RADIO
Week 4 is done, and the NFL season is really starting to roll now. Offenses are scoring more than we've ever seen before. Heading into the Monday night games, nine of the 13 games for the week had gone over the 50-point mark, and two of the four came within five points of that mark. If offenses are just going to keep getting better as they gel more, we could be on pace to see the most high-scoring season of all time.
We don't have a ton of matchups that figure to be offensive shootouts, but we could see several high-powered offenses beat up on lower-level teams. We saw teams hanging around in games last week, so we can never overlook those teams. Regardless of what you think of these matchups, we're all going to be watching, and I'm sure we'll see some exciting moments across the board in every game.
Bye weeks are officially here. We're going to be without Detroit Lions' kicker Matt Prater and Green Bay Packers' kicker Mason Crosby. Crosby has been one of the NFL's best kickers in the early going, so you'll have to find a replacement for him this week. Prater isn't in the top tier, but he's been in the top half of the league thus far. If you're looking to replace one of those guys, you're in the right place.
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Tier 1 NFL Kickers
1. Harrison Butker (KC) vs LV
2. Greg Zuerlein (DAL) vs NYG
3. Jason Myers (SEA) vs MIN
4. Dan Bailey (MIN) @ SEA
5. Zane Gonzalez (ARI) @ NYJ
Kansas City Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker claims the top spot for Week 5. He draws a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders that are playing hard-nosed football to start the year. While they may not win the game, they will be able to hang and score points. Dallas Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein is probably loving life. Since Week 2, they've scored 31 or more points in all three games. Lock him in against the New York Giants this week. Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers gets the next spot. This has been arguably the NFL's best offense through four weeks, and they grab a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, who are still struggling to stop teams a quarter of the way into the season. I'm expecting a lot of points from both teams.
Vikings' kicker Dan Bailey grabs the fourth spot. I'm expecting a shootout in this game. The Vikings can move the ball well, and they'll be able to run up some points against the Seahawks' defense that has allowed at least 23 points in all four games thus far. Rounding out the top five, we have Arizona Cardinals' kicker Zane Gonzalez. This Cardinals' unit is sputtering after a hot 2-0 start, but the New York Jets are a perfect recipe to get things back on track. I think the Cardinals' have the potential to have one of their best games of the season this week. Gonzalez will be a primary beneficiary of that.
Tier 2 NFL Kickers
6. Justin Tucker (BAL) vs CIN
7. Samuel Sloman (LAR) @ WAS
8. Younghoe Koo (ATL) vs CAR
9. Cody Parkey (CLE) vs IND
10. Robbie Gould (SF) vs MIA
Baltimore Ravens' kicker Justin Tucker grabs the sixth spot. This Baltimore offense ran up the score early against the Washington Football Team, and they bulled their starters. I don't think that will be happening against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he should still have a great scoring week. Los Angeles Rams' kicker Samuel Sloman gets the next spot. This Rams' group was held in check in Week 4, but they can bounce back against Washington in Week 5. This offense has the pieces to take advantage of Washington's weaknesses in the secondary. Atlanta Falcons' kicker Younghoe Koo comes in the eighth spot. His offense is still loaded with talent, and they can put points on a Carolina Panthers' defense that has outperformed expectations to this point.
Cleveland Browns' kicker Cody Parkey gets the next spot here. This offense just ran for over 300 yards against the Dallas Cowboys. I don't think they'll be able to move the ball at will against the Indianapolis Colts, but I do think they'll be able to get him into scoring situations throughout the game. San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould rounds out our second tier. This 49ers' team should be getting a few starters back next week, and that will automatically help his cause for scoring points. He's getting a little long in the tooth, but he remains one of the best in the business at what he does.
Tier 3 NFL Kickers
11. Wil Lutz (NO) vs LAC
12.Stephen Hauschka (JAX) @ HOU
13.Chris Boswell (PIT) vs PHI
14.Daniel Carlson (LV) @ KC
15. Rodrigo Blankenship (IND) @ CLE
New Orleans Saints' kicker Wil Lutz grabs the first spot in this third tier. He's on an offense that's finally starting to get their feet under them, and wide receiver Michael Thomas has a strong chance to return next week against the Los Angeles Chargers, which will give them a big boost. Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker Stephen Hauschka is up next. This Jaguars' team is feisty, and they can put some points on a reeling Houston Texans' team that just fired their coach following an 0-4 start. Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers claims the next spot. The Steelers' offense has been decent thus far, and they can play even better against the Philadelphia Eagles that have struggled through four games.
Raiders' kicker Daniel Carlson sneaks into the 14-spot this week. This Raiders' offense can move the ball against Kansas City on the ground, and they've found ways to put up points through the first month of the season. He's been nearly perfect thus far, and I think he has another good week ahead. Indianapolis Colts' kicker Rodrigo Blankenship snags our last spot for this week. This Colts' team has shown that they can score well, or they can win ugly. They could be forced to do either one of those this week against the Browns. This one isn't a perfect matchup, but he's been a good kicker on a good team. Relying on that this week.
Kickers to Avoid
Ka'imi Fairbairn is our first choice to avoid this week. This Texans' group is 0-4, spending more money than anyone else in the NFL this season, and they just fired their head coach/GM in Bill O'Brien. They have a decent matchup against the Jaguars, but I'm not trying to count on this team right now.
Sam Ficken of the New York Jets is next. This Jets' team is awful. They might be the worst team in football right now. Even though they have an easier matchup against Arizona, Ficken is still not a guy you should be going to play. Let him ride your bench this week, and that should continue for most weeks.
Dustin Hopkins of the Washington Football Team is our final kicker to avoid. This team just got rolled by Baltimore, and it doesn't get any easier against the Rams. The Rams' defense is playing some truly great football right now, and that's going to continue against Washington.
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