Fantasy Football Week 1 Ranks: Kickers

Kicker is a position where you should have ample options in free agency, as no one should ever draft a backup kicker. If you actually did draft a backup kicker, go cut one of them and pick up the highest-rated QB, RB or WR you can find.

Kicking performances are very hard to predict on a weekly basis -- a kicker can pick up any number of points each week, and how his offense and defense do really doesn't impact a kicker's numbers. The offense can get shut down, yet the kicker can hit three FGs and have a great game, even though his team lost 35-9. Or the offense can keep reaching the end zone, yet your kicker only ends with four or five points. All that being said, here's my best guess:

1. Stephen Gostkowski, NE vs BUF
2. Nate Kaeding, SD at OAK
3. John Carney, NO vs DET
4. Neil Rackers, ARI vs SF
5. Jason Elam, ATL vs MIA

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6. Ryan Longwell, MIN at CLE
7. Nick Folk, DAL at TB
8. Shayne Graham, CIN vs DEN
9. Rob Bironas, TEN at PIT
10. Kris Brown, HOU vs NYJ
11. David Akers, PHI at CAR
12. Robbie Gould, CHI at GB
13. Mason Crosby, GB vs CHI
14. Joe Nedney, SF at ARI
15. Lawrence Tynes, NYG vs WAS
16. John Kasay, CAR vs PHI
17. Phil Dawson, CLE vs MIN
18. Jay Feely, NYJ at HOU
19. Josh Brown, STL at SEA
20. Matt Prater, DEN at CIN
21. Jeff Reed, PIT vs TEN
22. Steven Hauschka, BAL vs KC
23. Josh Scobee, JAC at IND
24. Adam Vinatieri, IND vs JAC
25. Olindo Mare, SEA vs STL
26. Dan Carpenter, MIA at ATL
27. Jason Hanson, DET at NO
28. Mike Nugent, TB vs DAL
29. Sebastian Janikowski, OAK vs SD
30. Shaun Suisham, WAS at NYG
31. Rian Lindell, BUF at NE
32. Ryan Succop, KC at BAL

• John Carney squares off against the Lions. If he's still a free agent in your league, he'll likely do better than your current kicker this week.

• Rob Bironas is my top-rated kicker this year, but a Week 1 trip to Pittsburgh bumps him almost out of the top ten in these weekly rankings.

• Love Joe Nedney in Arizona this week -- it feels like a high-scoring game, one where Nedney could get you nine or ten points.