Should I Have Two Kickers In Fantasy Football?

When It Makes Sense

• Good fit: In deep leagues with 14, 16, or more teams and relatively large benches, replacement-level kickers are scarce on the waiver wire. If your league rosters 200 or more players, losing your only kicker to a bye, injury, or a late inactive announcement can leave you scrambling for zero points. A second kicker acts as inexpensive bye and injury insurance, especially if both have secure jobs and play in offenses that reach field-goal range regularly. When your alternative bench stashes are unlikely to crack your starting lineup, the second kicker prevents a weak position from becoming a zero.
• Good fit: Best-ball leagues and contests automatically start your highest scorer each week, so carrying two or more kickers can raise your weekly ceiling without requiring a start-or-sit decision. Similarly, custom scoring systems that heavily reward long field goals can make a second elite-legged kicker worth more than a bench flyer whose role is unclear. In these formats, the opportunity cost of a second kicker is lower because the format either rewards volume or makes the extra points more valuable.

When You Should Avoid It

• Warning sign: In typical 10- or 12-team redraft leagues with standard scoring and modest benches, a second kicker is usually a poor use of a roster spot. The position is replaceable on waivers most weeks, and that bench slot is better spent on a running back handcuff, a wide receiver with rising targets, or a tight end or defense to stream. If you would have to drop a player with genuine breakout potential to add a kicker, the cost almost always outweighs the benefit.
• Warning sign: During the fantasy playoffs or a tight waiver and free-agent budget period, adding a second kicker can signal that you are over-managing a low-impact position. If your starting kicker is attached to a strong offense, plays indoors, and has a favorable schedule, the marginal gain from a second kicker is tiny compared with keeping a lottery-ticket skill player who could win you a league if a starter gets hurt. Reserve bench spots for championship upside, not redundant kickers.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Bye-week and contingency coverage: A second kicker guarantees you do not take a zero when your starter is off, and it protects against last-minute inactives due to injury, illness, or personal reasons. In leagues where waiver-wire kickers are picked clean, that security can be meaningful down the stretch.
• Matchup and format upside: In best-ball contests, multiple kickers increase the chance that one hits a ceiling game. In leagues with bonuses for long field goals, pairing two high-volume kickers can turn a position many managers ignore into a small but reliable scoring edge.

Cons

• High opportunity cost: A bench spot devoted to a kicker cannot hold a handcuff running back, a developing pass catcher, or a streamer at quarterback, tight end, or defense. Those positions have far higher upside and trade value, so a second kicker usually lowers your roster’s ceiling.
• Low marginal scoring and volatility: Kickers tend to cluster tightly in scoring, with weekly output heavily dependent on game script, red-zone efficiency, weather, and coaching decisions. Adding a second kicker rarely produces a consistent points advantage and may simply burn a roster spot you later need for injuries.

Decision Checklist

• How many bench spots do I have, and are quality kickers available on the waiver wire? If replacements are plentiful, a second kicker is usually unnecessary.
• Does my scoring system reward kickers beyond the standard format, and is my league best ball or deep enough to make bench space less valuable?
• Would dropping a current bench player for a second kicker cost me a useful handcuff, streamer, or trade chip? If the answer is yes, keep one kicker.

Alternatives to Consider

Before locking up a second kicker, evaluate streaming a single kicker weekly using simple matchup signals such as high Vegas game totals, home games in domes, and offenses that move the ball but stall in field-goal range. You can also use the bench spot for a high-upside handcuff or a second defense to stream. In best-ball formats, you do not need to choose because the platform automatically counts your best score. Another option is trading a bench player you do not plan to start for a stronger every-week kicker, consolidating value rather than diluting it across two kickers.

Final Recommendation

For the majority of fantasy managers in standard 10- or 12-team redraft leagues, the best move is to roster exactly one kicker and reserve bench spots for skill-position depth and upside. Carry two kickers only when league size, roster construction, or scoring rules justify it—specifically deep leagues with thin waiver wires, best-ball formats, or custom scoring that significantly rewards long field goals. When in doubt, ask whether the second kicker is likely to outscore the player you would drop over the rest of the season. If the answer is no, keep the bench spot and stream the position instead.