October 18, 2016

Jacob Valov's Week 7 tiered rankings & streamers for all NFL kickers. Fantasy football starts, sits, and waiver wire pickups for week seven of the 2016 season.

It’s Week 7 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 even more Week 7 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 7 Kickers To Start & Stream: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1 NFL Kickers

1. Stephen Gostkowski (@ PIT)
2. Chandler Catanzaro (vs SEA)
3. Steven Hauschka (@ ARI)
4. Blair Walsh (@ PHI)
5. Adam Vinatieri (@ TEN)

Sunday night brings us kicker-folk a real treat of a game: HooshMoney vs Chandler “Bing” Catanzaro. In the Battle of the Kicker Elite, Catanzaro will prove victorious, however. Simply put, Seattle’s offense > Arizona’s offense. This meaning, with each team having an elite defense, the lesser offense is going to struggle to complete drives, thus leading to more FG attempts. This back-and-forth Cardinals team is still struggling to find an offensive identity, so for the time being it’s going to have to continue to be Catanzaro.

Blair Walsh jumps up into the first tier this week in what looks to be a defensive battle. After starting out hot, Carson Wentz is looking more and more like the rookie he is (albeit a very good rookie) and the Eagles' offense has slowed down. This means Minnesota should be consistently putting themselves in great field position from strong defensive play; however, they won’t be the only ones benefitting from strong defense. The Eagles are coming off a strong two-touchdown showing from their defense and special teams, and with the Vikings' offense still being tremendously average, they should be able to hold them to equally little yardage. This means good ‘ol Blair Walsh is gonna be needed to keep points on the board in what will undoubtedly be a low-scoring affair.

 
Tier 2 NFL Kickers

6. Cairo Santos (vs NO)
7. Dustin Hopkins (@ DET)
8. Josh Lambo (@ ATL)
9. Josh Brown (@ LA)
10. Mike Nugent (vs CLE)

After a rough week in Oakland where he missed a FG and an XP, Cairo Santos is in great position to truly earn his stripes in what projects to be a shootout at home. Drew Brees is coming off a 450-yard passing day, and while he struggles more on the road than at home, he will almost certainly be putting up points with ease, regardless. The Chiefs' offense may struggle to keep up with Brees, even against a defense that tries their absolute best to beat Oakland and Indy for Worst in the League every week, so Santos will be key in keeping them in the game.

I AM SO PROUD OF MY SON, JOSH LAMBO. Ever since I began writing these kicker rankings, he has performed better and better each week, with last week being his best yet. The Chargers' offense is still churning out points and yards like it’s no one’s business, even against a rough Denver D, so it’s very likely they put up at least 30 points trying to keep up with the No. 1 offense in the league on the road. The best kicker to ever walk the face of the planet — I mean Lambo — is a top-10 play without question.

 
Tier 3 NFL Kickers

11. Matt Bryant (vs SD)
12. Justin Tucker (@ NYJ)
13. Dan Carpenter (@ MIA)
14. Greg Zuerlein (vs NYG)
15. Ryan Succop (vs IND)
16. Wil Lutz (@ KC)

The Bills' offense is on FIRE. After completely embarrassing a San Francisco defense that is sorely missing Navorro Bowman, they have yet another weak defense lined up ready to be obliterated. While divisional games can go either way, and the Dolphins pulled out a surprising win over the Steelers last week, the Bills are white hot and aren’t slowing down for anyone. Dan Carpenter may not get many field goals, but should see a bounty of XP opportunities coming his way.

Marcus Mariota finally had the game fantasy owners and Titans fans alike were waiting for him to have, and he, like the Bills, should show no signs of slowing down against a simply horrendous Indianapolis defense. When you let the Brock Lobster outplay you, you know you’re trash. Mariota and DeMarco Murray should have a field day tearing apart the Colts, and Succop will be there to finish them off.

 
Tier 4 NFL Kickers

17. Matt Prater (vs WAS)
18. Jason Myers (vs OAK)
19. Roberto Aguayo (@ SF)
20. Mason Crosby (vs CHI)
21. Sebastian Janikowski (@ JAX)

Jason Myers makes it into kicker rankings this week, but not due to any talent I’m sure he thinks he has, but solely because he’s playing Oakland. While their offense can hang with the best of them (except the Chiefs apparently), Oakland’s defense makes a dumpster fire look chilly, and whether the Jaguars like it or not, they’re going to put up points. This means Myers will get some scraps here and there as Jacksonville tries to keep up with a furious Derek Carr and Co. about to go Super Saiyan on anyone in their path.

 
Tier 5 NFL Kickers

22. Brandon McManus (vs HOU)
23. Caleb Sturgis (vs MIN)
24. Chris Boswell (vs NE)

Chris Boswell, I’m sorry. I love your play, you’re a great kicker, and an even better person. But fact is Ben Roethlisberger went down and the Steelers with Landry Jones at the helm stand absolutely no chance against the Patriots. They should get blown out, and due to circumstances beyond Boswell’s control, he isn’t going to put up many points. Here’s to hoping Ben heals up soon — the top tiers of kickers miss you.