New England's Stephen Gostkowski figures to be a popular draft choice once again this season
Kickers may be the least liked position in fantasy football, but unless your league doesn't use one, you need one to fill out your starting lineup. New England's Stephen Gostkowski tops Athlon Sports' final preseason kicker rankings, but there's always a kicker or two who comes out of nowhere each season, like Minnesota's Blair Walsh did in 2012.
Could that breakout kicker in 2013 be another rookie? Caleb Sturgis and Dustin Hopkins beat out established veterans to seize the kicking jobs in Miami and Buffalo, respectively, but there's a reason they start out near the bottom of our rankings. A better breakout candidate for this season could be Houston's Randy Bullock. He was expected to be the Texans' kicker after being a fifth-round pick in 2012, but he suffered a groin injury early in training camp, which caused him to miss the entire season. He's healthy now and should get plenty of opportunities to finish off scoring drives and kick field goals for a team that is expected to contend for the AFC title.
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Fantasy Football 2013: Final Preseason Kicker Rankings
Updated Aug. 27
| Rk | Player | Team | Bye |
| 1 | Stephen Gostkowski | NE | 10 |
| 2 | Blair Walsh | MIN | 5 |
| 3 | Matt Bryant | ATL | 6 |
| 4 | Phil Dawson | SF | 9 |
| 5 | Justin Tucker | BAL | 8 |
| 6 | Matt Prater | DEN | 9 |
| 7 | Randy Bullock | HOU | 8 |
| 8 | Josh Brown | NYG | 9 |
| 9 | Dan Bailey | DAL | 11 |
| 10 | Greg Zuerlein | STL | 11 |
| 11 | Sebastian Janikowski | OAK | 7 |
| 12 | David Akers | DET | 9 |
| 13 | Garrett Hartley | NO | 7 |
| 14 | Steven Hauschka | SEA | 12 |
| 15 | Robbie Gould | CHI | 8 |
| 16 | Mike Nugent | CIN | 12 |
| 17 | Mason Crosby | GB | 4 |
| 18 | Adam Vinatieri | IND | 8 |
| 19 | Alex Henery | PHI | 12 |
| 20 | Shaun Suisham | PIT | 5 |
| 21 | Rob Bironas | TEN | 8 |
| 22 | Rian Lindell | TB | 5 |
| 23 | Ryan Succop | KC | 10 |
| 24 | Kai Forbath | WAS | 5 |
| 25 | Shayne Graham | CLE | 10 |
| 26 | Graham Gano | CAR | 4 |
| 27 | Nick Novak | SD | 8 |
| 28 | Jay Feely | ARI | 9 |
| 29 | Caleb Sturgis | MIA | 6 |
| 30 | Dustin Hopkins | BUF | 12 |
| 31 | Josh Scobee | JAC | 9 |
| 32 | Nick Folk | NYJ | 10 |
Rankings are based upon Athlon Sports' standard scoring system:
KICKER SCORING
PATs = 1 point
39 yards and under = 3 points
40-49 yards = 4 points
50-59 yards = 5 points
60+ yards = 6 points
Additional Fantasy Football Rankings:
2013 Big Board (Top 250)
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Defense/Special Teams
