Week 9 Kicker Streamers and Starts – 2021 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

Alright, people! If you're in a league with kickers, you need to be paying attention to kickers otherwise what are we even doing here? Greg Joseph is 59% rostered in ESPN leagues and just 32% in Yahoo! leagues. He's currently third in points per game among kickers with 10.6. Randy Bullock is fourth in points per game with 10.4. He's rostered in only 29% of ESPN leagues and just 18% of Yahoo! leagues. This is inexcusable. Points are points, go get them. These guys are free!

If you're hanging onto Harrison Butker, Younghoe Koo, or Ryan Succop I only have one question for you – why? Joseph and Bullock are giving you anywhere from 2.4–3.5 more points per week than those three guys. And sure, that may not sound like a lot, but it kind of is. Just for a point of reference, it's currently the difference between Kyler Murray and Derek Carr. It's also the difference between Nick Chubb and Antonio Gibson. If you're in a league where Greg Joseph or Randy Bullock is available, go ahead and rectify that.

We're all out here trying to win championships and upgrading your kicker position is one of the easiest ways to do so. I don't want to be putting kickers on a pedestal, but if your league plays with them – and if you're reading this, they most likely do – then you should be taking advantage of the position. Most fantasy football managers likely neglect the position – obviously they do since the K4 and K5 are barely even rostered – but that's an easy spot for you to make up some ground or to put further distance between you and your opponent.

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Week 9 Kicker Rankings for Fantasy Football

Kicker Streamers to Target for Week 9

Greg Joseph, Minnesota Vikings

Y'all are going to make this easy on me and really, you ought to have seen this one coming. I have no idea how many times Joseph has been one of my favorite streamers to target, but it's been a lot and for good reason. He now has five games with more than 10 points and a sixth with eight. In Week 9, the Vikings will go up against the Baltimore Ravens in what is expected to be one of the better games of the week. The implied point total to start the week was set at a scorching hot 50.5 points. Both the Vikings and the Ravens are in the top-10 for most offensive plays per game. Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Vikings' offense struggled vs the Cowboys on Sunday night, but I expect a much better showing when they square off against the Ravens.

Randy Bullock, Tennessee Titans

Again, y'all are making this too easy, however, the rostership rates on both Joseph and Bullock indicate both these kickers are widely available streamers in both ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. Since joining the Titans in Week 2, Bullock has registered five weeks with double-digit fantasy points. The other two weeks, he scored five and seven points. He has been incredibly consistent and he comes with a very high ceiling. While the loss of Derrick Henry will undoubtedly hurt the Titans' offense, I don't expect it to be catastrophic as fantasy managers may immediately believe. They'll have to rely on Ryan Tannehill more, but that's not necessarily a bad thing – especially with A.J. Brown at receiver. The Titans lean on Henry in a big way in the red zone and his absence might lead to more drives stalling out – a good thing for Randy Bullock. They're up against the Rams in Week 9, in a game with an implied point total of 54.5 points. On the season, the Rams have given up 9.6 points per game to opposing kickers, so this is a good spot for Bullock. Add him to your lineup and you can set it and forget it for the rest of the season.

Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles

So, after two easy picks, I figured I'll challenge myself with the third one – enter Jake Elliott. He's only averaging 6.9 points per game, which is less than appealing and it's hard to know which Eagles team is going to show up on any given Sunday, but I like this spot for him. Both teams are in the top-12 in points per game and the 51.5 implied point total is encouraging for fantasy managers. The Chargers have also given up the fifth-most points per game to opposing kickers at 11. Trusting any Eagle this season for fantasy is always a bit unnerving – even Jalen Hurts – and Elliott is no different this week. However, with the high implied point total and how well kickers have done against the Chargers thus far, Elliott becomes an interesting streamer option for fantasy managers with Ryan Succop on bye.

Kicker Busts to Avoid for Week 9

Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

It might seem odd to see Butker's name on the bust list, especially with an upcoming matchup vs Green Bay, but he's hard to trust. He has four games with under six points and his best outing maxed out at 10 points. He comes with a surprisingly low floor and a modest ceiling – not exactly what I'm looking for out of any of my fantasy players, to be honest. The implied point total of 55 points is appealing and it means Butker isn't likely to bust too hard. The Packers, however, have been one of the stingiest defense to opposing kickers this year. They've given up the second-fewest points per game at just five points. That's largely due to their struggles inside the red zone, and while Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense haven't been clicking lately, it's hard to imagine those struggles continuing for too much longer.

Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos

Don't look now, but the Dallas Cowboys have got a defense. They're only allowing 23.1 points per game, which is the ninth-fewest in the NFL. On the flip side, the Broncos' offense is averaging just 19.6 points per game – 24th in the NFL. McManus started off the season on fire, compiling 38 points in his first three starts. Since then he's scored just 22 points in his last five. During that time frame, his low has been one point and the most he's been able to give fantasy managers is seven. With the way the Broncos are currently struggling on offense and with the difficult matchup on tap against a top-10 defense on the road, McManus is not someone I'm looking to start under any circumstance.

Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals

For kickers, I'm always a bit skeptical of divisional games and this matchup is no different. The implied point total of just 45.5 points is not encouraging at all. The Bengals average only 58.8 plays per game, which is the third-fewest in the NFL. The Browns are middle of the pack at 18 with 64.1 plays. Fantasy managers can expect a slow-paced game, especially with how much the Browns lean on their run game. The Bengals also have a top-10 defense, giving up only 20.3 points per game – the Browns allow 22.5 points. Both teams have good defenses, which is likely going to limit the offensive production. The Browns have also been incredibly tough on opposing kickers. They've only averaged 6.3 points per game – fifth-fewest in the NFL.

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