Week 9 K Start, Sit: Who to Play at Kicker

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Last week, Dan Bailey led the charge with the most points scored for kickers, converting on all four attempts with one coming from over 50 yards out. With the Falcons dropping veteran Matt Bryant and the Patriots replacing Mike Nugent, there are some new kickers to look out for. The Falcons added Younghoe Koo and the Patriots added Nick Folk. I will be going over the kickers that you should be picking up and those you should be avoiding. Here is my list of starts and sits for kickers for Week 9.

Start ‘Em

Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks

Opponent: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jason Myers had a big week last week against the Falcons where he made both of his field-goal attempts, one from 40+ and one from 50+, along with three extra points. The Buccaneers have allowed the most points to kickers on average this season with 9.7 points per game. Their 20 extra points and 16 field goals allowed ranks among the highest in each which works out great for Myers. He also has seen an increase in usage the past few weeks with four attempts two weeks ago.

Austin Seibert, Cleveland Browns

Opponent: Denver Broncos

Austin Seibert has been one of the Brown’s only good parts to look back on this season. He has yet to miss a field goal this year which I hope I’m not jinxing. He made both of his attempts last week with an extra point against the Patriots. The Broncos have allowed the most made field goals per game with over two per game. The one disappointing part of Seibert is the number of field goals he attempts, so that should be able to change this week going against the Broncos.

Nick Folk, New England Patriots

Opponent: Baltimore Ravens

Nick Folk was recently acquired by the Patriots and named the kicker over Mike Nugent who filled in for Gostkowski when he went down with an injury. The Patriots play the Ravens this week who is one of the only teams to allow more field goals than extra points. They have allowed just over two per game this season. The Patriots have been trying to find their answer at the kicking position. They should be able to get a nice sample size to determine if Folk is their guy.

Sam Ficken, New York Jets

Opponent: Miami Dolphins

The Jets have looked miserable the last two weeks which has left Ficken with just one extra point over that span. This week is the best chance that they have to rebound. The Dolphins have allowed the most points per game in the NFL. The majority of these points come off touchdowns which don’t give kickers too many points, but how bad the Jets have played leads me to think that they won’t be finding the endzone much. I would count on mostly field goals for the Jets this week.

Sit ‘Em

Dustin Hopkins, Washington Redskins

Opponent: Buffalo Bills

You should already not be touching Dustin Hopkins with a 10-foot pole, but he should not be started at all this week. He has missed three attempts this season on just 11 attempts. The Redskins’ offense is not good enough to move the ball consistently for him to score any meaningful points. On top of that, they play the Bills this week who have allowed the least amount of points to kickers this season. Kickers have made just 3 field goals on 9 attempts this season which is strange but not good for opposing kickers.

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Opponent: New England Patriots

It is very hard for me to say sit Justin Tucker, but after talking to a Justin Tucker owner that is choosing to sit him this week, I think it will be the right move. The Patriots’ defense has allowed the least amount of points this season which doesn’t bode well for kickers. Even a kicker of Justin Tucker’s status is not going to fare well against them if the Ravens can’t move the ball. I wouldn’t be dropping Tucker but I’d find a different kicker with a better matchup for this week, maybe whoever you used last week during the Raven’s bye week.

Jake Elliot, Philadelphia Eagles

Opponent: Chicago Bears

Jake Elliot has been very consistent at getting around 7 points every week this season. His ceiling is very low if this is how the Eagles offense is going to be run. He has never gotten over two attempts in a game, although he has never missed a field goal. The Bears have also been good at preventing points against them. They rank fifth in points allowed with 17.4. If there are any Jake Elliot owners still out there, I would suggest finding a new kicker because he is not going to give you an extra boost.

Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers

Opponent: Los Angeles Chargers

Mason Crosby has been very busy from the 15-yard line with all the extra points he has had to make in the past two games. While he has been super busy, he hasn’t put significant numbers due to his low number of field goal attempts. The Chargers have some strange numbers for kickers they have faced. On 18 attempts, which is one of the highest in the NFL, kickers have only made 9 which is one of the lowest in the NFL. Basically, there a 50% chance that Crosby makes the field goals that he is allowed this week which is not a good percentage.