Week 4 Kicker Streamers and Starts - 2021 Fantasy Tiers, Rankings

What a week for the kickers! We saw Justin Tucker make the longest kick in the history of the NFL and for a game-winner, no less. 66 yards off the crossbar, just insane. If that wasn't enough, Mason Crosby gave us another game-winner. This time from 51 yards out. Kickers, truly are the perfect example of a love/hate relationship. When they're good, they're great and man, when they're bad, they're awful. But that is what makes it so much fun. The up and down. Gotta love it!

After kicking Week 2's butt, I came out swinging in Week 3 by putting Justin Tucker on my busts to avoid list, and well, that did not go as planned. Take note, do not doubt the greatest kicker ever. He didn't just have a good game, he set an all-time NFL record and put up 17 points. So, if you followed my advice on that one, that's my bad. However, the rest of the calls look pretty good again! Daniel Carlson and Greg Joseph both put up 12 points and were two of my streamers to target. Jake Elliott played Monday Night prior to this writing, so I'll have to check back on his performance.

I had Matt Prater on the bust list – he finished with seven points – and Younghoe Koo who finished with six. Both were solid calls. Now, let's get to Week 4. It's crazy to me we're that far along already, but the season moves fast.

Week 4 Kicker Rankings

Streamers to Target

Greg Joseph, Minnesota Vikings

2.9% rostered

24. 33. 30. That's how many points the Vikings have scored this season so far. This is a very good offense and fantasy managers need to take notice. Kirk Cousins has been surgical on the gridiron thus far this year. Joseph has six field goal kicks this season and nine extra points. Their defense has given up 27, 34 and 17 points. We can count on Baker Mayfield and company scoring points against this sub-par defense, which is going to force Cousins and company to keep up. The implied point total agrees with this analysis, setting the over/under at 52.5 points. This is one of the higher expected point totals in Week 4 and fantasy managers should be all over both kickers. If you needed an extra push, the game is being played in Minnesota, which means dome kicking.

Chase McLaughlin, Cleveland Browns

15.4% rostered

The Browns' defense, prior to playing an inept Chicago Bears offense has struggled to stop anyone and while Week 3 might give some hope this defense has turned the corner, I wouldn't be so sure. I fully expect this game to be a shootout and the implied point total agrees with me. The Browns' offense is a very strong unit. I fully expect Joseph and McLaughlin to both score in double-digits.

Dustin Hopkins, Washington Football Team

4.7% rostered

While there were concerns about how the Washington offense would look after losing Fitzmagic, Taylor Heinicke has done a pretty good under center. They scored 30 points in Week 2 and 21 this past week. In Week 4, they get to go up against the Atlanta Falcons on the road. While being on the road is not ideal, kicking in a dome is. The implied point total of 48.5 points suggests fantasy managers should be expecting points to be had here. Washington's defense has been a big disappointment thus far, and while the Falcons' offense has been a big disappointment in their own right, I expect Hopkins to get enough opportunity to get past double digits.

Busts to Avoid

Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

99.0% rostered

Butker was a disappointment last season when he finished as the No. 13 kicker overall and he's on pace to disappoint once again. The problem is the Chiefs so frequently score touchdowns and that same problem has presented itself in 2021 as well. Through three games, he only has three field goal attempts and there's just no way a fantasy kicker can be productive on that little volume. With a 1–2 record, I'd expect the Chiefs' offense to come out firing on all cylinders.

Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins / Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

58.9% rostered / 79.6% rostered

We're going to make this one short and sweet. These two guys finished as the No. 1 and No. 2 kickers in 2020, but they shouldn't be anywhere near fantasy rosters right now. These offenses look absolutely lost. There is no reason you are taking a shot on these guys with how poorly their offenses have played.

Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

33.0% rostered

Tom Brady lost in Week 3. If that were the only factor in play here, Succop would end up on the bust list because I'd fully expect the Bucs' offense to come out swinging. Of course, that isn't the only factor in play. Tom Brady will be returning to New England for the first time since leaving the Patriots two seasons ago. As if he needed any more motivation. Oh and he's got a great chance to break Drew Brees's career passing record. I fully expect Tom Brady and the offense to pour it on. They won't need Succop very much, which has been a trend all season. Like Butker, this offense is just too successful.

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