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Week 6 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 5 has wrapped up, and we're onto Week 6. Each week we see surprises around the NFL. From Graham Gano's 63-yard boot to Ka'imi Fairbairn leading all kickers in points scored in fantasy, you never know what to expect from some of these kickers.
We could see some shakeups around the NFL. Mason Crosby had the worst kicking game of his career, and Greg Zuerlein could return this week for the Los Angeles Rams. It will be interesting to see how everything lies once the dust has settled, and we know who is playing for who.
Wil Lutz and Matt Prater will be on byes this week, so you will need to pivot away from these solid options. Fortunately, there are a decent number of players available to replace them. Don't be that guy that loses by two because you started a bye week kicker.
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Week 6 Kickers To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings
Tier 1 NFL Kickers
1. Harrison Butker (KC) @ NE
2. Stephen Gostkowski (NE) vs KC
3. Matt Bryant (ATL) vs TB
4. Cairo Santos (LAR) @ DEN
5. Cody Parkey (CHI) @ MIA
Harrison Butker and the Kansas City Chiefs are heading to New England to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Currently, the over/under is set at 58.5, which means a ton of opportunities for Butker to score with one of the best offenses against one of the worst defenses. Butker's number two this week is his kicking counterpart on Sunday in Stephen Gostkowski. For the same reasons Butker has a good matchup, Gostkowski does as well. Good offense + bad defense = more scoring opportunities.
Matt Bryant and the Atlanta Falcons have seemingly hit their stride again. They are averaging 31 points over the last four weeks, and they draw a home matchup against the weak Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. If Greg Zuerlein plays this week, he claims Santos' spot in these rankings. However, if he misses another week, Santos remains a great option in the thin Denver air with this high-octane offense. Cody Parkey and the Chicago Bears come off a bye to face a struggling Miami Dolphins team. This offense should hum against the Dolphins and give Parkey plenty of scoring opportunities.
Tier 2 NFL Kickers
6. Mason Crosby (GB) vs SF
7. Josh Lambo (JAX) @ DAL
8. Dan Bailey (MIN) vs ARI
9. Justin Tucker (BAL) @ TEN
10. Graham Gano (CAR) @ WAS
Week 5 was the worst week of Mason Crosby's kicking career. He is still the Green Bay Packers kicker, and he will be a good fantasy option in Week 6 as he looks to bounce back against the San Francisco 49ers that have looked lost without Jimmy Garoppolo. Lambo and the Jacksonville Jaguars got handled last week when they couldn't get out to a lead. The Dallas Cowboys offense has struggled this season, and that should help give Lambo a boost in value this week.
Dan Bailey and the Minnesota Vikings got a close win last week, but they should have more breathing room against the Arizona Cardinals. Look for Bailey to stay active this week. Tucker and the Baltimore Ravens are a confusing team, but he is a lock play every week, especially against an up-and-down Tennessee Titans squad. Gano boomed home a 63-yard game winner for the Carolina Panthers last week, and he should remain a good option against the Washington Redskins in Week 6.
Tier 3 NFL Kickers
11. Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU) vs BUF
12. Sebastian Janikowski (SEA) @ OAK
13. Chris Boswell (PIT) @ CIN
14. Randy Bullock (CIN) vs PIT
15. Adam Vinatieri (IND) @ NYJ
The Houston Texans are starting to make some noise, and Fairbairn will be a part of that. Against a Buffalo Bills team that hasn't looked stellar this year, he should have a solid week. Unfortunately for Janikoswki, the Seattle Seahawks offense kept scoring touchdowns in Week 5. Fortunately for him, they have a weak Oakland Raiders team ahead, so that scoring should continue. Boswell and the Pittsburgh Steelers are getting there. This week against the Cincinnati Bengals should be a low-scoring high field goal game.
Boswell's counterpart this week in Bullock should stay active this week as well. While the Steelers defense hasn't looked great this year, these AFC North matchups are always a dogfight till the very end. Vinatieri is the kicking GOAT. The Indianapolis Colts defense can't stop anyone, so their offense has to score a lot to make up for it. This translates to more points for Vinatieri, especially against a confusing New York Jets team that hung 34 points on the New York Jets.
Kickers to Avoid
Phil Dawson and the Arizona Cardinals had a good week against a bad team. They are about to run into a buzzsaw from up north in the Minnesota Vikings. While they haven't looked like the expected elite defense they were supposed to, they should slow down this Cardinals offense significantly.
Unfortunately for Aldrick Rosas and the New York Giants, last week's scoring output is likely an aberration. Outside of some trick plays and big-play heroics, their offense continues to struggle and look disjointed. Things don't get easier against the Philadelphia Eagles that are desperate for a win.
Brett Maher and the Dallas Cowboys are about to have a rough week. This Jaguars squad plays angry, and they are pissed off after getting handled by the Chiefs. While the Cowboys should get on the board, it doesn't expect to be a very high number.
More Weekly Lineup Prep
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