Week 15 Kicker Start, Sit: Who to Play at Kicker
In this breakdown, I will focus on matchups and game scripts with a special focus on the games I project to be the highest-scoring on the week. Remember that most kickers are tough to depend on week-to-week, and it’s important to optimize your chances for success at the position with weekly management. I’m going to assume guys like Younghoe Koo, Wil Lutz, and Jason Sanders are already owned and started in your league without hesitation, so I’m focusing on lesser-relied upon players here.
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Start ‘Em
Tyler Bass: The Bills’ kicker has emerged as an elite fantasy option as he has averaged 12.1 fantasy points per game over the past seven weeks. He now ranks as the #3 kicker in fantasy this season. The Bills are scoring 27.6 points per game, and Bass has benefitted from Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, turning this into one of the best offenses in football. This week, he draws a phenomenal matchup as the Broncos allow 11.1 fantasy points per game to kickers, the most in the NFL. Denver is holding opponents to a touchdown on just 48.9% of red-zone trips, the lowest rate in the NFL. Bass could easily finish as the top fantasy scorer at kicker this season, and he’s a clear must-start.
Harrison Butker: I had Butker listed as a sit ’em last week against the Dolphins, who are allowing just 4.7 fantasy points per game to kickers, but he still finished with 7 fantasy points. Things should get better this week against the Saints, who rank middle-of-the-pack in allowing 8.4 fantasy points per game to kickers. Butker has hit 92% of his field goals this season and has benefited from the Chiefs’ offense that is scoring 31 points per game, the second-most in the NFL. This game should be one of the highest-scoring of the week between two high-octane offenses, and I’m excited about Butker’s upside to score 10+ fantasy points in this game.
Chris Boswell: Over the past three weeks, Boswell is averaging just 5.6 fantasy points per game, but he has hit on 94.7% of his field goals this year. This week, Boswell has a great chance to excel as the Bengals have allowed 10.8 fantasy points per game to kickers, the third-most in the NFL. The Bengals have also allowed the most fantasy points to kickers over the past three weeks. The Steelers are due for an offensive explosion after two tough outings against the Bills and Washington, and Boswell is in line for a huge comeback effort. Boswell’s been very accurate this season, and in a plus matchup, he’s an easy top-10 kicker option for me this week.
Matt Gay: In deeper leagues, Matt Gay is my favorite streaming option this week. He faces the Jets, who are allowing 10.9 fantasy points per game to kickers, the second-most in the NFL. The Jets are also allowing 30.2 points per game, the second-most in football, so I’m expecting the Rams’ offense to explode this week. Gay has made 75% of his field goals this year, although he hasn’t hit double-digit fantasy points in four games. However, Gay is a strong play in deeper leagues as he’s attached to an offense that could easily end up the highest-scoring unit of the week.
Sit ‘Em
Nick Folk: While the Patriots’ offense has struggled this season, Nick Folk has scored 8+ fantasy points in three of his last five games. However, this week the Patriots face the Dolphins, who have allowed just 6.4 fantasy points per game to kickers, the fewest in the NFL. Miami is allowing just 18.8 points per game, the 2nd-fewest in the NFL, and the Patriots-Dolphins game has an over/under of just 41.5, the 2nd-fewest of the week. Folk’s inconsistency has been a problem this season, and that isn’t surprising as New England is scoring just 21.3 points per game, the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Stay away from Folk in a tough matchup this week.
Stephen Gostkowski: This week, Gostkowski faces the Lions, who have allowed just 7 fantasy points per game to kickers, the 7th-fewest in the NFL, and just 8.7 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks, the ninth-fewest. Gostkowski has hit just 68% of his field goals in his first season with the Titans. Detroit allows a touchdown on 70.6% of their red-zone trips on defense, and the Titans have scored a touchdown on 73.1% of red-zone trips on offense, the third-highest rate. With Tennessee expected to finish most of their drives with touchdowns, Gostkowski may not have many field goal opportunities. He hasn’t been consistent when he has had the opportunities this season.
Joey Slye: The Panthers’ offense has been difficult to trust this season as they’re scoring just 23.6 points per game, the 14th-fewest in the NFL. Slye hasn’t been terribly consistent this year as he’s hitting just 78.8% of his field-goal attempts this season. This week, he faces the Packers, allowing just 7.2 fantasy points per game to kickers, the ninth-fewest in football. The Packers have allowed a touchdown on 67.5% of red-zone attempts, the fifth-highest in the NFL, so there may not be many short-area field goal opportunities for Slye this week. Slye has scored 9+ fantasy points in three straight games, so he’s been reliable as of late, but I’m looking for other options this week in a tougher matchup for him.
Jason Myers: The Seahawks’ offense has been electric this season as they’ve scored 30.2 points per game, the third-most in the NFL. However, they face a tough test this week against Washington, who allows just 21.2 points per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Myers has made 18 of his 18 field goal attempts, so he’s been very consistent, but the Seahawks have scored a touchdown on 74.5% of their red-zone trips, the second-most in football. The Seahawks-Washington game has one of the lowest over-under totals of the week, but the fact that Washington allows a touchdown on the third-fewest red-zone trips in football makes Myers a decent enough option. However, his upside is capped as the Seahawks’ offense is bound to struggle.
