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 14.
Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs
FanDuel Price: $4,800
After averaging a massive 15.2 FanDuel points in his first five games, Harrison Butker has been in a funk lately, much like his Kansas City Chiefs. During KC's current four-game losing streak, the placekicker is posting an average of just only 6.5 FanDuel points while attempting only 7 field goals. After playing 3 of those 4 losses on the road, the Chiefs and Butker have a get-right game at Arrowhead versus the Oakland Raiders this week.
The Raiders' defense has not been particularly stout, allowing 346.0 yards and 23.2 points per game. Kickers have taken advantage of their offenses moving the ball at will, attempting 29 field goals against Oakland, the fourth-most in the league. That has led to the Raiders surrendering 9.9 FanDuel points per game to kickers. Only the Tennessee Titans have given up more.
This AFC West rivarly has been particularly one-sided lately -- the Chiefs have won the last four times Oakland has visited KC, and they are decent favorites to do so again on this week. Vegas pegs them as 4.0-point favorites in the game with the second-highest over/under (47.0) Sunday, lining Butker for a nice bounce-back game in Week 14.
Randy Bullock, Cincinnati Bengals
FanDuel Price: $4,600
After a slow start to the season with only eight made field goals in the first eight games, (three of which came in one game) Randy Bullock has gotten a bit more work the last two weeks. Against the Browns and Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals kicker has tried and made five field goals, averaging 11.0 FanDuel points per contest. With the Chicago Bears coming to town, things are lining up for more action, too.
Last week, the Bears defense bent but didn't break, allowing 388 yards to the San Francisco 49ers but no touchdowns. They did, however, watch former Bear Robbie Gould nail five field goals. For the season, Chicago has surrendered 26 made field goals (second in the league) and have given up multiple field goal attempts in 9 of 12 games. Opposing kickers have scored the fourth-most FanDuel points against the Bears.
Adding another chip in Bullock's favor, the Bengals are 6.0-point favorites, with this game being tied for holding the second-highest spread of the week.
Travis Coons, Los Angeles Chargers
FanDuel Price: $4,500
Costing just the site minimum, Travis Coons is in position to provide the most bang for your buck as his Los Angeles Chargers face a Washington team whose defense has been torn to shreds, allowing at least 33 points in 5 of their last 7 games. The non-existing defense has permitted kickers plenty of chances to rack up points (9.5 FanDuel points per game, eighth-most in the NFL) while trying 30 field goals (2.5 per game) -- only the Bengals have surrendered more.
The Chargers are hot, too, averaging over 33 points per game with the offense racking up 457.7 yards per game over the past three weeks. Filling in for an injured Nick Novak last week (who is now on IR), Coons attempted 5 field goals and collected 14 FanDuel points in the process. With the Chargers 6.0-point favorites over Washington, the 25-year-old kicker has an ideal game script for big points in Week 14.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.