Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 9: Kickers - Sleepers, Busts, Matchups
Week 9 Start ‘Em: Kickers
Byes: Bengals, Browns, Eagles, Rams
Start of the Week
Matt Prater at Vikings: Prater was a sit ‘em last week, and he finished with a mere three fantasy points in a loss to the Colts. I’d get him back into fantasy lineups this week though, as a great matchup in Minnesota awaits. No team in the league has allowed more fantasy points to kickers, including five who have scored at least 11 points and two who have put up 18 or more. Look for Prater to produce top-10 numbers this week.
Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em
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Start ‘Em
Younghoe Koo vs. Broncos: Koo continues to be an asset for fantasy fans, as he's scored 12 or more points in three of his last four games. In all, the veteran has scored at least 12 points four times in seven games. He's in a good spot this week, as the Broncos come to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a visit. Their defense has been generous to kickers, as the position has averaged nearly 10 fantasy points per game against them in 2020.
Ka’imi Fairbairn at Jaguars: Fairbairn has averaged just seven fantasy points in his last two games, but he has a get-right matchup when the Texans travel to Jacksonville. Their defense has been a favorable matchup for enemy kickers, as the position has averaged more than 10 fantasy points per game. In fact, booters have scored double-digits four times against them, and all but one kicker has scored at least eight fantasy points.
More Starts
- Daniel Carlson at Chargers
- Ryan Succop vs. Saints
Sleepers
- Chris Boswell at Cowboys
- Mike Badgley vs. Raiders
Week 9 Sit ‘Em: Kickers
Sit of the Week
Greg Zuerlein vs. Steelers: Zuerlein put up a nice total in last week’s loss to the Eagles, scoring 11 fantasy points on three field goals. He had scored four or fewer points in three of his previous four games, however, and the Cowboys struggling offense isn’t giving Greg the Leg consistent chances to score points. He’s also got a tough matchup this week, as the Steelers have allowed the third-fewest points to enemy kickers.
Sit ‘Em
Zane Gonzalez vs. Dolphins: Gonzalez produced a solid 13-point effort before Arizona's bye week, but he's not in a good spot to duplicate that success when the underrated Dolphins defense comes to town. No team in the NFL has allowed fewer points per game (18.6) than Miami, and that has trickled down to kickers. Only the Ravens have allowed fewer fantasy points to the position. I'd keep Gonzalez on the bench this week.
Joey Slye at Chiefs: Slye has hit a rough patch in recent weeks, scoring a combined 11 fantasy points in his last two games. A matchup against the Chiefs isn’t going to help change that trend either. Kansas City has surrendered an average of just 6.5 fantasy points per game to kickers, and three of the last four booters to face them have scored five or fewer points. Slye is a nice option when the matchup is right, but not this week.
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More Sits
- Jason Myers at Bills
- Cairo Santos at Titans
Busts
- Rodrigo Blankenship vs. Ravens
- Dan Bailey vs. Lions
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for the latest news and analysis!
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