished 2015 as a top 10 fantasy option with five double-digit weeks through Week 16. His lowest game was a Week 12 win in which he attempted zero field goals and posted just three fantasy points. Other than that, his floor was a solid five fantasy points, and for the season he averaged 7.9 FPPG. He missed four extra points and just three field goals all year. He's been a top 10 fantasy kicker for three straight seasons and will look to make it four in a row in 2016.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............5

Taking a big jump in his second year, Cairo Santos finished as the seventh-highest scoring kicker. He clocked in 25 points in Week 4, which was the highest kicker score of the year. Santos attempted 19 kicks between 30 and 49 yards. The Chiefs offense can move the ball, but the conservative nature of the unit does keep them from punching touchdowns in at times. For this reason, Santos can come through with a big score at any time. With Alex Smith and Andy Reid in place for another year, it's hard to see Santos' outlook changing much.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............8

In the biggest "whoops" moment of 2015, the Steelers traded for and then had to cut Josh Scobee when he fell apart. Luckily, they had Chris Boswell join the team in Week 5, and he went on to nail 90.6 percent of his field goal attempts. He was the 14th-highest scoring kicker on the season, despite only playing 12 games, thanks to Pittsburgh's high-flying offense. With that unit primed to score many more points in 2016, Boswell should be a nice value at kicker.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............7

The Cowboys offense sputtered this past season with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant unavailable for the vast majority of games. As such, Dan Bailey's scoring chances fell and he only attempted 25 extra points after leading the NFL with 56 in 2014. Hopefully a still strong ground game will welcome back a healthy quarterback and No. 1 wide receiver to make the Dallas offense much more potent this season. Bailey still finished as the 11th-best fantasy kicker despite adverse conditions, nailing 93.8 percent of his field goal attempts in 2015.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............8

The Ravens offense went in the tank for a large stretch of the season, which kept Justin Tucker from having a breakout 2015 campaign. He scored just one less point than he did the year prior. The Baltimore offense could rebound this year if Joe Flacco is healthy and in-sync with a surprisingly stout receiving corps. If so, Tucker could become a nice draft bargain. However, since he is a big name, and made several crucial kicks on national television, Tucker is sure to be one of the first kickers off the board in most casual drafts.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............6

In his fourth year in the NFL, Walsh had just two games where he didn't come through for fantasy owners. He was clutch most weeks save for one-point games in Weeks 11 and 13, which can be attributed to his team's offense just not getting the job done in those specific instances. But for the season, Walsh finished as the No. 3 fantasy kicker behind only Steven Gostkowski and Graham Gano. He went out with a bang with 10, 10, and 23 points during the fantasy playoffs. Like most every kicker, he had a few miscues (he missed five FGs and four PATs) but averaged 8.4 FPPG, the highest mark since his rookie year in 2012. He should remain a top 10 option in 2016 as the Vikings will move into a brand new stadium with a roof.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............11

Despite playing in what was once considered a top notch offense, McManus has never been a top line fantasy kicker. McManus' first season in 2014 was a struggle. He missed 4-of-13 field goals and was eventually demoted to kickoff specialist in favor of veteran Connor Barth. McManus was better last season, converting 30-of-35 kicks (85.7 percent) and connecting on 5-of-7 from 50 yards and beyond. His leg strength is apparent and his accuracy is improving. The downside is that the Broncos offense this season might not put him in position to score quite as frequently and could leave him outside of the top 10 among kickers this year.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............4

For years Crosby has been about as reliable as kickers come, ranking among the top 10 at his position time and time again. Last year was a different story with the Packers kicker just sneaking into the top 15. Much of that had to do with Green Bay's offense sputtering after being hit with a rash of injuries. As long as the Packer attack is intact, there should be plenty of opportunities for Crosby to get on the board. Plus he still has a pretty big leg, as evidenced by his four field goals from 50 yards or more.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............10

Entering his 21st season in the NFL, Vinatieri is the dean among kickers. But 2015 was a down year for Automatic Adam as he finished outside of the top 12 for the first time since 2011, though such a poor finish can't be totally blamed on Vinatieri. His 27 field goal attempts were tied for second-fewest over a full season, thanks in part to a Colts offense that finished 24th in scoring. That number figures to change somewhat in 2015 with a healthy Andrew Luck back in charge of the offense. While Vinatieri still has the leg (4-of-5 from 50-plus), it's fair to wonder if he can continue to be as effective entering his age-44 season.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............8

Accuracy has been the name of the game for Brown in recent seasons. Going back to 2012, the journeyman kicker has converted nearly 92 percent of his attempts and was tied with Dallas' Dan Bailey for the top FG percentage (93.8) in 2015. Entering his 14th season in the league, Brown backs an offense that posted the eighth-most yards and averaged the sixth-most points. There should be ample opportunity for Brown to once again be a productive fantasy kicker.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............6

There are certainly going to be big expectations placed on Aguayo from the start. That happens not only when you're one of the most accurate kickers in college football history, but also when a team drafts you in the second round. Aguayo was nearly automatic whenever he stepped on the field at Florida State and the Buccaneers are hoping for the same production in the NFL. Of course, some of his productivity will depend on former Seminole teammate Jameis Winston and his ability to direct the offense. But if the Bucs offense improves as expected, Aguayo could end up challenging to sneak into the top 10 among kickers.

Auction...............$1

Bye Week.............4

Parkey is hoping for a big rebound season after playing in just three games before suffering a season-ending groin injury. But going back to 2014, the Eagles kicker showed that he could be quite the fantasy weapon. As a rookie, Parkey tied with Stephen Gostkowski for the highest-scoring kicker. That season he finished in the top 10 in field goal accuracy while converting all 54 of his extra point chances. While some of Parkey's production will depend on the efficiency of the revamped Philadelphia offense, he still has the ability (when healthy) to be a top-flight fantasy kicker.

[K RANKINGS 16-30internal-link-placeholder-0]

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.