Week 3 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2021 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Hopefully y'all read this article last week because you would've gotten a "leg-up" on your competition. Yes, I am going to try and make it 17 straight weeks with a terrible kicker pun to start each article. To be fair, I'll try not to use any duplicates. In all seriousness, last week my four streamers had point totals of 15, 13, 10, and seven points. My four bust picks had six, six, five, and three (Mason Crosby). That's a pretty good week!

I had a buddy of mine this week who played against Graham Gano and his 22 points. He texted me immediately upset that he's likely to lose because of a kicker. They're completely random, he says. We need to get rid of kickers, he says. The same guy started Cordarrelle Patterson. Now, Patterson wasn't enough to lead him to victory, but in another world where he didn't play the team he did and instead played someone else, don't you think the other team is just as upset they lost to Cordarrelle Patterson's 21.4 points? I sure do!

Fantasy football is random. Embrace the chaos. For example, Daniel Jones outscored Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Josh Allen. Predictable? I don't think so! How about Tony Pollard outscoring Ezekiel Elliott both weeks, predictable? Okay, well now, maybe that one is more predictable. The point is crazy stuff happens every single week in fantasy football and to truly love it for the sport it is, you need to embrace the semi-randomness of it all.

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
• Kicker fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Week 3 Kicker Rankings

All of that leads us to my Week 3 kicker rankings, which is a great week for kickers! I have 15 of them ranked in my first or second tier. Again, like always, be sure to check back later in the week for RotoBaller's official positional rankings. For now, you'll have to make do with mine. Let's kick this party off!

Kicker Streamers to Target

Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders

Carlson has quietly put together two double-digit performances to start the 2021 season. Talk about getting off on the right foot. Despite two difficult matchups to start the season with Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Raiders' offense has been surprisingly sharp. A lot of that credit goes to Derek Carr, who has been magnificent on the young season. While the Miami defense isn't as stout as Baltimore's or Pittsburgh's, they're no pushover either. Miami has two lock-down cornerbacks who might be able to slow down the Raiders' high-octane passing attack (yes, you read that right).

Still, we should expect the Raiders to be able to move the ball enough to get into scoring position for Carlson. The implied scoring total of 45.5 isn't great, but it's not terrible either. If there's one thing to watch here, it's the status of Tua Tagovailoa, who left Week 2 with a rib injury. If Tua cannot go this week, it could negatively impact the Dolphins' offense, which in turn might limit the overall scoring necessary for the Raiders to pull out a win. However, Carlson was great in 2020 and the offense is cooking to start the season.

Greg Joseph, Minnesota Vikings

He's been one of my favorite streamers since the season started and for the most part, he's delivered. He had seven points in Week 1 and nine points in Week 2 and it should've been more had he not missed the game-winning field attempt against Arizona. Still, I'm going right back to the well this week. At home against a high-scoring team in the Seattle Seahawks is a great recipe for a good game out of your kicker. With an implied point total of 55 points, fantasy managers should be expecting plenty of scoring in this affair. There might be some concerns there are too many touchdowns scored here, but Joseph should still come through for fantasy managers. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings' offense has been very successful to start the season and I expect there to be a lot of scoring opportunities in this one.

Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles

Elliott has disappointed to start the 2021 season with point totals of just six and three in back-to-back weeks, but his struggles in Week 2 shouldn't have been a surprise. The 49ers have a great defense and after the Lions punched them in the mouth in Week 1, fantasy managers should've been expecting the 49ers to play much better in Week 2 and they did that. However, Week 3's matchup against the Dallas Cowboys is about as appealing as it gets. While the Cowboys' defense appears to be improved from last year, this is still a defense that can be scored on.

Jalen Hurts will put a lot of pressure on them with his ability to run with the football. It's in Dallas, which means dome kicking for Elliott, which is always a good thing. The implied point total of 51.5 is another thing that should catch the eye of fantasy managers. The expectation in this matchup is both teams will be able to score points. Dallas' offense struggled in Week 2, but that should be the exception instead of the rule. Elliott is in a great spot to double-up his seasonal total in Week 3.

Kicker Busts to Avoid

Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals 

If you're wondering how in the world I can advocate for the kicker of the Arizona Cardinals to be in the bust section when they're playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's really quite simple. This offense is too good and the Jaguars are too bad. This is the same reason I had Ryan Succop and Jason Myers in the bust section last week, too many touchdowns. Both ended up being true. I expect the Cardinals to get into the 30's this week. The problem for kicker scoring is I expect that to come through four to five touchdowns. There's a good chance Prater ends up with a stat line of five extra points and just five points. He might get one field goal attempt, but any more than that would be surprising with how Kyler Murray and the offense have looked thus far considering their Week 3 competition. He's a great season-long kicker, but lower your expectations here.

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Basically, copy and paste everything about Matt Prater here for Justin Tucker. The Detroit Lions are not a good football team. They were feisty in Week 1 against the 49ers and I expect they'll play hard for Dan Campbell throughout the season, but their talent level isn't on par with most of the other teams in the NFL. That's especially true as it pertains to the Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers ran all over the Lions in the opener and I expect the Ravens to do the same. The Ravens will score a bunch of points, but for your fantasy kicker to have a good day, there needs to be at least some resistance from the opposing defense and I don't expect Lamar Jackson will find any here against the Lions. Like Prater, Tucker is a great option for the rest of the season, but temper expectations here.

Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons' offense was terrible in Week 1 against the Eagles. They were bad again in Week 2 against the Buccaneers and yes, that was a terribly difficult matchup, but fantasy managers should be concerned here. This Falcons offense looks lost and that's not a great sign for Koo moving forward. I mentioned last week that he might find his way to the waiver wire sooner than later and I wouldn't fault anyone for making that move. In fact, I'd encourage it. The Giants aren't a great football team either, but they boast a talented secondary and they have Leonard Williams on the defensive line to cause problems.

Under normal circumstances, this might be a matchup we'd target. The offense should be good, but probably not great, and the opposing defense is just good enough to offer up some resistance. However, with the way the Falcons have looked and the lackluster performances Koo has provided through two weeks makes it awfully difficult to plug him back into your lineup in Week 3, especially when there are likely safer options on the waiver wire. I wouldn't be surprised if Koo and the Falcons bounce back a bit, but I wouldn't be surprised if they don't either. Needless to say, I'm not willing to take that risk. The Falcons just haven't shown us anything yet to say they can be trusted.

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