Kickers can be frustrating. They are completely unpredictable when it comes to fantasy scoring because they are entirely dependent on something that is outside of their own control, the offense putting them in a position to kick.
Outside of the Justin Tucker owner, most teams will add/drop kickers based on perceived matchups. However, most fantasy players will simply look for a kicker on a high-scoring offense or a kicker facing a poor defense when making their kicker selection. While this sounds like a solid strategy in theory, if the offense is so good that they are always scoring touchdowns, the kicker will be limited to extra-point attempts which will only result in 1 point.
One strategy that I have found successful when looking for a fantasy football kicker is to look for teams with a good offense, but that struggles in the red zone. An additional strategy that I have found is to target the kicker going against a team defense that has a “bend don’t break” defensive philosophy that allows teams to move the ball but is great in the red zone.
The jackpot is to find a kicker on a struggling red zone offense going against a great red-zone defense. Following this strategy, the following kickers could be good streaming options for Week 10 in fantasy football.
Chris Boswell (PIT)
Chris Boswell has the best matchup possible for a kicker in week 10. Boswell faces the Lions who have been by far the worst team against kickers this year. Over the last month, the Lions are giving up 13 points per week on average against kickers. Boswell has been a top 10 kicker so far this season and is currently available in over 90% of leagues.
Coming off a 16-point performance in week 9, Boswell will be a popular waiver wire add this week. If you are looking to stream a kicker, Boswell should be the number 1 option in week 10.
Younghoe Koo (ATL)
Younghoe Koo was one of fantasy football’s best kickers last season. Despite a productive 2020 season, Koo is still available in over 50% of leagues. Koo has been a great real-life kicker this season, missing only 1 field goal all year. Over the last four weeks, Koo is averaging over 10 points per game which would make him the number 4 kicker on the season in points per game.
Koo has a great matchup this week against the Cowboys who have been struggling against kickers lately. Look for Koo to continue being productive and have a great outing in week 10.
Michael Badgley (IND)
Badgley has been a staple on my streaming kicker list and will continue to be as long as his ownership percentage stays low (available in over 85% of leagues). Since taking over the kicking duties from Rodrigo Blankenship, Badgley has yet to miss a field goal or extra-point attempt. The only thing holding Badgley back has been a red-hot Colts offense.
In the past two weeks, the Colts have scored 10 touchdowns. While this has afforded Badgley with plenty of extra point opportunities, it has limited his upside as he has only had 2 field goal attempts in those games. Despite the low number of field goal opportunities, Badgley has still been a reliable kicker scoring at least 7 points in all games with the Colts. The red zone efficiency will eventually stall for Indianapolis and Badgley will be the one to benefit. If you are looking for a streamer in week 10, Badgley is a reliable option with huge upside.
