LA Rams: Ranking NFC West Kickers for fantasy football draft

How does the new LA Rams kicker compare to the other NFC West kickers? Here’s a guide for your fantasy football draft.

The last position to be filled on any fantasy football roster is the kicker. Some fantasy leagues have eliminated kickers from their scoring summary. Since the LA Rams will have a new kicker, should you look elsewhere on your draft day?

Longtime kicker, Greg Zuerlein is gone via the free-agent market. Zuerlein was selected in round six of the 2012 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He leaves a huge void to be filled. However, he was not without his flaws. In 2019, he struggled at the 40-49 yard range, hitting on just 5-11 from that range.  That was enough to drive the Rams to one of the worst field goal units from last season. The team hopes to improve on that this year. Currently, there are three players competing for the job.

The LA Rams drafted kicker Samuel Sloman out of the University of Miami (Ohio) in the 2020 NFL draft. Of course, that occurred after the Rams had already signed two free agents to compete for the kicking job. K Lirim Hajrullahu spent six seasons in the Canadian Football League as a punter and kicker. K Austin MacGinnis played in the Alliance of American Football and XFL after a solid NCAA career at the University of Kentucky.

Sloman has the current edge to win the job as LA used a draft pick to take him. Don’t be surprised if Hajrullahu eventually wins the job. So, how do they compare to the current NFC West kickers?

LA Rams fans guide to selecting the best NFC West kicker for their fantasy football team

More from Rams Fantasy Football

• Drafting the best LA Rams Fantasy Football roster value for 2022
• Does LA Rams RB Sony Michel have fantasy value?
• Truth or Dare: LA Rams Fantasy Football projections for week 2
• Why FF owners should jump on LA Rams Sony Michel?
• Evaluating LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s Fantasy Football stock

First, K Robbie Gould, of San Francisco, is the best kicker on the best scoring NFC West team. He successfully kicked 49 extra points. Gould was unable to connect on any field goals 50 yards or longer. Take note if your league gives bonuses to long field goals.

Second, Arizona’s kicker Zane Gonzalez should be your next choice. He kicked 97.1 percent of his extra-point attempts and nailed two long-distance field goals of over 50 yards. The Arizona offense should see the end zone more in 2020.

Third, Seattle’s kicker Jason Myers is a solid pick, as well. He made 40 extra-point kicks and hit two field goals of more than 50 yards. His downfall is consistency. He missed four extra-point kicks and missed five field goals of 40 yards and over.

Finally, the LA Rams should score many touchdowns in 2020, especially with a revamped offensive philosophy. Expect the Rams to have fewer field goal attempts than either Arizona or Seattle.

Field goals are where kickers pay off in fantasy football. If your league awards bonus points for distance, Gonzalez or Myers is your pick. It will be interesting to see who handles the kicking duties for the Rams. Let’s see how it plays out.