-2022 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2022 Draft Kit
Justin Tucker rebounded after a "bad" season in 2020 when averaged 9.1 fantasy points per game as the K7. He finished 2021 as the K2 with the No. 1 FG% (95%). Arguably already the best kicker in the history of the NFL, Tucker is by far the safest bet to return top-3 fantasy kicker status, making him worthy of the No. 1 ranking. Since 2016, he's finished outside the top-4 once (2020).
Butker has fallen out of the elite kicking category over the last two seasons, finishing outside the top-10 Ks after ranking top-7 his three seasons. It's through no fault of his own as Butker has maintained solid efficiency, but he's just been assigned fewer opportunities in the Chiefs high-powered offense. However the loss of Tyreek Hill could present a return to form for Butker if the team struggles to convert TDs in the red zone.
You can never go wrong drafting a dome kicker attached to a high-powered offense. That's the move behind Matt Gay, who hit a career-high 94% of his FGs in 2021 -- second only to Justin Tucker.
As a rookie, Evan McPherson tied Justin Tucker as the K2 averaging 9.6 fantasy points per game. He finished as PFF's second-highest graded PK and led the NFL in 50-plus yards converted attempts (9-11). His reliance on long FGs could be a sign that regression is on the horizon as the kickers that have done supremely well in that metric -- Jason Sanders, Matt Prater, Joey Slye -- have fallen from top-5 kickers to back-end starters the following year.
2021 was the perfect storm for Nick Folk. He finished as the No. 1 fantasy kicker after finishing third in attempts and fifth in FG%. Folk connected on 90% of his fields goals for 30-plus yards. It would be easy to brush off Folk's career year and point to regression in 2022, but the Patriots track record of reliable fantasy kickers suggests he can be a trusted commodity.