The kicker position is a tricky one if you don’t have the biggest names. Linda Godfrey offers streaming advice for the position in Week 7.
Okay, so Week 6 was a doozy. Chase McLaughlin delivered for us again, finishing above average with 9 fantasy points. Matt Gay was serviceable with Joe Flacco at the helm. Gay finished with a respectable 8 points, but that’s nothing to write home about. Cairo Santos fell flat, finishing with 5 fantasy points and missing his only field goal attempt of the game.
I faded Cameron Dicker and Blake Grupe last week and both guys finished with double-digit fantasy performances. Daniel Carlson was the correct call though. So we had a 50-50 week.
An update on injuries before we jump into the streams and fades of the week: Matt Prater landed on IR on Tuesday so it will be Chad Ryland in Arizona for the foreseeable future. The 49ers lost Jake Moody to an ankle injury in Week 5 while he was trying to make a tackle. San Fransisco brought in Matthew Wright for kicking duties. He had a great Week 6. And then he attempted a tackle on a kickoff and injured his shoulder. His availability for the week is in question. The 49ers signed former Green Bay kicker and brother to Las Vegas kicker, Anders Carlson for security if Wright can’t go. The good news is that Moody is out of his walking boot.
Week 5 we swam, Week 6 we treaded water, Week 7 we’re going to get that motor going again. Let’s dive in.
Streams
The Seahawks head to Atlanta for a Week 7 matchup. Jason Myers has attempted multiple field goals in four of their six games so far this year. He has yet to finish as a top-12 kicker but he has scored double-digit fantasy points in half of Seattle’s games this season.
Atlanta is allowing 2.8 field goal attempts to opposing teams and has allowed 9 or more fantasy points in four of their six contests.
This matchup carries the highest total implied points for Week 7 at 51.5. Seattle isn’t the favorite but they’re only 2.5-point underdogs and the kickers won’t have to compete with the weather.
The Rams are coming off their bye week and it sounds like we might be getting Cooper Kupp back sooner than later. That’s not kicker-related, but it is exciting. As for the reason you’re here, Josh Karty has attempted multiple field goals in three of their five contests this season. The Rams have a top-5 implied point total for the week, they’re favorites and they’re inside.
More importantly, they face a Las Vegas team that has given up 12 or more fantasy points to the kicker position in every game but one this season.
Let this be a reminder to always check the waiver wire for kickers that were dropped during their bye weeks. (I’m looking at you, Brandon Aubrey. Hey! Crazier things have happened.) Cameron Dicker is averaging multiple field goal attempts per game, only missing that mark in Week 3 against Pittsburgh.
Like Josh Karty and the Rams, Dicker and the Chargers are playing inside and head into the matchup as favorites.
Bonus Streams
Austin Seibert – Washington Commanders (26% rostered)
Will Reichard – Minnesota Vikings (3% rostered)
Cam Little – Jacksonville Jaguars (3% rostered)
Fades
This does not mean you need to drop Ka’imi Fairbairn. It just means to lower your expectations for the week. Fairbairn has had four top-10 performances this year. I expect he will have several more. However, this week Houston is headed to Green Bay. They’re down their best playmaker in Nico Collins and Green Bay’s defense has been good so far this year.
The Packers have allowed the third-fewest points to the kicker position.
I take no pleasure in putting Jake Bates on the fade list one week after he had the breakout I had always dreamed of for him. If you follow me on Twitter (or X but I’m not calling it that) you know I’ve been firmly on the Bates Train since before he was a Lion.
Unfortunately, Detroit gets the still-undefeated Vikings this week. The Vikings are allowing the fewest points to the fantasy kicker position in the NFL. They’ve only given up more than 5 fantasy points one time this season, in Week 1.
From a vibes standpoint, the way Dan Campbell has talked about this game in the week leading up to it doesn’t sound like a man who is going to settle for field goals. We’re well used to Campbell going for it on 4th downs, I think we see that this week.
Waiting all day for Sunday Night. Jets versus Steelers. Oh, boy. The Jets just added Davante Adams as some kind of bandaid to the 2-4 start to the season. Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin is toying with starting Russell Wilson over Justin Fields even though the Steelers are 4-2. Make it make sense.
Regardless, Greg Zuerlein has not been good this season. He’s made just 66.7% of his field goal attempts. He’s missed his only attempt from 50+ and is 1-of-3 from 40+. Pittsburgh has allowed the 4th fewest points to the kicker position this season.
Seriously, go check for Brandon Aubrey on your waiver wires with him on bye this week. You might just be lucky enough to play in a league with someone who refuses to hold on to more than one kicker. Which is totally reasonable, unless, of course, that kicker is Brandon Aubrey.
