RADIO
We’ve made it to Week 16. The fantasy championships are here. For some of us, the run lasted just one or two weeks. 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.
Kickers bounced back in Week 15 after a quiet Week 14. Heading into the Monday night matchup, the top 15 kickers all hit eight or more points on the week. This puts at least 15 kickers ahead of players like Tyler Lockett, Kareem Hunt and Keenan Allen. Kickers may be worthless to some, but they have value every single week if you’re playing the right ones.
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
- Harrison Butker (KC) vs ATL
- Jason Sanders (MIA) @ LV
- Tyler Bass (BUF) @ NE
- Justin Tucker (BAL) vs NYG
- Mason Crosby (GB) vs TEN
Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker leads us off this week in his matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The Chiefs are rolling right now, and they’re drawing a Falcons’ team that is allowing an average of 25.2 points per game. Miami Dolphins’ kicker Jason Sanders is up next. He missed his lone field-goal attempt in Week 14, but the Las Vegas Raiders are allowing over 30 points per game and are fading rapidly. Buffalo Bills’ kicker Tyler Bass is up next. The Bills are hot off a 48-point demolition of the Denver Broncos with a wounded New England Patriots’ team up next. It’s a road game, but Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen have this team humming.
Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker comes in at four. The New York Giants’ defense doesn't have the players to stick with quarterback Lamar Jackson on the run, and the Ravens can’t afford to lose right now. Tucker will have a lot of activity. Green Bay Packers’ kicker Mason Crosby rounds out the top five. The Packers are going to have to score a lot of points against the Tennessee Titans. They’ve had some red zone issues this year, and it keeps Crosby busy.
Tier 2 NFL Kickers
- Younghoe Koo (ATL) @ KC
- Cairo Santos (CHI) @ JAX
- Mike Nugent (ARI) vs SF
- Kaimi Fairbairn (HOU) vs CIN
- Michael Badgley (LAC) vs DEN
Atlanta Falcons’ kicker Younghoe Koo starts off our next group. Koo and the Falcons have had no trouble scoring, and that’s going to have to continue against a white-hot Chiefs’ team. Chicago Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos is up next. The Bears have found a spark with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky under center, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have even more incentive to lose with Trevor Lawrence packing his bags for Florida.
Arizona Cardinals’ kicker Mike Nugent slides in at eight. The Cardinals currently control their playoff destiny, and sweeping a struggling San Francisco 49ers team is up next. The Cardinals just have to play their game. Houston Texans’ kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn comes in at nine. Houston has every reason to win, and the Cincinnati Bengals have no ability to slow down opposing offenses. Los Angeles Chargers’ kicker Michael Badgley rounds out the top 10. The “Money Badger” hasn’t been money all year, but he gets a good bounce-back spot this week with a bad Denver Broncos’ team.
Tier 3 NFL Kickers
- Rodrigo Blankenship (IND) @ PIT
- Matt Gay (LAR) @ SEA
- Stephen Gostkowski (TEN) @ GB
- Cody Parkey (CLE) @ NYJ
- Wil Lutz (NO) vs MIN
Indianapolis Colts’ kicker Rodrigo Blankenship starts our final tier with his matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This game figures to be rather low-scoring, but the Colts are playing effective football to get into scoring range with regularity. Los Angeles Rams’ kicker Matt Gay is next. They travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in a matchup they won earlier in the year. The Rams will be poised for a bounceback after an embarrassing loss to the New York Jets. Gay and the Rams can put up some points in this matchup.
Tennessee Titans’ kicker Stephen Gostkowski finds our next spot. This is a beautiful matchup for Tennessee in a game that could total over 80 points. Cleveland Browns’ kicker Cody Parkey is next. He’s far from perfect, but the Browns will get him into scoring position pretty frequently. New Orleans Saints’ kicker Wil Lutz rounds out our final tier. The Saints figure to be highly efficient against a bad Minnesota Vikings Defense, and that will lead to plenty of points for Lutz.
Kickers to Avoid
Chase McLaughlin is our first avoidance of the week because *checks notes* Adam Gase is still the head coach. The Jets have won a game and lost their hold on the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. The Browns are up next, and I think we get back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Aldrick Rosas of the Jacksonville Jaguars gets the second spot. The Jaguars’ offense has sputtered of late, and it doesn’t figure to get any easier against a surging Bears’ team. Rosas is a quality player, but this matchup leaves a lot to be desired.
Daniel Carlson rounds out our avoidances of the week. The Las Vegas Raiders are fading fast, and quarterback Derek Carr (groin) will be sidelined for this week’s game against the Dolphins. Against a team that ranks second in the NFL with 18.4 PPG allowed, Carlson has the recipe for a down week.
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