Should I Draft Kicker Or Defense First?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: You are in the final rounds of a standard redraft league and have already filled your starting lineup and bench with running backs, wide receivers, a quarterback, and a tight end. At this stage, selecting whichever position fills your last starting slot can make sense, particularly if league rules require you to start both a kicker and a defense/special teams unit each week and you want to avoid a zero in that lineup spot on opening weekend.
• Good fit: You have identified a specific, predictable advantage at one of the positions, such as a defense facing multiple weak offenses in the opening month or a kicker attached to a high-scoring team that reaches the red zone frequently. In deep leagues, best-ball formats, or leagues with shallow waiver wires where replacements are scarce, locking in a reliable option rather than scrambling later may be a reasonable use of a late pick.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: You are considering a kicker or defense before the final two or three rounds of a redraft league. Doing so means passing on high-upside bench players, such as rookie running backs, unproven wide receivers, or backup tight ends who could become starters due to injury or role changes. The opportunity cost usually outweighs any advantage gained at kicker or defense, since both positions are easily addressed later.
• Warning sign: Your league has active waiver-wire management and allows you to change defenses and kickers each week. If streaming is common in your league, spending any meaningful draft capital on either position is inefficient because roughly equivalent options are usually available for free during the season, and last year’s top-scoring defense or kicker often regresses toward the middle of the pack.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Defenses and kickers can provide usable weekly scoring at very low draft cost when selected in the final rounds, freeing your premium picks for positions that are harder to replace and have greater scoring variance.
• Targeting a defense with a soft opening schedule or a kicker on a high-scoring offense can give you a set-and-forget starter for the early part of the season, reducing the need to chase waiver-wire adds every week.

Cons

• Both positions are highly replaceable through waivers and free agency; many successful managers stream defenses and rotate kickers, so an early pick rarely returns value that cannot be found later or on the wire.
• Performance at both positions is volatile and dependent on factors outside the player’s control, such as game script, weather, red-zone efficiency, and weekly opponent quality, making draft-day favorites inconsistent.

Decision Checklist

• Have I already filled my starting lineup and at least two or three bench spots with running backs and wide receivers who have clear paths to meaningful touches?
• Does my league use default scoring that makes kicker and defense points a small portion of weekly output compared with skill positions and quarterbacks?
• Am I comfortable streaming the position during the season, or do league rules, small benches, and active waiver-wire competition make it difficult to add replacements each week?

Alternatives to Consider

The strongest alternative is to draft neither position first. Use your late-round picks on skill-position depth, including backup running backs behind starter-vulnerable backs, wide receivers in uncertain target competitions, or injured players who may return to meaningful roles after a few weeks. In many leagues, you can select a kicker and defense with your final two picks or even add them from waivers just before Week 1 begins. If you must choose between the two, defenses are generally easier to stream and can produce larger weekly spikes against poor opponents, while kickers on productive offenses tend to offer steadier floors because scoring drives create more field-goal and extra-point opportunities.

Final Recommendation

Neither a kicker nor a defense should be a priority before the final rounds of a standard fantasy draft. If you must select one before the other, a defense with a favorable early-season schedule usually carries slightly more upside, while a kicker tied to a strong offense may offer a safer floor. The best path for most managers is to delay both picks, build skill-position depth, and plan to stream based on weekly matchups. League settings vary widely, so review your scoring, roster limits, and waiver rules before finalizing your strategy. For high-stakes or unfamiliar formats, consider consulting an experienced fantasy analyst or league commissioner.