Is Tanner Brown The Rams Starting Kicker? Fantasy Football Kickers

As we sit here at the end of June, and fantasy managers are counting the minutes until the NFL season kicks off in September, the one thing that's probably not top of mind is which kicker will they draft this fall.

Listen, kickers are people too, and they can make a difference between a fantasy championship and a second-place finish. You won't be drafting one in the first ten rounds, but you do need one in almost every league imaginable.  

The Los Angeles Rams have moved on from their kicker from last year, and now, Tanner Brown looks like the front-runner for the job. Is he the starter in 2023? Let's take a closer look.

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Is Tanner Brown The Rams Starting Kicker In 2023?

When you're the only player at your position on a team's roster in the NFL, that's probably a good sign you are going to land the job when the season begins. However, it is only June, and there is still time for things to change. 

From 2020-2022, the Rams employed placekicker Matt Gay as their starter and he was quite good at his job. However, he left the team this offseason to sign a four-year, $22.5 million dollar contract with the Colts, the largest ever by a free-agent kicker. The Rams simply didn't want to pay that much for that position, so now they are looking for cheaper options. 

The early favorite to replace Gay is recent Oklahoma State graduate and California native, Brown, who is entering his rookie season. The undrafted college standout was quite successful at OSU, converting 22 of 23 field goal attempts for a 95.7% FG percentage in 2022, which ranked him near the top of all NCAA kickers.

Will Tanner Brown Be A Top Fantasy Kicker In 2023?

Equaling Gay's production this upcoming season will be an incredibly difficult task for Brown, or for whoever wins the starting job. Gay was one of the most consistent and accurate kickers the league has ever seen. Brown is unproven, undrafted, and clearly a major unknown. 

He does have all the skills to be an NFL kicker, but he has to show the team that he belongs and that it's his job to lose. It's likely that before the season kicks off in September, the Rams will bring in a veteran to compete for the starting role, or at the very least, make Brown earn his paycheck.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that Brown does win the job and is the kicker for the Rams in 2023. He will be in a very productive offense and should have a plethora of opportunities to score a lot of points for your roster, but will he be one of the top fantasy producers at the position?  With undrafted rookie kickers, there is simply no way to guarantee such success. The advice here is to let the season get underway, then snag him off the waiver wire if you believe he's the real deal. 

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