3 FanDuel Kickers to Target in Week 8
Kickers. Love 'em or hate 'em, they are a part of the game. Even in fantasy football.
While you may be tempted to do so, don't leave the position for last when building your FanDuel lineups. Just like you do with the rest of your roster, maximize your squad's potential by spending the extra minute and finding out the best options out there at kicker.
It's time to stop "punting" the spot and start giving the lonesome kicker the attention he deserves.
The following are the top-three kickers we are targeting in Week 8.
Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
FanDuel Price: $5,000
A rookie seventh-round pick from Georgia Tech, Harrison Butker has been an absolute machine for the Kansas City Chiefs after taking over kicking duties from Cairo Santos in Week 4. While he missed his first ever field goal attempt, Butker has been unstoppable since, splitting the uprights on his next 13 tries.
He is averaging 13.8 FanDuel points per game, the second-highest total of any kicker this season and also leads the NFL in field goal attempts (3.5) and makes (3.25) per game. The Chiefs' matchup versus the Denver Broncos on Monday will do nothing to slow down the rookie as the game script is lining up superbly for him.
The Chiefs don't have the highest-implied point total of the week -- they rank eighth with 25.25 points -- but the offensively-struggling Broncos come into Arrowhead as 7.5-point underdogs. As we know, teams in the lead are more likely to settle for field goals. That's why we target heavy favorites for our kickers, like the Chiefs and Butker in Week 8.
Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
FanDuel Price: $4,800
As great as Butker's game script is, Jake Elliott's matchup is perfection. The Philadelphia Eagles host the 0-7 San Francisco 49ers Sunday and are not only the biggest favorites of Week 8 -- 13.0-point spread -- but they also have the highest implied point total of the week at 30.25 points.
Overall, the Niners give up 26.6 points per game (the third-most in the league) and the Eagles score 28.4 points per game (ranking fifth). San Francisco also been tortured by kickers this season, allowing 10.4 FanDuel points per game -- the fifth-most -- while opponents have made 17 field goals against them, tied for the most in the NFL.
Elliott has been rock solid this year since taking over for Caleb Sturgis in Week 2. Among all active kickers, Elliott ranks third with 12.3 FanDuel points per game. The first-year kicker has made 2.8 extra points per game (third-most) and has taken 2.8 field goal tries (fourth in the NFL).
Randy Bullock, Cincinnati Bengals
FanDuel Price: $4,600
Randy Bullock of the Cincinnati Bengals comes in as one of the lower-priced kickers for Week 8 by no fault of his own. Since the Bengals are the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league --16.3 points per game -- Bullock has attempted just 8 field goals and 11 extra points all year. If there ever was a week to trust Andy Dalton and the rest of the offense to get moving, it's this week's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Indy ranks last in the NFL by allowing 31.7 points per game. As one would expect, that leaves opposing kickers with the most fantasy points per game, which is 10.9 FanDuel points. The favorable script doesn't stop there as the Bengals are 10.5-point home favorites, the second-largest spread of the week. That leaves Cincinnati with a 25.75 implied point total, the fifth-most of Week 8.
While Butker and Elliott are more reliable, Bullock is a worthy option if you are looking for to save some cash on your kicker.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dale Redman is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
