The old kicker debate has been happening for quite some time: "Do kickers belong in fantasy?" Well, we are not taking a side, instead we are providing kicker stats for those season long and
The old kicker debate has been happening for quite some time: "Do kickers belong in fantasy?" Well, we are not taking a side, instead we are providing kicker stats for those season long and
| |
---|---|
| 90 |
| 82 |
| 82 |
| 67 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 66.7% | 100% |
| 82 | | 1 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 100% | 100% |
| 82 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| 67 | | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
Contents
Looking at kicker stats, it can certainly be more than just field goals made or attempted. However, that is usually the starting point, and showing what kickers have made the most field goals, and extra points are going to start us off. These are going to be the production stats, while field goal attempts and extra-point attempts are going to be volume stats. The more volume a kicker has, the better the odds of his production going to be higher. Lower volume kickers have to rely a lot on efficiency, but even then, it is likely not enough to put them at the top of the league in points. Over the course of a season, the stat column that says long is going to mean the longest field goal they made.
Field goals are broken up by ten-yard distances, as this is how they are often scored in fantasy where each field goal can be broken up in scoring points. This will show how often kickers are making their kicks from each distance. All of the kicks made will equal the total amount of points, which is adding field goals and extra points. Being able to show field goal attempts per game will help you see how often kickers are making their kicks. The field goal and extra point percentages will be the conversion rate they make. Swapping to the fantasy drop down, you can see fantasy points they hit on a total or per-game basis.
There are a few different ways we can evaluate a kicker. When looking at them in the sense of just being a good football kicker, we are going to look at field goal and extra point percentage. It is always frustrating to have a kicker who is leaving points on the field and potentially missing game-winning kicks. Now on the other side of it, you have fantasy kickers, where you should be a little less concerned with efficiency and more concerned with volume. These are really the only two stats for kickers that we want to look at, but we can dive in a little more.
If you are looking at kicker stats for your favorite team and have no fantasy ties. You are going to want to see a higher field goal percentage. Accuracy is king because overall, you are not going to care about volume all that much. Field goals mean your drive is stalling on offense, and you are settling for three points. However, when those field goal attempts are there, we want kickers to be making them. Field goal percentage is the major way to value a kicker in these terms. As we transition into more aggressive play calling, or wanting teams to go for it more, we should see volume go down just a bit.
For fantasy football, you are going to want to look at field goal attempts first over anything else. Volume is big because it correlates with fantasy points, and we want those opportunities, even if it means that team is opting to kick field goals over going for it. Good teams are going to be putting up points regardless, like the Chiefs who put up big points but their pace and overall offense give kicking opportunity anyway. After volume, you can look at efficiency, because if they are not efficient with average or below-average volume, then the fantasy points won’t be there. If they have high volume, missing a kick here or there is not going to be a big problem. The accuracy differences across the league are also not that wide spread.
Over the last few seasons, most of the top kickers continue their consistency. They are also going to be on some of the top offenses, and there are a few reasons for that. Good offenses are going to produce more chances for field goal attempts. Starting with Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens he has been one of the top kickers over the last few years. He has the most field goals made over the last three seasons and has over a 90% field goal percentage. Tucker also has an average distance over 38 yards in that span. The Ravens continue to have an edge with Tucker’s accuracy and consistency. Graham Gano of the Carolina Panthers was also one of the more consistent kicking options in this span, sitting over 93%.
The Chiefs have always had a strong kicking unit, and it has been needed over the last five-seven years because of how good their offense has been. They have dominated in field goal attempts in that span as Andy Reid has that offense in fine form. Even with Alex Smith, this team was up there in field goal attempts. Cairo Santos was the kicker with him, but lately, Harrison Butker has been their guy. He has over 90 field goals made over the last three seasons and is sitting just a shade under a 90% field goal percentage. Butker is also consistent in extra points. Matt Prater has played his last few seasons in Denver and Detroit, but ranks inside the top eight in field goal makes and also has an average distance over 39 yards.
While Robbie Gould is up there in age, he continues to be a consistent kicking option. He has over 90 field goals over the last three seasons and is also sitting just a shade under a 90% field goal percentage. Wil Lutz is another name who has been extremely consistent. The Saints are another offense who put the volume up in field goal attempts, and Lutz has delivered. Lutz also has a monster leg and is consistently accurate. Greg Zuerlein has one of the bigger legs in the game and ranks top eight in field goal attempts over the last three seasons. Josh Lambo has been extremely accurate, sitting with the highest field goal percentage over the last three seasons among qualified kickers.
There is a reason why extra points have been moved back. It was always a gimme point after a touchdown, but that isn’t the same anymore. The league moved back to create some extra entertainment, to make extra points matter, but also because kickers are better than ever before. No matter the distance, field goal percentage has been on the rise for every decade. If you are frustrated with kickers now and them missing a kick or two, go back and watch in the 70s and 80s, where they are making only 60-70% of 30-39 yard field goals. That is completely different from today, where they are making over 80% combined.
We have also seen kickers kick at a higher average distance over the course of the season. Kickers were not booming a ton of 50+ yard field goals in comparison to how things are now. Things have also improved, such as field conditions and teams playing in domes, so you can factor in those things as well.
Younghoe Koo had the most field goals made in 2022, with 37. This is even with a missed game. He made 95% of his kicks and was one of the top kickers in the league. He also tacked on 33 extra points.
Greg Zuerlein of the Dallas Cowboys attempted 41 field goals this season, which was the most in the league. Dallas had an offense that could move the ball but finishing drives was an issue and led to a league high in attempts.
When you are on the Packers, chances are there are going to be plenty of touchdowns. Mason Crosby had 59 extra points made this season and had 63 attempts. Tyler Bass and Wil Lutz were the next best with 57.
Brandon McManus had a whopping 15 attempts from beyond 50 yards this season and he made ten of them. Denver kickers have always had an edge given the altitude but McManus was very successful with 10 made from this distance.
Graham Gano of the New York Giants made 31 of 32 field goals in 2022, bringing him to a 96.9% field goal percentage. This led all qualified kickers in 2022. Gano was one of the most efficient kickers and also made over 90% of his extra points.
Jason Sanders of the Miami Dolphins was the only qualified kicker in 2022 to have a 100% extra point percentage. He made all 36 attempts and also kicked over 90% from field goals./p>
Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks had the longest field goal in 2022. He hit a 61-yarder, which was the only 60+ yard field goal made during this season. The next closest was a couple of kickers who had a 59-yard field goal.