Week 4 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2020 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

October 4, 2020

Week 4 ranks, tiers, and start/sit advice for 2020 fantasy football kickers. Gage's weekly K rankings and targets/avoids based on matchups, weather, and teams.

Week 3 is in the books, and we had some of the most entertaining football we've seen in a long time. There were multiple fourth-quarter comebacks, game-winning drives, and we even got a tie at the end of the early slate of games. This NFL season figures to be confusing and impossible to predict every single week.

The offenses continue to be ahead of defenses, and we had just five games that saw neither team hit 30 points on the afternoon. Although, a few of those games came pretty close to accomplishing that. All that scoring means more scoring opportunities for your fantasy teams, and we know that we love that. More scoring from the offenses means more scoring chances for your kickers. 

Mastering which offenses are going to struggle in the red zone vs which ones are going to be efficient is going to take another few weeks, but you can tell which offenses are going to be goods. The best offenses generally have good kickers, and that’s who we’ll be targeting. This will be our final week with no byes, so you can likely continue to ride the guy you drafted, but we'll give you some streamers just in case.

Tier 1 NFL Kickers

1. Justin Tucker (BAL) @ WAS
2. Mason Crosby (GB) vs ATL
3. Harrison Butker (KC) vs NE
4. Greg Zuerlein (DAL) vs CLE
5. Nick Folk (NE) @ KC

The top kicker for Week 4 is Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, and it's well deserved. He's on one of the NFL's best rosters, and he has a matchup with the surprising Washington Football Team. I still think Baltimore rolls with ease in this one. In second, we have Green Bay Packers' kicker Mason Crosby. Crosby is averaging 13 fantasy points per game right now, and his offense draws a matchup with the struggling Atlanta Falcons that couldn't slow down either of the Chicago Bears' quarterback. I doubt that changes in Week 4, and Crosby keeps running up points. In the third spot, we have Kansas City Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker. This offense hasn't looked as unstoppable as we've seen in the past, but they're still pretty damn good. Against a good New England Patriots' defense, I'm expecting a couple more field-goal attempts than normal.

Dallas Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein gets the next spot. This Cowboys team is quickly developing into the unit that we were expecting them to be. They can put up points in bunches, and there isn't much a defense can do to stop them when they get rolling. If they can improve the health of their offensive line, this could become arguably the NFL's best offensive group. To round out our top five, we have Patriots' kicker Nick Folk. New England is going to have to put on a scoring performance as we saw from them in Week 2. They will have to move the ball, and they can do that against this Chiefs' defense. Folk should have a solid week of scoring ahead.

Tier 2 NFL Kickers

6. Younghoe Koo (ATL) @ GB
7. Stephen Gostkowski (TEN) vs PIT
8. Wil Lutz (NO) @ DET
9. Tyler Bass (BUF) @ LV
10. Samuel Sloman (LAR) vs NYG

First off, Falcons' kicker Younghoe Koo just had an absolutely brutal week. His team lost by four, and he missed one extra point and one field goal. His team lost by four, but that loss was not his fault. It belongs to the defense. This team should get wideout Julio Jones back this week, and their explosive plays will be available against this Green Bay defense. I think Koo gets a number of scoring opportunities this week. Tennessee Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski put in one of the greatest kicking performances of all time. He went 6-of-6 on field goals, and he made his lone extra-point attempt. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has the potential to put up another great week. New Orleans Saints' kicker Wil Lutz gets the next spot. This offense has the potential to get wide receiver Michael Thomas back next week, and they could really start humming against this bad Detroit Lions' defense.

Buffalo Bills' kicker Tyler Bass comes in at nine. This team is struggling on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense is absolutely humming. Against a Las Vegas Raiders' defense that has allowed 90 points through three games, that should continue in Week 4. Keep him locked into your lineups. Rounding out our second tier is Los Angeles Rams kicker Samuel Sloman. This Rams offense is averaging just a shade under 30 points per game, and they're keeping Sloman involved. If he gets another field-goal attempt or two, he has the potential for a high-end week against a New York Giants' defense that just allowed 36 points to the shell of a San Francisco 49ers team. Trust him this week.

Tier 3 NFL Kickers

11. Jason Myers (SEA) @ MIA
12. Kaimi Fairbairn (HOU) vs MIN
13. Chris Boswell (PIT) @ TEN
14. Zane Gonzalez (ARI) @ CAR
15. Ryan Succop (TB) vs LAC

Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers comes in next. This has been the NFL's best offense through three weeks, and Myers has been a major benefactor. However, you can't trust him as much for fantasy because of their supreme efficiency in the red zone. He'll score a good amount this week, but field goals just aren't coming yet. Houston Texans' kicker Kaimi Fairbairn gets the next slot. This Texans' team is starting to figure it out, and a matchup with the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings is exactly what the doctor ordered. Send him out there. Pittsburgh Steelers' kicker Chris Boswell is next. They started a little slow in Week 3, but that shouldn't happen in Week 4. This Titans' defense is giving up points with regularity, and I expect that to continue.

Arizona Cardinals' kicker Zane Gonzalez gets the 14 spot. This offense finds ways to move the ball, and, as long as quarterback Kyler Murray takes care of the ball, there aren't many teams that can keep up with them. The Carolina Panthers' defense has just two picks on the year, and I don't think they take one away from Murray this week. Tampa Bay Buccaneers' kicker Ryan Succop gets the final spot in this one. This offense is starting to find their footing, and they get a matchup against a Los Angeles Chargers' defense that can't stay healthy. They moved the ball with ease the last two weeks, and that's not going to stop in Week 4.

Kickers to Avoid

Graham Gano of the New York Giants is our first avoidance of the week. The Giants have lost numerous contributors on the offensive side of the ball, and they looked absolutely lost in Week 3. Against the Rams' defense that has played well so far, they're going to be nearly invisible. Avoid Gano again this week.

Sam Ficken of the New York Jets is next. This Jets' team is awful. They might be the worst team in football right now. Against the Denver Broncos, just avoid basically every Jets' player you have on your roster. That includes the kicker.

Dustin Hopkins of the Washington Football Team is our final kicker to avoid. This team is leading their division right now, and they're playing better than expected. However, against the Baltimore buzzsaw, they're going to have a rough week. I'd avoid the majority of the pieces on this roster for this week.

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