Getty Brandon McManus #8 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a field goal against the New York Jets.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Kickers for Week 5 of the NFL season. Our kicker edition features last week’s high-scorer, plus the position’s leading scorer on the year, each of whom could be in for a down week.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Be sure to also check out our weekly fantasy football kicker rankings to better gauge where these start-sit options compare to the rest of the options at the position.
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Kickers: Start ‘Em
Start of the Week: Justin Tucker vs. CIN
Aside from a 16-point explosion in Week 2, Tucker has been middle of the pack at his position, averaging 8.6 points over his three other games. Expect Tucker to push over double-digits once again in Week 5. The Bengals allow an average of 11.25 points to this position this year, surrendering 11-plus points to all but one opponent thus far.
Wil Lutz vs. LAC
Usually a homerun play, Lutz has now scored 6.0 points or less in two of his past three games. However, the Chargers allow the third-most points to kickers this year. Three of the Bolts’ four opponents at the position have hit double-digit points. Their four field goals allowed between 20-29 yards are tied for most in the NFL.
Aldrick Rosas at HOU
Rosas made his Jags debut a week ago and flashed glimpses of his past Pro Bowl form. The ex-Giant finished Week 4 as K5, nailing one 50-yarder and three kicks between 20 and 39 yards in the midst. Seven of the nine field goals the Texans have surrendered this season come from between 20 and 39 yards.
*It’s important you keep an eye on Rosas as he has since reverted back to Jacksonville’s practice squad. Yet, with Stephen Hauschka and Josh Lambo both dealing with injuries, it’s more than likely he’ll be called back up to the active roster for game day.
Zane Gonzalez at NYJ
Gonzalez has taken a massive dip in production of late as the Cardinals’ usual explosive offense has taken a step back. Expect all of that to change against the Jets this week. Gang Green has surrendered an absurd total of 30 points to opposing kickers over their past two games.
Sleeper: Nick Folk vs. DEN *POSTPONED
Rostered in just 3% of Yahoo leagues, and rightfully so, Folk has topped 6.0 points just once this year. However, Sam Ficken entered Week 4 against the Broncos scoring no more than 8.0 points in any game this year, he left the game with a position-high 18.0 points on the week. The Broncos have allowed 27 points over the past two weeks.
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Kickers: Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week: Cody Parkey vs. IND
Parkey has racked up 11-plus points in each of his past two games. However, the Colts have surrendered a total of 7.0 points to opposing kickers over their past three games. Points could be hard to come by for Parkey and the Browns as the Colts surrender a league-low 14 points per game.
Brandon McManus at NE *POSTPONED
McManus topped his entire season total over the first three weeks in Week 4 with an 18.0 point performance. While that may excite some, we’re taking the glass half empty approach with the Broncos kicker. McManus failed to top 8.0 points in any game prior to last week. No opposing kicker has topped 8.0 points against the Patriots all season.
Buyers Beware: Randy Bullock at BAL
One of the bigger surprises in fantasy this season, Bullock currently leads all kickers in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game. However, Baltimore surrenders an average of just 5.5 points to the position this year, fifth-fewest in football. In fact, opposing kickers have totaled just 10.0 points in three of Baltimore’s four games thus far.