It’s Week 5 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 making 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 more Week 5 waiver wire recommendations, for all other positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 5 Kickers To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1 NFL Kickers

1. Chandler Catanzaro (@ SF)
2. Stephen Gostkowski (@ CLE)
3. Dustin Hopkins (@ BAL)
4. Chris Boswell (vs NYJ)
5. Dan Bailey (vs CIN)

Catanzaro is the no-brainer top kicker this week with Carson Palmer suspect to play after suffering a concussion in the Cardinals’ Week 4 loss to the Rams. This normally wouldn’t be too much of an issue, but the Cardinals are due for a Thursday night matchup with the 49ers in San Francisco, and the quick turnaround may not leave Palmer enough time to pass through the protocol. As well, HC Bruce Arians has said they want to be cautious with Palmer, so his ability to see the field is highly in question to say the least. What this all adds up to is the Cardinals offense will struggle (even more than it already has, which is shocking) and Catanzaro is going to be called on often to help the Cardinals struggle to stay relevant after a disastrous 1-3 start.

Dustin Hopkins is simply the man to beat at the kicker position, he pulled away from everyone in total fantasy points once again in a blowout win against Cleveland and should be able to keep the high scoring going in a tough matchup with an angry Baltimore team coming off a one-point loss to the Raiders. The Washington staff clearly believes Hopkins can kick from anywhere, any time, and he’s going to see plenty of opportunities in what should be a low-scoring affair.

 
 
Tier 2 NFL Kickers

6. Mason Crosby (vs NYG)
7. Josh Brown (@ GB)
8. Blair Walsh (vs HOU)
9. Adam Vinatieri (vs CHI)
10. Justin Tucker (vs WAS)

After a week of rest, the reinvigorated Packers offense looks to keep the ball rolling against a stout NYG defense and should find great success. After brushing off early season concerns, the Packers are finally looking like an Aaron Rodgers-led team again and Crosby is only going to be the beneficiary. Expect more extra points than field goals, but he may sneak in one or two.

Chicago’s defense stepped up against, up to that point, the leading receiver in football (Marvin Jones) and should find similar success against a struggling Colts team. While Andrew Luck was able to put up points on a pitiful Jacksonville defense last week, the Bears and DC Vic Fangio should provide more of a challenge (read: a challenge at all, seriously Jacksonville what’s going on over there). What that’s all going to add up to is plenty of opportunities for Vinatieri to score, and owners should feel confident starting him this week.

 
 
Tier 3 NFL Kickers

11. Caleb Sturgis (@ DET)
12. Josh Lambo (@ OAK)
13. Nick Novak (@ MIN)
14. Mike Nugent (@ DAL)

Once again, my kicker prescience has spoken out to me, and once again it is regarding Josh Lambo. In theory this game is a blowout in Oakland’s favor, but Lambo will get his - mark my words. The Chargers’ offense proved capable even without Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead last week against the Saints, but a quickly-improving Raiders defense should keep them more in check, leading to lots of opportunities for RotoBaller Kicker Ratings’ favorite son to make owners proud.

The Texans’ offense got back on track to an extent last week against a middling-at-best Tennessee defense, however it’s unlikely they figure out the league’s top defense (in my opinion, as well as the opinion of smart people everywhere) and offensive woes should be abound once again. This means Nick Novak is going to be the x-factor in keeping the Texans relevant in a game that should be held close by their defense.

 
 
Tier 4 NFL Kickers

15. Greg Zuerlein (vs BUF)
16. Matt Prater (vs PHI)
17. Ryan Succop (@ MIA)
18. Dan Carpenter (@ LA)
19. Brandon McManus (vs ATL)
20. Andrew Franks (vs TEN)

With the Rams suddenly figuring out how to play offense (with 0 help from Todd Gurley, stunningly) Greg the Leg rockets up my rankings. With one of the strongest legs in football, the Rams will consistently trust him from 50+ yards out, which may come in handy against a Bills team that’s quickly turned itself back around after a poor start to the season.

Succop is a kicker I may have underrated this week, as Miami’s defense has been nothing but atrocious so far this season, and their offense has done the impossible and managed to be even worse. The Titans should be able to put them away with relative ease, but the reason Succop sits so low is the same reason he’s a solid option this week - it’s hard to envision the Titans’ drives stalling. Succop may rack up the extra points, but field goals are going to be extremely hard to predict, as they’re really only going to result from the Titans getting in their own way, rather than anything Miami will do. Regardless, Succop is my sleeper kicker of the week.

 
 
Tier 5 NFL Kickers

21. Sebastian Janikowski (vs SD)
22. Nick Folk (@ PIT)
23. Roberto Aguayo (@ DEN)
24. Connor Barth (@ IND)