Week 12 kicker rankings: 3 to stream, 3 to fade

Linda Godfrey is back with a short list of kicker rankings. She breaks down streaming options for the position in Week 12.

Week 11 was not my friend. It was my worst streaming week since Week 2. The only guy I was kind of right about was Wil Lutz who finished with nine fantasy points. I don’t want to dwell on bad performances, so I won’t!

There are a handful of teams on bye this week, if you’re here it’s probably because you were rostering Younghoe Koo, Tyler Bass, or Evan McPherson. I am here for your bye-pocalypse woes. This week’s theme is Divisional Matchups and we’re starting by returning to the only well with water from last week.

Streams

Wil Lutz – Denver Broncos (9% rostered)

Rookie Bo Nix has been a pleasant surprise for Broncos fans this season (source: me, a Broncos fan). The Denver offense looked lethal against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. In Week 12 they travel to Las Vegas to face their divisional rivals. The Raiders have been a great matchup for fantasy kickers through 11 weeks. They’ve allowed double-digit performances in every week but two.

Wil Lutz’s field goal attempts have fallen off the last couple of weeks as the offense starts to hum but the Broncos are attempting almost double the amount of field goals in away games. They’ll be inside and they’re Vegas favorites.

Washington Commanders Kicker – (Gonzalez 0% rostered; Seibert 32% rostered)

I have been checking all day for some kind of update on Austin Seibert’s availability this week so naturally as soon as this is published we’ll get said update. Regardless, whoever (whomever? I never know.) is kicking for the Commanders on Sunday is a good streaming option.

I’m a big believer that the offense, scheme, game script, and coach have more to do with fantasy output than who the kicker is. In this case, Washington is still averaging 2.9 field goal attempts per game. Dallas has allowed double-digit fantasy performances in four of their last five games.

The Commanders have dropped their last two games, I expect the offense to come out hot looking to get back into the win column.

Joey Slye – New England Patriots (1% rostered)

Adam Devine said it best when he said “Let’s get weird!” All offseason I joked with my home leaguemates that the answer at kicker was whoever won the Patriots kicking job. But I want to beat them, I want to help you all win. So it’s with sincerity that I say thicc kicker Joey Slye is a good, super low-rostered option this week.

Like the Cowboys, the Dolphins have allowed double-digit fantasy games to kickers in four of their last five games. New England has attempted multiple field goals in their last three games. They’re playing outside, they aren’t favorites and their implied point total is low. It’s a gamble, but not the kind you have to call the hotline for, and one I think pays off.

Fades

Justin Tucker – Baltimore Ravens

Justin Tucker has taken a step back this season. You could see signs of it at the end of last year but it’s impossible to ignore now. It’s a hard reality to face. But I’m not fading him this week because of his accuracy issues. I’m fading him this week because the Chargers still have not allowed a double-digit game to an opposing kicker.

McPherson got close in Week 11, but no cigar.

Brandon Aubrey – Dallas Cowboys

Fantasy football players have already started dubbing Brandon Aubrey as the next Justin Tucker. We can have that conversation in several more years. Right now we have to worry about Week 12. In the two games that Cooper Rush has started for the Cowboys Aubrey has scored 7 and 6 fantasy points. Not what you want to see from the guy who started the season with five straight top-12 kicker weeks.

Washington is allowing the third-fewest points to the position. I know it will hurt to move on from him. Your friends might laugh at you, they might sprint to the waiver wire to get a bid on him. Let it be someone else’s headache.

Dustin Hopkins – Cleveland Browns

Dustin Hopkins had a brutal game in Week 11. He couldn’t hit the long ones or the chip shots. Like with Justin Tucker though, I’m not fading him because of his accuracy issue. The Steelers are allowing the 4th fewest points to kickers. That’s a mean defense facing an offense that’s incredibly boom or bust.

Welcome to bye-mageddon, may the odds be ever in our favor.