Streaming Kickers: Week 12 Fantasy Football Targets
If you’re like most fantasy football players, kicker is a position you put zero thought into, and wish wasn’t a part of the draft altogether. Some leagues have done away with the kicker position, but for those who haven’t, there are actually a few ways to get an edge over your opponents when it comes to streaming kickers weekly.
Projecting a kicker’s output isn’t as difficult or random as you may think—in fact, taking a look at Vegas odds is the best way to accurately predict a kicker’s weekly potential. By focusing in on the team implied point totals, game totals, and favorites, we can get a cumulative idea of how an offense will perform when it comes to settling for field goals, distance of kicks, and the like. For a more detailed explanation on using Vegas odds for successfully streaming kickers, I suggest checking out Chris Raybon’s DFS Playbook Strategy article, which is packed with info on the most profitable way to predict the position.
Another metric useful in projecting a kicker’s output is 4for4’s schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed or aFPA. By removing the schedule bias, we can compare matchups in an apples-to-apples manner. By Week 4, there’s a solid sample size to work from, and the info gets more trustworthy with each data-filled week.
The goal in streaming is to roster a player who will return starting kicker fantasy points, and Week 10 brought one star, a few decent shiners and a bunch of scrubs. My highest streamer was Nick Novak with 18 points, followed by 9’s from Harrison Butker and Mike Nugent. The rest, let’s just call scrubville. 4for4’s optimal streaming kicker has 158 total points on the season, enough for first place among all kickers in the league.
In order to provide advice that you can actually implement, candidates for streaming must be available in at least 40% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
Chris Boswell (PIT) vs. GBP
Boswell followed up one of the worst outings in his career in Week 10, with the second-highest points among kickers last week, racking up 18 fantasy points against the Titans on Thursday night. He sits sixth in total fantasy points on the season, with a favorable home matchup on the horizon Sunday night. Pittsburgh plays well as a unit on their home field, and they get the struggling Packers, a team they are projected to beat by 14 points. With an implied team total of 27.5, there should be plenty of work for Boswell this week. At 59% ownership, his streamer eligibility is teetering, but for now, he’s in.
Nick Novak (LAC) @ DAL
Los Angeles laid 54 points on the Bills in Week 11, with the help of Novak’s six extra points and four field goals. This week, the Chargers head east to Dallas to face a Cowboys team ranked 10th in kicker aFPA. Novak gets the nice, cozy dome of AT&T Stadium in a game with an over/under of 48 points. As the first game on Thanksgiving’s slate, this should be a fun one, so at just a 2% ownership, be thankful Novak’s on your waiver wire this holiday season.
Continue reading for four more Kicker streaming options and three deep league candidates...
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