Greg Zuerlein

Greg Zuerlein

37-Year-Old KickerK
New York Jets
IR
Injury Knee
Est. Return 2/10/2025
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Zuerlein's 12th NFL season in 2023 was perhaps his best effort since 2017, featuring a 92.1 percent conversion rate on 38 field-goal attempts (tied for third most). He went 5 of 6 from 50-plus yards and 13 of 14 in the 40-49 yard range, yet finished 15th among kickers in fantasy scoring thanks to an extraordinary lack of PATs (15 of 16). QB Aaron Rodgers should help balance that out for Zuerlein and the Jets in 2024, though the additional one-point attempts might come at the expense of some of his three-point tries. Zuerlein is 36 years old and has a middling 83.1 percent career conversion rate on field goals, but the strong showing in 2023 seemingly equates to job security entering 2024. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#200.53
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
Kicker
$Signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract with the Jets in March of 2024.
Shut down for season finale
KNew York Jets
Knee
December 31, 2024
The Jets placed Zuerlein on injured reserve Tuesday, Ethan Greenberg and John Pullano of the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
The team didn't provide word on Zuerlein's injury, but the veteran kicker presumably experienced a setback with the left knee issue that prompted his move to IR back in late October. After a seven-game absence, Zuerlein was cleared to return to practice last week and was activated from IR prior to Sunday's game against the Bills, but he didn't receive any kicking chances in the Jets' 40-14 loss. New York signed Greg Joseph off its practice squad to handle kicking duties in this Sunday's season finale versus the Dolphins. The 37-year-old Zuerlein is wrapping up the first season of a two-year, $8.4 million deal, but with no guaranteed money left on his contract heading into 2025, he'll likely be a cap casualty this offseason after connecting on just nine of 15 field-goal tries and 13 of 14 point-after attempts in 2024.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Greg Zuerlein See More
Gameday Injuries: Week 18
10 days ago
Juan Carlos Blanco examines the complex Week 18 NFL injury landscape and examines the latest news as of early Sunday morning.
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14 days ago
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17 days ago
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22 days ago
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
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2015
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2013
2012
Zuerlein is one of the league's better-known kickers despite a mediocre track record, hitting a career 82.1 percent on FGAs while converting only 55 percent from 50-plus yards. He has a strong leg and typically ranks among the league leaders in touchback rate on kickoffs, but accuracy on long field goals has never been especially impressive. Even so, Zuerlein has enjoyed numerous stints of fantasy relevance with high-powered offenses in Los Angeles and Dallas. He might get that chance again in his second season with the Jets, as QB Aaron Rodgers has been called in to lead an offense that added a pair of star rookies last year (WR Garrett Wilson, RB Breece Hall). Granted, Rodgers is 39 and Zuerlein is 35, so things could go wrong.
Zuerlein converted 29 of 35 field-goal attempts last season with the Cowboys, who then released him in March. The Jets immediately swooped in and signed Zuerlein to a one-year, $2.75 million contract to compete with the incumbent, Eddy Pineiro, who signed a similar one- year deal this offseason. Zuerlein's famous leg strength is an obvious plus, but he'll be attached to a questionable offense if he wins the job in New York.
We figured Zuerlein would kick a ton of extra points his first season in Dallas, but he instead led the league in field-goal attempts, as the Cowboys struggled to convert scoring chances into touchdowns after QB Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury. The ratio figures to shift back toward PATs in 2021, but that should still give Zuerlein a nice floor, with leg strength and team context both working in his favor. He did have offseason back surgery, but the Cowboys expect him to be ready for Week 1.
Most kickers are lucky to have one nickname, but Greg the Leg, a.k.a. Legatron, actually has two. He earned that honor with a 60 percent conversion rate from 50-plus yards during his time with the Rams. The move from L.A. to Dallas attaches Zuerlein to a better offense, but it comes with the caveat of job competition in the form of Kai Forbath. Zuerlein, though, has the larger contract and the stronger leg.
Greg the Leg led kickers in per-game fantasy scoring both of the last two seasons, converting 10 of 13 kicks from 50-plus yards. With the Rams retaining the core of their Super Bowl team, Zuerlein will see plenty of opportunities as long as he avoids the injuries that cost him five games last year and two the year before. His combination of leg strength and team context is unmatched.
Prior to suffering a herniated disc, Zuerlein was headed for the single-season kicker points record, both in real-life and fantasy terms. He's called "Greg the Leg" for good reason, but his career conversion rate on field goals is still only 82.9 percent after the near-perfect season. Zuerlein made a recovery from his back injury for the start of training camp, but he's likely to experience accuracy regression, and the Rams should turn some of those FGs into TDs.
Zuerlein was one of four kickers to play all 16 games and not miss a PAT last year. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only positive from his season, as his 22 field-goal attempts were the third fewest in the league and his 80 points were the fewest among kickers who played at least 11 games. He had 10 games with one or zero field-goal attempts, and he kicked more than two PATS just four times. The accuracy bounced back from his atrocious 66.7 percent rate in 2015, but it doesn't seem that Zuerlein will get enough opportunities to be a viable fantasy option.
The Rams’ offense struggled greatly last season, and Zuerlein did nothing to help the cause, missing 10 of his 30 field-goal attempts, which tied for the worst conversion rate in the league. Known for his strong leg, six of Zuerlein’s 10 misses last year came from at least 50 yards, while he’s only hit 7 of 11 from between 40 and 50 in the last two years combined. The change to kicking outdoors in Los Angeles as opposed to the dome in St. Louis isn’t going to be a benefit, though the weather shouldn’t really be much of a concern. Ultimately, Zuerlein’s growth will come from hitting more of his attempts, and with that hardly a guarantee after three consecutive declines, he’s much closer to a dart throw than a sure thing.
Zuerlein kicked a career-high 92.9 percent in 2013, but he regressed last season closer to his rookie rate, finishing 26th in field-goal percentage. Part of that is due to attempting more long distance kicks last season, like he did as a rookie. In 2012, Greg the Leg was 7-of-13 from 50-plus yards, and last season he was 5-of-7. Sandwiched between is an odd 1-of-2 showing in 2013. Ultimately, he just didn't have enough scoring chances last season - St. Louis ranked 24th in red-zone drives with just 44 - as the offense was inconsistent after quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the year in preseason. The Rams traded Bradford for Nick Foles this offseason, which should be an improvement over last year, at least.
The Rams didn’t afford many opportunities for Zuerlein to show off his impressive leg strength with just two attempts from 50-plus yards last season after he led the league with 13 as a rookie, but the stark improvement in his accuracy rate helped compensate for the dropoff. Zuerlein’s 92.9 percent mark from the field ranked fifth in the NFL, though he lagged much further behind the league leaders in both PATs and field goals made. The Rams didn’t do much in the offseason to supplement their middling offense, so Zuerlein will probably need to notice an uptick in long-distance attempts while maintaining his gains in accuracy in order to pump up his fantasy value.
A virtual unknown rookie from a D-II college, Zuerlein quickly established himself by converting the first 15 kicks of his pro career, including booming missiles from 56, 58 and 60 yards to set a franchise record. Zuerlein faded down the stretch by missing eight of his final 18 field goals, but it should be noted six of those misses came from beyond 50 yards. Coming off a league-leading 13 attempts from 50-plus in 2012 and with a favorable schedule that grants him 12 games in domes this season, Zuerlein will be especially valuable in leagues that award bonuses for long field goals. Outside of distance leagues, though, unless the Rams offense affords him more scoring opporunties (26 PAT, 31 FGA), his value his limited.
A sixth-round draft choice out of Division II Missouri Western State, Zuerlein is in line to take over the kicking duties after the Rams released veteran Josh Brown. Although Zuerlein is under the radar even to the most avid college football fans, he was impressive in his final college season, nailing an NCAA-record 21 consecutive field goals, including nine from 50-plus yards. Zuerlein will be aided by playing nine of his games in domes, but any advantage that confers should be undermined by the inept Rams offense, which ranked last in the NFL in scoring in 2011.
More Fantasy News
No attempts in return from IR
KNew York Jets
December 30, 2024
Zuerlein didn't attempt a kick in Sunday's 40-14 loss to the Bills.
ANALYSIS
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Will play against Buffalo
KNew York Jets
December 29, 2024
Zuerlein (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Bills.
ANALYSIS
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Activated off IR
KNew York Jets
Knee
December 28, 2024
The Jets activated Zuerlein (knee) off injured reserve Saturday.
ANALYSIS
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Set to kick Week 17
KNew York Jets
Knee
December 27, 2024
Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Friday that Zuerlein (knee) will kick in Sunday's game against the Bills, Eric Allen of the Jets' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Designated to return from IR
KNew York Jets
Knee
December 26, 2024
The Jets opened Zuerlein's (knee) 21-day practice window Thursday, per the NFL's transaction log.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Days with Jets seem numbered
KNew York Jets
October 28, 2024
Zuerlein could be cut loose by the Jets, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The veteran kicker has missed six field-goal attempts through eight games, including four in the last three weeks. Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich indicated Monday that the team would bring in other kickers and hold a competition Tuesday, and there could be some urgency to settle on a new placekicker with New York hosting the Texans on Thursday night in Week 9.
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