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Week 5 ranks, tiers and start/sit advice for fantasy football kickers. Gage Bridgford (@GBridgfordNFL) lists his weekly K rankings and players to avoid based on matchup, weather, and team context.
Week 4 saw several high scoring games for offenses around the league. When offenses score more points, kickers get more swings of the leg, which means they are scoring us more points. While some of the usual suspects were at the top of the charts, we some saw new faces like Matt McCrane and Ka'imi Fairbairn.
Heading into Week 5, there are a number of high profile matchups that could lead to a lot of scoring. However, there aren't a ton of stalemate defensive matchups that should cause kickers to have an excess of field goal opportunities. It will be interesting to see how this week's matchups go.
Chandler Catanzaro and Cody Parkey are on byes this week, and they have developed into consistent fantasy options in the past few weeks. While waivers might not be flush with big points this week, there are still some solid values that can be found.
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Week 5 Kickers To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings
Tier 1 NFL Kickers
1. Ryan Succop (TEN) @ BUF
2. Caleb Sturgis (LAC) @ OAK
3. Stephen Gostkowski (NE) vs IND
4. Cairo Santos (LAR) @ SEA
5. Adam Vinatieri (IND) @ NE
The Buffalo Bills defense continues to struggle, and the Tennessee Titans are on the upswing as Marcus Mariota gets healthier. Even on the road, Succop is a top option this week. Sturgis and the Los Angeles Chargers play the Oakland Raiders that just gave up 42 points to the Cleveland Browns. Sturgis is a great option this week, as the Phillip Rivers-led offense should bounce back this week.
Gostkowski and the New England Patriots flexed their muscles in a beatdown on Sunday. They have dominated the Indianapolis Colts in the past, and that isn't likely to change on Thursday night. Ficken and the Los Angeles Rams lit up the scoreboard Thursday night. Against a weak Seattle Seahawks defense, that should continue. Vinatieri continues to be a consistent option in real and fantasy football.
Tier 2 NFL Kickers
6. Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU) vs DAL
7. Wil Lutz (NO) vs WAS
8. Dan Bailey (MIN) @ PHI
9. Matt Bryant (ATL) @ PIT
10. Mason Crosby (GB) @ DET
Fairbairn finished fourth this past week in scoring, and he and the Houston Texans draw the struggling Dallas Cowboys defense. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has improved, and he should keep getting better. Lutz and the New Orleans Saints continue to be a high-powered offense. The Washington Redskins have been had this season, and that should continue this week.
Bailey and the Minnesota Vikings are a great offense when they're rolling. Against a struggling Philadelphia Eagles team, they should keep firing. Bryant and the Atlanta Falcons have started regaining their mojo. A matchup against an underachieving Pittsburgh Steelers team is exactly what they need. Crosby and the Green Bay Packers have struggled in the red zone this season. That keeps the kicker in great play territory.
Tier 3 NFL Kickers
11. Brandon McManus (DEN) @ NYJ
12. Justin Tucker (BAL) @ CLE
13. Dustin Hopkins (WAS) @ NO
14. Randy Bullock (CIN) vs MIA
15. Chris Boswell (PIT) vs ATL
McManus and the Denver Broncos have been in close games all season. Against a tough New York Jets team, McManus should continue to be an active player for them. Tucker has long been a top kicking option. On the road in Cleveland, he has value, but he could slip some this week. Hopkins and the Redskins have been up and down this season. A soft Saints defense gives him sneaky value this week.
Randy Bullock and the Cincinnati Bengals have been one for the better offenses in the NFL this season. They draw a reeling Miami Dolphins team that was overachieving, and they should help Bullock's value this week. Boswell has fallen far from the consistent top-10 option that he was last season. He still has value in the right matchup, and the Atlanta Falcons are that type of matchup.
Kickers to Avoid
Sebastian Janikowski and the Seattle Seahawks have a tough matchup this week against the Los Angeles Rams. While Russell Wilson typically gets better over the course of the season, this isn't a week for that. Janikowski should be left alone this week.
At home, against the bad New Orleans Saints defense, Aldrick Rosas and the New York Giants only managed 18 points. The Carolina Panthers are a much better defense, so bad things are in the future for the Giants offense this week.
Greg Joseph and the Cleveland Browns put up 42 points last week against the Raiders. However, this week, they have a much more difficult matchup. The Baltimore Ravens slowed down the Steelers offense last week, and they should do the same to the Baker Mayfield-led Browns.
More Weekly Lineup Prep
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