Fantasy Football Rankings Week 2: 3 Kickers to Stream, 3 Kickers to Fade

Man, that felt good, huh?! I watched a huge amount of football from Thursday to Monday and I can’t wait to do it again in the coming months. But I’m getting ahead of myself, we need to stop and smell the roses.

We’re going to rip this band-aid off in a minute. Last week I suggested that Brandon Aubrey would have an off week against Cleveland. Brandon Aubrey and his cannon for a leg laughed at me on his way to a fantasy 21-point performance. That’s my fault, it won’t happen again Brandon. The other two kickers I cut in Week 1, Daniel Carlson and Dustin Hopkins, finished with 4 and 7 points, respectively.

As for the kickers I streamed last week: Chase McLaughlin, Cairo Santos, and Jason Myers all finished opening weekend with double-digit fantasy points. McLaughlin hit all three of his field goals, including a 56-yarder, for 15 points and a K-6 finish on the week. That’s a pretty solid start to the season, let’s do it again.

Remember, we’re looking at kickers who appear in less than 25% of Yahoo! leagues. We’ve far exceeded that in today’s streamer list.

Sprinklers

Joshua Karty – Los Angeles Rams (2% on list)

I wrote about Joshua Karty as a potential sleeper two weeks ago for this season. Karty was perfect in his NFL debut against the Lions, converting both of his field goal attempts and both of his PATs. The Rams travel to Arizona for this Week 2 game, so Karty will be in. The Cardinals have allowed just 10 points to Bills kicker Tyler Bass to start the season.

Los Angeles led the league last season with an average of 2.6 field goal attempts per game. While the Rams have struggled with injuries on the offensive side of the ball, I expect them to move the ball well enough but fall short at times, paving the way for Joshua Karty.

Graham Gano – New York Giants (1% on list)

This might be a case of getting too cute, like last week’s Aubrey call. But I meant it when I said last week that Washington’s defense is exploitable. The Commanders picked up where they left off in 2023 by allowing 15 points to Chase McLaughlin in Week 1. Until Washington proves me wrong, I’ll keep streaming the kicker of whoever they play.

This week it’s Graham Gano. I know, I know. Daniel Jones sucks. And neither does the Commander defense. When this mediocre offense comes up against a terrible defense, let the kicker shine. In Gano’s first game back from injury last week, he made 2 of 2 field goals, including a 50-yarder.

Matt Prater – Arizona Cardinals (6% on the list)

A double dip on the Rams at Cardinals matchup. This game is in, the Cardinals are the favorites, and veteran Matt Prater converted his two field goal attempts and both PATs against the Bills in Week 1. Arizona attempted 2.3 field goals per game to close out last season and began its 2024 season with multiple field goal attempts. So yeah, give me a field goal-off for this afternoon’s game on Sunday.

Fades away

Blake Group – New Orleans Saints

This is going to be controversial after he had a blistering 22-point game to start the season. I like Blake Grupe in 2024. He was one of my sleeper kickers before the season started. They have Dallas this week though. That’s a far cry from the Carolina Panthers. I expect the Saints to hit a reality check after their 47-10 win in Week 1. That means Blake Grupe will come back down to earth.

Greg Zuerlein – New York Jets

On paper, the matchup with Tennessee should be good for the opponents. I can’t support Greg the Leg until I see more of the Jets offense. The offensive line is still a liability. Aaron Rodgers still has some rust to work off. Nathaniel Hackett leaves a lot to be desired as an offensive coordinator. This game could be a real stinker. I can’t wait to watch!

Daniel Carlson – Las Vegas Raiders

Okay, seriously, Daniel Carlson is still on the roster in 15% of the leagues. I get the nostalgia for the best. But the Raiders struggled against the LA Chargers and this week they go to Baltimore. Their implied point total is 16. It’s time to move on. You can look back fondly on the times Carlson led your fantasy teams to the promised land, but it’s time to look forward to future fantasy victories.

It feels really good to go 5-for-6 to open the season. I mean 83.3%, that’s better than Blake Grupe’s field goal percentage last season. But scoring last week doesn’t mean anything if we don’t score again the next week. Jake Moody and Chris Boswell inspired me, let’s go 6-for-6.