Week 9 Kicker Rankings & Pickups: Younghoe Koo In A Solid Matchup At Home

It will certainly be a better week for kickers as Week 8 had above average winds throughout most of the early games and in Chicago. Seven games are in domes this week and there are plenty of totals over 50 to target kickers in. Byes don’t have a major influence on kickers this week with the Rams, Eagles, and Browns having lackluster fantasy kickers. Randy Bullock is the big one. Halfway through the year for most teams, Randy Bullock, Younghoe Koo, Ryan Succop, and Joey Slye are your top-scoring kickers. Thankfully, Slye’s rostered percentage has finally gone up.

Week 9 Kicker Rankings & Projections

Top Week 9 Kickers

Younghoe Koo is my guy this week and has been a top-scoring kicker for most of the season. He has made 19 out of 20 kicks and while he has some extra point troubles, he is averaging 10.1 fantasy points per game this season. Koo is in a great spot against Denver, who has allowed 20 field goal attempts this season in seven games, and opposing kickers have averaged 9.3 fantasy points per game. Harrison Butker is a strong option once again and the Panthers, who have allowed 8.4 fantasy points per game to kickers, which is the 8th most in the league. Butker has been better over the past few weeks and we know being involved in this offense is going to put up strong volume.

Wil Lutz is a strong play this week more because the Saints offense will still move the ball but could face a few drives where they stall out. He had a ten fantasy point game against the Buccaneers earlier this season. Lutz is the 5th leading scorer among kickers this season, averaging 9.7 fantasy points per game. He continues to be a weekly top-ten option. Matt Prater is a strong play this week given Minnesota has allowed a ton of production to kickers this season. In fact, no other team is allowing more fantasy points per game to kickers than the Vikings (10.9).

Streaming Options

Daniel Carlson (47%) is a strong streaming option this week against the Chargers. They are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game. Carlson ranks 6th in scoring this season. He is out there in over 50% of leagues still and has a favorable schedule over the next few weeks. Brandon McManus (44%) will head to Atlanta this week and he is sitting just outside the top-ten in scoring this season but this is a shootout game where McManus should have a few shots at some long-distance field goals as well. While it isn’t in Denver, Atlanta is a favorable environment and the Falcons are allowing 7.3 fantasy points per game to kickers. However, with the high totals and Denver pass offense playing well, McManus is in a favorable spot.

Ryan Succop (29%) has made 15 out of 17 field goals this season and 26 out of 27 extra points. He is averaging 8.9 fantasy points per game and is the third-highest overall scoring kicker. It is a bit surprising to see him this low in rostered percentage, but that means he is out there in a great high scoring spot against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed 8.5 fantasy points per game over the last three games. Zane Gonzalez (27%) was dropped by quite a few after the bye week but remains a kicker on a fast-paced team with an offense that can move the ball. We have seen the extremes with his usage as he had a ton of attempts last season with the Cardinals struggling in the red zone. That isn’t the case this season, although Gonzalez has missed three field goals.

Tough Week 9 Kicking Matchups

There are not a ton of tough matchups this week for kickers, and really over the course of the season with all the high scoring, kickers have been pretty solid. Greg Zuerlein is in a tough spot against the Steelers, who have allowed just eight field goal attempts over the first seven games. Kickers are averaging just 4.3 fantasy points per game. I don’t expect Dallas to be in a close game like last week where they were able to afford to have a few chances. With the lackluster offense and defense they should be trailing this one from the start. Rodrigo Blankenship faces the Ravens this week, who have allowed 3.7 fantasy points per game to kickers. Kickers have attempted just nine kicks this season and only 13 extra points. While Blankenship has been one of the more reliable kickers of the season, the Colts might just do enough to get him a few in but I might look for better options if possible.