ClutchPoints
With Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season finally here, fantasy football is officially back in full swing. Drafts are now out of the way, and setting initial lineups becomes the top priority. Kicker is often the most volatile position to navigate in fantasy football, and we will break down three premier options to start and three others to sit.
After taking the league by storm in 2023, Dallas Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey entered the 2024 season as the clear No. 1 option at the position. He performed well throughout the year, but did not repeat as the fantasy football kicker king. Instead, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Chris Boswell took the cake.
Aubrey’s season epitomized the difficulty of nailing kickers in fantasy football. A variety of factors affect them more than any other position in the game. As accurate a kicker as someone like Aubrey might be, another player can still outperform them simply due to the opportunities they receive.
Aubrey and Boswell both top the list of coveted kickers entering the 2025 fantasy football season. Several other household names, including Ka’imi Fairbairn, Harrison Butker, Wil Lutz and Jason Sanders join them atop the list. However, for the first time since 2011, there will be one notable exclusion.
The 2025 NFL season will mark the first year in over a decade in which Justin Tucker, statistically the most accurate kicker of all time, will not play. Despite his recent struggles, Tucker has been the gold standard of fantasy football kickers for years. With his services no longer available, managers will have to turn to other options, many of whom are not as well-known.
Entering Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, here are the three best kickers to start — and three others to avoid — in fantasy football.
Harrison Butker had a down year in 2024, but he might end the 2025 season as the best kicker in fantasy football. All managers want a placekicker attached to an elite offense, which is what the Kansas City Chiefs should return to being in Week 1.
Butker finished well outside of the top 10 in 2024, but only due to the four games he missed with an injury. He was averaging nine fantasy points per game before beginning his absence in Week 11. That resulted in just 21 field goals on the year, the second-fewest of his career.
The Chiefs were not their usual selves in 2024 after losing their entire receiving corps due to injuries. All players return healthy in 2025. While Rashee Rice will be suspended to begin the season, Xavier Worthy emerged as Patrick Mahomes’ go-to target late in his rookie year.
Kansas City will begin the season with a tough defensive matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil. Mahomes has enough weapons to move the ball effectively, but the Chiefs might struggle to reach the end zone. The Chargers return most pieces from their defense that ranked second in 2024 in...
