2025 Fantasy Football: Kicker tiers led by Brandon Aubrey, Cameron Dicker

My least favorite part of fantasy football is when a kicker misses a field goal and a million fantasy managers call for the end of the kicker position in our grand little game.

They demand the abolition of kickers in fantasy football, yet they have nothing to say when a tight end drops a gimme touchdown pass or a quarterback throws a harebrained red zone interception or a running back fumbles at the goal line. Curious!

My grievances out of the way, let’s get into which kickers you should target and which guys you should fade in your 2025 fantasy drafts.

While I lobby for the codification of kickers taken in the final round of fantasy drafts, I’d urge you not to get overly-excited about any one kicker. I watched in horror for a decade as managers reached for Justin Tucker in the middle rounds of drafts, forgoing startable wideouts and running backs along the way. Thankfully the Tucker era is over, for various reasons, but someone else will emerge as the Kicker To Have, and I would respectfully — if urgently — tell you not to fall for that trap.

Kickers are replaceable. I’ve looked into it powerfully.

Below are my 2025 kicker tiers, which of course could change over the next couple weeks as final roster cuts are made. I’ve done my best to identify the kicker options who could (should) become every-week starters in 12-team formats, if you’d rather not stream the position this season.

2025 Fantasy Football Kicker Tiers

Tier One

Brandon Aubrey (DAL)

Aubrey wasn’t necessarily great in 2024. He missed seven of his 47 field goal tries but led the league in attempts, which matter more than anything for fantasy purposes. The Cowboys love their field goals, don’t they folks. He should be an every-week guy once again in 2025.

Harrison Butker (KC)

He benefits from positive game script year in and year out. It doesn’t really matter that his accuracy has slipped in recent years.

Chris Boswell (PIT)

No team converted more field goals in 2024 than the Steelers, and only Dallas had more attempts. The Boz benefits from a solid Steelers defense that keeps the team away from runaway game script, meaning the Steelers don’t have to pass on second half field goal tries in favor of touchdowns. Mike Tomlin hates touchdowns anyway. Boswell, who’s made an astounding 93 percent of his kicks over the past two seasons — including 19 of 22 kicks from beyond 50 yards — is a locked-in fantasy play.

Cameron Dicker (LAC)

The Chargers’ 42 field goal tries last year were the third-most in the NFL while converting a decent 54 percent of their red zone trips into touchdowns (18th highest rate in the league). It won’t hurt Dicker’s cause that Jim Harbaugh is the league’s most conservative fourth down decision maker. Only four teams had more field goal attempts between 20-29 yards in 2024. That could explain why Dicker averaged a hefty 2.6 field goal attempts in LA wins last season.

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Tier Two

Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU)

This is where I tell you I once bought a Fairbairn t-shirt jersey after he made a Week 17 field goal that propelled me to a fantasy championship. That shirt no longer fits. It must’ve shrunk in the wash; it’s hard to say. Anyway, Fairbain is good (88 percent field goal conversion rate over eight NFL seasons) and the Texans kick lots of field goals. He averaged 2.5 field goal tries per game in Houston wins last season. Only three teams had more field goal tries last season and DeMeco Ryans in 2024 was among the NFL’s most conservative fourth down decision makers.

Jake Moody (SF)

Moody was more injured last season than anyone led on. He’s made adjustments and beat out Greg Joseph for the Niners’ starting gig this offseason. Moody said he shifted this spring from a three-step approach to a two-step approach in a bid to exchange distance for more accuracy in 2025. Moody, taken in the third round of the 2023 draft, was a total disaster in 2024. Struggling with a lingering ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Cardinals, Moody missed ten of his 34 field goal tries. That included a three-miss game against the Bucs in Week 10. He made just five of 11 kicks between 40-49 yards last season.

Kyle Shanahan’s team is perennially among the league leaders in field goal tries (in 2024 they were third in attempts). Moody could be a pleasant surprise in a San Francisco offense that’s bound to see some of the good regression.

Wil Lutz (DEN)

Sean Payton was the fourth-most conservative fourth down decision-maker in the NFL last season, and the Broncos’ elite defense should give Lutz plenty of positive and neutral game script with which to work. That he made 91 percent of his kicks in 2024 is nice.

Cam Little (JAC)

Everyone’s favorite hipster kicker — who drilled a 70 yarder in last week’s preseason game — should have far more positive game script going for him in 2025. Little was quietly excellent in 2024, making 27 of his 29 field goal attempts and all 27 of his extra points. He was good from downtown too, making five of six from over 50 yards.

This didn’t come out of nowhere. Little converted 84 percent of his field goal tries at Arkansas from 2021 to 2023 and became one of the only kickers to leave school early for the NFL. Little has a clear path to becoming a legend in Duval County if Liam Coen‘s offense is as productive as I think it will be.

Tier Three

Chase McLaughlin (TB)

Tampa last year was surprisingly aggressive on fourth downs — especially in the red zone — but McLaughlin should be OK for fantasy purposes this season. He averaged 2.3 field goal attempts per game in Bucs wins last season.

Jake Bates (DET)

Fantasy managers love Bates because he has a (very) cool story and kicks the ball a long way, and fantasy folks love the long ball. The problem is that Dan Campbell, unlike many NFL head coaches, enjoys scoring touchdowns and winning games. That can pose a problem for a kicker’s fantasy production.

No coach was more aggressive on fourth downs than Campbell in 2024. Detroit’s 29 field goal attempts ranked 26th last season. They were dead last in attempts in 2023. The opportunity likely won’t be there for Bates in 2025. He’s more of a streaming option until Campbell stops playing to win.

Younghoe Koo (ATL)

Don’t be too put off by Koo’s disastrous 2024 campaign (74 percent conversion rate). It happens. The Falcons averaged 2.9 field goal tries in victories last season. More winning in 2025 should put Koo in position to be viable as a fantasy starter.

Tyler Loop (BAL)

Ravens coaches have raved all offseason about Loop, who made 67 of his 80 field goal tries over five seasons at Arizona. He could make Ravens fans forget about Justin Tucker in no time. It’s Loop szn. Many are saying this.

Jason Sanders (MIA)

Jake Elliott (PHI)

Matt Gay (WAS)

Tier Four

Matthew Wright (CAR)

The Bryceaissance, which will continue until morale improves, should be a (very) good development for Wright, a classic journeyman kicker who last season made 12 of his 13 field goal tries. It’s all about identifying kickers whose teams could be better than expected. The Panthers check a lot of those boxes.

Daniel Carlson (LV)

Don’t be surprised if Carlon sees a stark change of fortunes now that the Raiders seem serious about team building and could have a shockingly productive offense under new OC Chip Kelly. It was three short years ago that Carlson was an elite fantasy option. It could happen again.

Jason Myers (SEA)

Evan McPherson (CIN)

Chad Ryland (ARI)

Cairo Santos (CHI)