December 13, 2016

Jacob Valov's Week 15 tiered rankings & streamers for all NFL kickers. Fantasy football starts, sits, and waiver wire pickups for week fourteen of the 2016 season.

It’s Week 15 and it’s once again time for kicker rankings! This list is here to help all of us figure out who’s gonna kick for our teams this week, and make those streaming or start/sit decisions easier.

While finding a good FLEX and starting the right QB are crucial to winning your matchups, anyone who’s worth their salt will tell you the true X-factor in fantasy matchups can be the kicker.

Picking the right guy could net you 10 extra points any given Sunday, clinching you a victory, frustrating your opponents, and making you seem like a god amongst men - for you have proven to be the true Prophet of Special Teams. So buckle up buckaroos, things are bound to get wild as we dive into the mysterious world of kicker rankings...

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 15 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 15 Kickers To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1 NFL Kickers

1. Steven Hauschka (vs LA)
2. Dan Carpenter (vs CLE)
3. Kai Forbath (vs IND)
4. Justin Tucker (vs PHI)
5. Ryan Succop (@ KC)

Another week, another team ready to annihilate the Browns. It’s really just depressing at this point. As 0-16 becomes more and more likely, streaming kickers against Cleveland just gets easier and easier. Big Man Dan is going to do work.

After narrowly escaping Denver’s comeback, the Titans head on the road to wrap up their Tour de AFC West in Kansas City. Luckily for them, KC defense is not even close to what Denver’s is. While they’ll certainly play strong when needed, the Titans should be able to move the ball to the other side of the field with regularity, setting up Succop with plenty of opportunities.

Tier 2 NFL Kickers

6. Matt Bryant (vs SF)
7. Chris Boswell (@ CIN)
8. Josh Lambo (vs OAK)
9. Stephen Gostkowski (@ DEN)
10. Adam Vinatieri (@ MIN)
11. Graham Gano (@ WAS)

Josh Lambo returns to the upper tiers of kicker rankings as Oakland heads to town, a team against which he put up solid numbers last time around (save for the botched hold by Drew Kaser that lost the Chargers the game). However, with Rivers coming off a simply terrible performance and Melvin Gordon’s status up in the air, the kicking attack may be the only reliable part of San Diego’s offense come Sunday. Lambo may have to do as Greg Jennings so famously once did and PUT DA TEAM ON HIS BACK DOE.

After kicking people’s opponents into submission last week, Graham Gano is a solid option for week two of the fantasy playoffs as the Panthers take on a struggling Washington defense that only barely held on to guide the Redskins over the Eagles. While Cam Newton and Co. still have their struggles, Gano is as consistent as ever and should be in line for a few field goals as the Panthers struggle to stay relevant.

Tier 3 NFL Kickers

12. Wil Lutz (@ ARI)
13. Mason Crosby (@ CHI)
14. Cairo Santos (vs TEN)
15. Andrew Franks (@ NYJ)
16. Nick Novak (vs JAX)

Cairo Santos takes a dip this week not due to any fault of his own, but due to the Chiefs recent offensive resurgence. As Alex Smith figures out how to finish drives with 7, Santos just isn’t going to be as big of a fantasy scorer as people will hope. While he still has as strong a leg as anyone, the Chiefs just aren’t needing him.

Tier 4 NFL Kickers

17. Sebastian Janikowski (@ SD)
18. Chandler Catanzaro (vs NO)
19. Brandon McManus (vs NE)
20. Matt Prater (@ NYG)
21. Dan Bailey (vs TB)
22. Robbie Gould (vs DET)

Dan Bailey so low? After Dak struggled mightily against a strong Giants defense, another rough game ought to be inbound against a red-hot Tampa team fresh off shutting down Drew Brees. If you can stop one of the all-time greats, you can stop a rookie sensation - advantage Bucs.

Tier 5 NFL Kickers

23. Greg Zuerlein (@ SEA)
24. Mike Nugent (vs PIT)
25. Dustin Hopkins (vs CAR)