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.
Start: Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
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 defending the red zone. Butker should have numerous opportunities to kick in elevation in Week 1.
Sit: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Chris Boswell was a revelation in 2024, but his odds of picking up where he left off in Week 1 are slim. This has almost nothing to do with Boswell himself, but nearly every other factor affecting him is not in his favor.
Boswell is clearly one of the league's most accurate kickers, but the early-season outlook is not very high. His fantasy football production will be directly linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense that endured several questionable changes in the offseason.
Not only will the Steelers be relying on 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, but they also lost leading rusher Najee Harris and leading receiver George Pickens. Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, but is otherwise heavily relying on a few inexperienced players, namely Kaleb Johnson and Roman Wilson. Mike Tomlin should be able to work everything out eventually, but it might take some time.
The Steelers' unstable offense will be tested out of the gates by the New York Jets' elite defense. As familiar as Rodgers is with the defenders he will face in Week 1, he also has to face his old nemesis, Aaron Glenn. Before accepting the job as head coach of the Jets, Glenn tormented Rodgers as defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.
Historically, offenses that endure as much change as the Steelers' do not fare too well in Week 1. Pair that with the tough defensive matchup, and Pittsburgh's offense figures to struggle immensely out of the gates.
Start: Ka'imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans
Much like Chris Boswell, Ka'imi Fairbairn is in a tough situation entering Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. The Houston Texans' offense also experienced significant changes in the offseason, many of which are not promising for his outlook.
While quarterback C.J. Stroud continues to look like a budding star, he figures to be in for a tough year. The Texans ended the 2024 season with an obvious need to improve their offensive line, but puzzlingly decided to trade star left tackle Laremy Tunsil. They added a few pieces in the draft, but it looks like they could be even worse in 2025.
Houston also lost receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell, and replaced them with a pair of rookies. As promising as Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are, the Texans are putting a lot of pressure on them to deliver immediately.
However, unlike Boswell, Fairbairn's offense does not have as difficult a matchup in Week 1. The Texans will begin the year against the Los Angeles Rams, whose defense ranked in the middle of the pack in 2024. Yet, the one area they excelled in was in the red zone, where they ranked fourth in the league.
Stroud might absorb a few shots, but he should be able to move the ball against this mediocre defense. Reaching the end zone just might be a struggle, particularly with a pair of backup running backs working behind a shoddy offensive line. Fairbairn could end Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season as the best kicker in fantasy football.
Sit: Jake Bates, Detroit Lions
If Dan Campbell had the brain of a normal coach, Jake Bates might have been the best fantasy football kicker in 2024. Alas, he ended his rookie season outside of the top 10 despite hitting 90 percent of his field goal attempts, including 6-of-8 from beyond 50 yards.
Bates might get more opportunities in 2025, but they will not likely be there in Week 1. The Detroit Lions spent all offseason adjusting to life without stellar offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the 2024 AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award recipient.
To make matters worse, the Lions lost two key offensive linemen in the offseason. Two others are dealing with nagging injuries ahead of Week 1, with rookie guard Miles Frazier already seeming like he will be inactive.
Beginning the year with a hobbled offensive line is less than ideal, especially with the Lions forced to face the Green Bay Packers and newly acquired defensive end Micah Parsons. The Dallas Cowboys were the biggest losers of the last week, but Detroit was a close second, having to now prepare for Parsons on one week's notice.
Unless the Lions get out to a quick lead, which appears unlikely, Bates might not see the field often in Week 1. As efficient as it was in 2024, Detroit could struggle to even sustain drives in Week 1, which would further entice Campbell to go for it on fourth down.
Start: Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings
Had a quad injury not slowed him down, Will Reichard would have ended his rookie season as a top-five kicker in fantasy football. The Alabama alum averaged 10.1 fantasy points per game on the year, which ranked in the top 10, despite being visibly compromised after returning from a four-game absence.
Reichard hit all 14 field goal attempts through his first eight games of the year before going 0-for-2 against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. He ended the year hitting just 10-of-16 the rest of the year. The finish was not ideal, but Reichard should begin his second season fully healthy after focusing on his recovery all offseason.
While the Minnesota Vikings' offense underwent significant changes over the summer, they remain an elite group. Some fans remain skeptical of second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but the Michigan alum should thrive in Kevin O'Connell's offense, especially considering the weapons he has to work with.
However, McCarthy faces a tough opening test against the Chicago Bears' defense that ranked third in the red zone in 2024. Minnesota will also be without Jordan Addison, who will begin the year suspended due to his DUI case last summer. O'Connell will eventually open up his offense and unleash McCarthy, but might begin the year slightly more reserved.
The Vikings' offense has a lot of questions entering Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, but Reichard should return to the consistent player he was to begin his career. Expect Minnesota to move the ball effectively between the 20-yard lines, but sputter in the red zone and allow Reichard to clean up.
Sit: Tyler Loop, Baltimore Ravens
As decorated as Justin Tucker's 13-year career has been, the Baltimore Ravens were quick to release him after sexual harassment allegations started to pile up. In turn, they selected Tyler Loop from Arizona in the 2025 NFL Draft, who won their offseason kicker battle.
Nobody expects Loop to be the “next Justin Tucker,” but he already has a fair amount of hype to his name. Videos of Loop nailing 60 and 70-yard field goals have gone viral from the Ravens' training camp. There is no doubting his leg strength, but Loop's struggles have been with his accuracy.
After being one of the nation's most accurate kickers in his first two years at Arizona, Loop struggled in the second half of his collegiate career. He missed 10 field goals in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, hitting just 78.7 percent of his kicks in that frame.
The Ravens return most members of their elite offense, but it was almost too efficient for a kicker to thrive. Baltimore converted on over 74 percent of its drives that reached the red zone, by far the best in the league.
With the Ravens hitting the road to face the Buffalo Bills in the first Sunday Night Football game of the year, the pressure on Loop's shoulders will be immense. That is a lot of pressure on a rookie playing in his first professional game who has already been tasked with filling enormous shoes.
The Ravens hope that Loop will eventually be as consistent as Tucker was, but it might be best to watch him in Week 1 before considering him a reliable fantasy football kicker.
