NFL Kickers to Start in Week 6: Fantasy Football Tiers & Rankings

Yes, that’s right – kickers. After all, points are points, and even though kickers are very difficult to predict for fantasy points week to week, having the right one in your Week 6 lineup could be a difference maker.

For those of you fantasy football owners out there who are streaming kickers, RotoBaller has got you covered with around-the-league analysis of the Week 6 NFL matchups.  This week shouldn’t be an issue with bye weeks, unlike Week 4, meaning there should plenty of waiver wire streamers and sleepers if needed.

We’re here to give you our analysis to help make your kicker streaming decisions and make your Week 6 lineup decisions a bit easier. Some of these kickers may have good Week 6 matchups, and be available on your league’s waiver wire. Be sure to stay on top of the weekly NFL matchups and kicker opponents right here. Good luck RotoBallers!

Teams that have bye weeks in Week 6: New Orleans Saints & Kansas City Chiefs

Week 6 Kickers: Tiers & Rankings

Tier 1 NFL Kickers: San Diego Chargers (Nick Novak), Pittsburgh Steelers (Shaun Suisham), Tennessee Titans (Ryan Succop)

Nick "The Kick" Novak has been a revelation thus far in 2014 and is a top 5 fantasy football kicker every week moving forward, regardless of opponent. Shaun Suisham gets the fun task of facing the Browns, so field goal opportunities in Week 6 should be plentiful. Ryan Succop also draws a very favorable opponent versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, so he and every other kicker in this tier should be owned and started off the waiver wire going into Week 6.

Tier 2 NFL Kickers: Philadelphia Eagles (Cody Parkey), Buffalo Bills (Dan Carpenter), Baltimore Ravens (Justin Tucker), Arizona Cardinals (Chandler Catanzaro), Atlanta Falcons (Matt Bryant)

Cody Parkey and his 11 field goals made will not disappoint this week, as the Eagles take on the Giants in a divisional battle. Dan Carpenter owns the longest field goal of 2014 at 58 yards, so he better be owned regardless of opponent heading into Week 6. Justin Tucker is still a top 10 kicker and has shown he can be very clutch several times over. In Arizona, Chandler Catanzaro takes his perfect 11-for-11 ratio, and 51 yard long field goal, to start his career as one of the sleepers at the kicker position. Lastly, we always love the historically accurate Matt Bryant, and that feeling only increases when he kicks indoors like he will in Week 6 versus the Bears porous defense.

Tier 3 NFL Kickers: Dallas Cowboys (Dan Bailey), Cleveland Browns (Billy Cundiff), New York Giants (Josh Brown), Houston Texans (Randy Bullock), New England Patriots (Stephen Gostkowski), San Francisco 49ers (Phil Dawson)

Dan Bailey is my indoor kicker man crush, but hasn't quite delivered consistently enough in 2014 to crack the top 3 tiers. That being said, we project he finishes as a top 10 kicker in 2014 before it's all said and done. Billy Cundiff is just average and draws the Steelers in Week 6, so this matchup is rather bland for fantasy owners. In Philly, Josh Brown will be masticating on cheese steaks and also racking up field goals against the Eagles putrid defense. Bullock is not looking forward to his Thursday night showdown with the high powered Colts offense, but he may see enough chances to warrant a stream if desperate. Stephen Gostowski travels to the windy and weather stricken Western New York for his Week 6 showdown with the Bills tough defense, so this matchup is best avoided if possible. Finally, Phil Dawson is a freak of kicking and I'd feel comfortable starting him in Week 6's Monday night game being played indoors in St. Louis. The 49ers may just score touchdowns though, as Frank Gore and company run the ball ruthlessly on a leaky Rams run defense.

Tier 4 NFL Kickers: Cincinnati Bengals (Mike Nugent), Miami Dolphins (Calib Sturgis), Chicago Bears (Robbie Gould), St. Louis Rams (Greg Zuerlein), Indianapolis Colts (Adam Vinatieri), Green Bay Packers (Mason Crosby), New York Jets (Nick Folk), Minnesota Vikings (Blair Walsh)

Mike Nugent didn't look his best and is sitting at a league worst 61.5% ration on the season (8-for-13), so we think you better let him sit Week 6 out unless you have no other choice. Calib Sturgis has a little leg and decent accuracy, so he's always an okay bet to give you a solid 7-11 points per week. Robbie Gould is as reliable as they come, but the Bears offense specializes in touchdowns considering all of their high end offensive weapons. Greg "The Leg" Zuerlein is 7-for-8 on the season and has an indoor battle in Week 6 against the tough 49ers; there are way worse matchups to lament over. Adam Vinatieri is 100% accurate on the season, but won't surpass a 49 yarder too often. Mason Crosby is currently not getting many opportunities, but Week 6 versus Miami can mean several extra points and a couple of field goals. He's a decent start playing in a high powered offense. Nick Folk plays for the Jets, so that about ends his analysis. Blair Walsh defecated the bed in Week 6, and is a further testament to the fact that teams with bad offenses don't have very many valuable fantasy football players; that includes kickers of course.

Tier 5 NFL Kickers: Denver Broncos (Brandon McManus), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Patrick Murray), Washington Redskins (Kai Forbath), Seattle Seahawks (Steven Hauschka), Carolina Panthers (Graham Gano), Oakland Raiders (Sebastian Janikowski), Jacksonville Jaguars (Josh Scobee) 

Brandon McManus was chosen over Prater, even though he's not as good and was cut by another NFL team earlier this year; go figure. Alex Henery was just shown the door in Detroit and Prater is trying out as we speak. Patrick Murray is nothing to right home to mom about, so avoid him like the plague unless you have some kind of awkward man crush on crappy NFL kickers. Kai Forbath is also uninspiring, and seems to have marginal-at-best appeal in fantasy leagues. We urge you avoid this scrub at all costs. While Steven Hauschka plays for a Super Bowl contending team, he does not get that much work in general, so don't go trading for him or targeting him in DFS play. Graham Gano is our favorite of the poor man's tier, and always has some leg to spare with reliable accuracy. There could be way worse options for Week 6. Sebastian Janikowski is about two beers, one 42 ounce porterhouse and 3 ecstasy pills from being permanent NFL history, so don't even think about it on this terrible offense. Last but not least, we can't beg you to ignore Josh Scobee any more than it seems we're trying; his team is horrific at offense and he's only 6-for-8 in his attempts year to date.