3 Kicker Situations to Watch

You want to find kickers at the end of the draft, and if you can wait for some unsettled situations you may find some good opportunities.

August 18, 2020 - by Jason Lisk

Chase McLaughlin kicked for three different teams in 2019, and could be a late pickup if he wins the Colts job this year (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)

You don’t want to reach too early for kickers in fantasy football. It’s a position with relatively low year-to-year consistency. Kickers are are dependent on the team situation to generate opportunities. If you want to wait and find some value late, keep an eye on kicking competitions that could produce opportunity.

Here are three situations to watch for 2020, where you may want to grab the winner of the kicking competition for value.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matt Gay won the kicking job last year as a rookie, and went 27 of 35 on field goal opportunities. The Bucs are expected to contend for a playoff spot this year, which is a formula for fantasy kicking value. The team also signed kicker Elliott Fry for competition with Gay. Both are young without much track record, so while Gay is the favorite to hold the job, nothing is guaranteed. The winner becomes a fantasy starting option to start the season.

Los Angeles Rams

Greg Zuerlein is gone to Dallas, and that means a wide-open kicking competition in Los Angeles. The team has three-way kicker competition right now, and none are on the radar in fantasy kicker rankings. But we project the Rams’ kicker as the 10th best option in 2020, making the winner rosterable very late in drafts.

The team drafted Sam Sloman out of Miami-Ohio in the 7th round this year. In addition, the Rams signed Lirim Hajrullahu from the CFL, a veteran kicker north of the border with a strong leg. Finally, they signed Austin MacGinnis, who recently kicked in both the AAFC and XFL, and made 19 of 21 kicks across both leagues.

Indianapolis Colts

Adam Vinatieri finally looked like a kicker in his late 40’s last year, going 17 of 25 on kicks while also missing six extra points. The team could go back to the veteran still, though it’s more likely they move on in 2020. Chase McLaughlin came in at the end of the season for the injured Vinatieri, and did well. That followed his earlier stints with both the Chargers and the 49ers (when Robbie Gould was injured) in the same season.

McLaughlin could be a sleeper at kicker if he wins the job. He gets to kick in the dome, and the Colts are expected to contend for the AFC South title with Philip Rivers at quarterback. The team also signed rookie free agent Rodrigo Blankenship from Georgia to compete for the kicking job as well. Keep an eye on who wins this one and move them up your draft board.