Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings Week 12: Who to start, best sleepers and streamers at K

Week 11 provided some rather strange situations in the world of kicking. Most significantly, one of the greatest kickers of all time, Justin Tucker, looked human for the first time in recent memory. Tucker missed two field goals in a game that the Ravens ultimately lost by two points.

The struggles for the AFC North's kickers didn't stop with Tucker. Cleveland's kicker, Dustin Hopkins, had a case of the yanks against the Saints. Hopkins missed two kicks of less than 33 yards... on the same drive. Originally, Hopkins missed a 32-yarder, but Cleveland was given a fresh set of downs due to a penalty on the kick. The Browns failed to advance the ball any further and Hopkins then missed a 27-yard attempt just moments later.

Jake Elliott also struggled on Thursday Night Football for the Eagles. While Philly still managed to defeat the Commanders, Elliott uncharacteristically missed two field goals and an extra point during the game. 

Some kickers may have struggled last week, but it's time to leave that in the past and move forward to Week 12. There's no better way to get ready for a fresh slate of football than with a handy set of rankings to help you fill your kicker slot.

WEEK 12 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kickers

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings Week 12: Who to start, sit at K

These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back often. 

Who are the best fantasy kickers in Week 12?

Ka'imi Fairbairn has been the No. 1 kicker through 11 weeks, and he comes in as the K1 in Week 12. The Houston offense has struggled over the last month, but the return of Nico Collins lifts their outlook for the remainder of the season. The Stroud-Collins connection should regularly lead to scoring drives with Fairbairn punching in field goals or extra points. He's an every-week starter for the rest of the year.

At this point, it seems like the only path for Jake Bates to disappoint fantasy managers is the Lions scoring only touchdowns and not attempting a single field goal. That has happened multiple times this season, but Bates was able to still score six points in one of those games because Detroit scored six touchdowns. As an appendage of the Detroit offense, Bates is one of fantasy's most valuable kickers.

The 49ers' offense is back at full strength (minus Brandon Aiyuk), and they have returned to dominant form. Jake Moody struggled with some accuracy issues in Week 10, but he's been provided with seven field goal attempts in the two games since returning from injury. The 49ers will be making a playoff push in the next month and a half, and they'll be relying on Moody to close out drives. In a potentially high-scoring matchup against the Packers, Moody has an elevated outlook.

FULL WEEK 12 WAIVER WIRE RECOMMENDATIONS

Who are the kickers on byes in Week 12? 

When it comes to kickers, we don't recommend holding anyone. When it's their bye week, cut bait, pick up another option, and hope you can get them back the following week. Given that guidance, we'll just list the players on bye from each team. 

Atlanta Falcons: Younghoe Koo

Buffalo Bills: Tyler Bass 

Cincinnati Bengals: Evan McPherson 

New Orleans Saints: Blake Grupe

New York Jets: Anders Carlson

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cam Little

Who are the best fantasy kicker sleepers in Week 12?

Following the Buccaneers’ bye week, Chase McLaughlin is rostered in just 11 percent of leagues. He should be available on the waiver wire and makes for a strong sleeper this week. McLaughlin has found success throughout the season, hitting double digits four times and scoring at least eight points on seven occasions. The Tampa Bay offense will benefit from the return of Mike Evans in Week 12. Evans’ presence should allow the offense to sustain drives and provide McLaughlin with scoring opportunities. Don’t be surprised if Baker Mayfield has the offense humming, and McLaughlin lines up for a handful of kicks as a result.

Austin Seibert has spent the year attached to the high-powered Washington offense, which has allowed him to average 13.3 points per game, the most of any kicker. However, he’s missed two games with a hip injury, which has tanked his rostership to 22 percent. Assuming he’s able to return after Washington’s mini-bye, he should be picked up and started in every league. If Seibert remains sidelined, his replacement, Zane Gonzalez, is a good plug-and-play option as a piece of the Commanders’ offense.