RADIO
We’ve made it to Week 15. The fantasy playoffs are here. For some of us, the run lasted just one week. For the rest of us, we march on. Every week and every decision is more important. You’re going to agonize over every move you make until final scores are tallied. At the end of the day, you have to have confidence in your roster decisions, and you have to live with them knowing you did everything you could to win.
It was a rough week for kickers in Week 14. We saw a few guys that may have kicked themselves out of a job, namely Minnesota Vikings’ kicker Dan Bailey, who his head coach remained non-committal to following the team’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 15 kickers put up eight or more points heading into the Monday’s tilt between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t a great week, but they remained serviceable and able to swing a game in your favor.
With no bye weeks to bother with and playoff seeding completely undecided, it’s all about playing matchups right now. No one is resting up for the playoffs, and the draft order is still an extremely tight race as things currently stand. When going with kickers, you’re likely operating out of one of two camps, you want the highest ceiling possible, or you want the highest floor possible. The guys we look at today should qualify as both.
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Tier 1 NFL Kickers
- Matt Gay (LAR) vs NYJ
- Rodrigo Blankenship (IND) vs HOU
- Stephen Gostkowski (TEN) vs DET
- Mason Crosby (GB) vs CAR
- Tyler Bass (BUF) @ DEN
Los Angeles Rams’ kicker Matt Gay claims the top spot for this week. The Rams are playing lights-out football right now, and they’re going to roll over the New York Jets this week. Indianapolis Colts’ kicker Rodrigo Blankenship comes in the second spot. He’s in the top five of all scorers, and his offense is just rolling over everyone, including the Houston Texans. Tennessee Titans’ kicker Stephen Gostkowski slides in at three this week. This team is starting to hit their stride, and running back Derrick Henry is going to run over the Detroit Lions this week.
Green Bay Packers’ kicker Mason Crosby comes in at four. He’s just been outstanding all year, and his offense won’t stop scoring. Against the Carolina Panthers, they should put up a good bit of scoring. Buffalo Bills’ kicker Tyler Bass rounds out the top five. This Bills’ roster is on a run right now, and he’s also getting to play in Denver where they should get some long field goal opportunities.
Tier 2 NFL Kickers
- Justin Tucker (BAL) vs JAX
- Ryan Succop (TB) @ ATL
- Cairo Santos (CHI) @ MIN
- Robbie Gould (SF) @ DAL
- Harrison Butker (KC) @ NO
Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker kicks off this second tier after nailing a game-winner on Monday night. The Ravens are rolling, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have been circling the drain defensively for two months. Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ kicker Ryan Succop comes in at seven. The Bucs offense isn’t as high-powered as was expected, but they can move the ball against the Atlanta Falcons. Chicago Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos is up next at eight. The Bears are playing well with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky under center, and they should be able to score a fair bit against the Minnesota Vikings.
San Francisco 49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould had a quiet game in Week 14, but it’s going to be a busy week against a bad Dallas Cowboys’ team in Week 15. Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker rounds out the top 10. It should be a great game against the New Orleans Saints, and you just can’t bench him when he’s playing with this loaded offense.
Tier 3 NFL Kickers
- Zane Gonzalez (ARI) vs PHI
- Chris Boswell (PIT) @ CIN
- Wil Lutz (NO) vs KC
- Cody Parkey (CLE) @ NYG
- Jason Sanders (MIA) vs NE
Arizona Cardinals’ kicker Zane Gonzalez starts off our final tier against the Philadelphia Eagles. He missed last week with an injury but may be back on the field. The Cardinals' offense is not back to where they were earlier in the year, but, with all of the injuries on the Eagles’ defense, they should be able to put up some points. Pittsburgh Steelers’ kicker Chris Boswell is up next. If I didn’t expect the team to be so efficient with their scoring opportunities, he would be in the top 10 for sure.
Saints’ kicker Wil Lutz comes in at 13. Quarterback Drew Brees should be back this week, and that’s all you need to hear to have confidence in this team scoring points. Cleveland Browns’ kicker Cody Parkey comes in at 14. The Browns are set up to take advantage of the New York Giants’ inability to defend the pass, which will lead to plenty of points. Miami Dolphins’ kicker Jason Sanders rounds out our third and final tier. He’s been arguably the best kicker all season, and they should be able to knock off the fading New England Patriots.
Kickers to Avoid
Sergio Castillo is our first avoidance of the week because *checks notes* Adam Gase is still the head coach. After a near-win over the Las Vegas Raiders almost cost them the Trevor Lawrence Sweepstakes, they rectified the course with a big loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14. The tank rolls on.
Aldrick Rosas of the Jacksonville Jaguars gets the second spot. The Jaguars’ offense has sputtered of late, and they’re back to quarterback Gardner Minshew under center. Against a Baltimore Ravens’ defense that’s looking to win, I’d be fading all involved pieces.
Randy Bullock of the Cincinnati Bengals rounds out this group. The Bengals got blasted by Pittsburgh earlier in the season with quarterback Joe Burrow under center. It’s not going to be any better with whatever backup is taking snaps this week.
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