I’m not drafting a kicker until far later in my drafts, much like defenses. But that likely isn’t a surprise.
Stephen Gostkowski is always good and owns the best average draft position in fantasy football drafts at 114 overall, 20 spots ahead of the second kicker, Carolina’s Graham Gano. In a 12-team fantasy league, fantasy owners are putting Gostkowski on their team in the 10th round, two rounds ahead of the next-best kicker.
That’s quite a major difference. I’m not going that route, based on depth creation, but Gostkowski is a consistent option in a world that does include some missed extra points nowadays. Gostkowski has been a top-2 fantasy football option every year since 2011 and there’s no reason to believe that will change this season.
I believe that drafting him in the 10th round is a reach, but I can’t necessarily blame fantasy owners with an itchy-trigger finger. Sometimes kickers can be a drain on fantasy teams and Gostkowski will not be that kind of kicker.
I would wait and allow other teams to draft him, but I don’t see him as a bust for the season. Here’s two kickers who could be busts based on where they’re being drafted.
Graham Gano, Carolina
Gano enters the season with the the second-best ADP, according to an aggregate score from several different fantasy platforms. But he’s not a slam-dunk choice. He’s ranked as the eighth-best kicker on FantasyPros and has an ADP of 10 on ESPN.
So why the discrepancy? As far as kickers go, Gano hasn’t always been the most accurate.
Last season as the second-highest scorer in fantasy football, Gano still ranked 22nd overall in field goal percentage. He did most of his damage in the 40 and beyond range for an offense that was one of the best in the NFL.
He’s never been in the 90 percentile for converted kicks and in every year but one of his five full years, he’s been under the 84 percent mark. If the Panthers can’t get him as many opportunities as they did last year, he won’t finish as the second-best kicker in fantasy scoring.
That’s why I’m passing on him as the second pick among kickers.
Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh
Ranked sixth overall in ADP among kickers, Boswell is in a similar crowd as Gano. There seems to be a split, with two separate fantasy platforms listing him in double-digits among kickers in ADP.
The mixed reactions are likely due to Boswell being a second-year player and some experts believing he will make a major improvement, while others are slower to anoint him as a top-tier kicker.
He finished last season with a 91 percent accuracy mark in field goals with a 96 percent rate on extra points. That’s good for anyone, especially for a rookie.
So it’s anticipated that he should get better and the Steelers offense should be one of the best in the NFL. However, he did the majority of his damage last season in that 20 to 39-yard range, going 17-for-17. But that’s not where fantasy owners garner the majority of their points from kickers.
The best kickers can dominate from long range, and Boswell attempted only 14 field goals last year beyond 40 yards, which ranks him far below the best kickers.
Will he have those opportunities with such a dynamic offense? Or does he just not have the leg for those kinds of kicks? He may be a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners, but I’m waiting another year before I place him near the top-five among kickers.
