Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings Week 9: Who to start, best sleepers at kicker

Matt Lutovsky

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings Week 9: Who to start, best sleepers at kicker image

The bye weeks are back, but our Week 9 fantasy kicker rankings are only marginally affected. There are still plenty of solid kicking options out there to help you get a leg up on your matchup.

As we enter November, weather will start becoming more of a factor. We've already seen wind affect some kicks this season, but conditions only figure to get worse in certain places from here on out. Staying on top of the forecasts and avoiding unnecessary risks will be key to finding the best kicking options from week to week.

With that in mind, let's break down the best (and worst) Week 9 kickers.

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Which kickers are on bye in Week 9?

The Broncos (Wil Lutz), Lions (Riley Patterson), Jaguars (Brandon McManus), and 49ers (Jake Moody) are on bye this week, taking away two kickers (McManus and Moody) who entered last week in the top 12 in fantasy points per game (FPPG).

WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs

On the other end, we lose one bottom-10 kicker defense (Broncos) and two top-10 kicker defenses (49ers and Lions).

WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs

Who are the best fantasy kickers in Week 9?

Dustin Hopkins (vs. Cardinals in Week 9), Tyler Bass (@ Bengals), Blake Grupe (vs. Bears), Justin Tucker (vs. Seahawks), and Harrison Butker (vs. Dolphins in Germany) make up our top five. Only two are in stadiums with a roof (Grupe and Butker), but the Bears, Cardinals, and Bengals all entered last week in the top 12 in most FPPG allowed to kickers.

Matt Gay (@ Panthers), Ka'imi Fairbairn (vs. Buccaneers), Jake Elliott (vs. Cowboys), Brandon Aubrey (@ Eagles), and Nick Folk (vs. Steelers) round out the top 10. Elliott and Aubrey entered last week as the Nos. 1 and 10 kickers, respectively, but they face the Nos. 1 and 3 kicker defenses, respectively. With kicker matchups only meaning so much, we'll take our chances with these elite, big-legged kickers.

WEEK 9 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em

Who are the best fantasy kicker sleepers in Week 9?

Many of the kickers in our top 10 are owned in fewer than 50 percent of fantasy leagues, so guys like Hopkins (vs. Cardinals), Grupe (vs. Bears), Gay (@ Panthers), Fairbairn (vs. Buccaneers), and Folk (vs. Steelers) qualify as sleepers. Grupe and Fairbairn are especially safe picks because they'll be playing indoors, and they both have top-eight kicker matchups.

If you want to avoid any weather worries at all, you could also try Jason Sanders (vs. Chiefs in Germany), Younghoe Koo (vs. Vikings), Daniel Carlson (vs. Giants), Greg Joseph (@ Falcons), Chase McLaughlin (@ Texans), and Cairo Santos (@ Saints). 

If you are more trusting of kicker matchups, you can opt for Eddy Pineiro (vs. Colts), Chris Boswell (vs. Titans), Chad Ryland (vs. Commanders), Joey Slye (@ Patriots), Anders Carlson (vs. Rams), and Cameron Dicker (@ Jets), who all face defenses that entered last week in the top six in FPPG allowed to kickers.

WEEK 9 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks

Fantasy Kicker Rankings Week 9: Who to start, sit at kicker

Rank    Player
1    Dustin Hopkins, Browns vs. Cardinals
2    Tyler Bass, Bills @ Bengals
3    Blake Grupe, Saints vs. Bears
4    Justin Tucker, Ravens vs. Seahawks
5    Harrison Butker, Chiefs vs. Dolphins
6    Matt Gay, Colts @ Panthers
7    Ka'imi Fairbairn, Texans vs. Buccaneers
8    Jake Elliott, Eagles vs. Cowboys
9    Brandon Aubrey, Cowboys @ Eagles
10    Nick Folk, Titans @ Steelers
11    Jason Myers, Seahawks @ Ravens
12    Cameron Dicker, Chargers @ Jets
13    Chris Boswell, Steelers vs. Titans
14    Anders Carlson, Packers vs. Rams
15    Eddy Pineiro, Panthers vs. Colts
16    Joey Slye, Commanders @ Patriots
17    Jason Sanders, Dolphins vs. Chiefs
18    Younghoe Koo, Falcons vs. Vikings
19    Daniel Carlson, Raiders vs. Giants
20    Cade York, Giants @ Raiders
21    Greg Joseph, Vikings @ Falcons
22    Evan McPherson, Bengals vs. Bills
23    Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers @ Texans
24    Greg Zuerlein, Jets vs. Chargers
25    Matt Prater, Cardinals @ Browns
26    Chad Ryland, Patriots vs. Commanders
27    Lucas Havrisik, Rams @ Packers
28    Cairo Santos, Bears vs. Saints

Week 9 Kicker fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

Draft Sharks projections for the new week will update every Tuesday and be constantly adjusted throughout the week

We're proud to offer SN Fantasy readers an exclusive look at Draft Sharks’ award-winning projections and rankings every week. To see Draft Sharks' Week 9 3D floor-to-ceiling projections for kickers -- plus get access to all of Draft Sharks' industry-leading tools -- become a Draft Sharks' member today at the link below!

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Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.