Fantasy Football: 3 Kicker Streaming Options for Week 1

Kickers aren't part of every fantasy league, but if they're used in yours, you shouldn't gloss over the position. Fantasy points are fantasy points, and hitting on a high-scoring week from a kicker can help you win your matchup.

Streaming the position might be the best way to go about it, and if that's the strategy you're deploying, this weekly article should be handy for you.

Here are three kickers you can stream this week.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Kickers to Stream for Week 1

Jake Bates, Lions

Matchup: vs. Rams

In Week 1, chances are you're just rolling with whichever kicker you landed upon in your draft, particularly if you ended up with a Justin Tucker, Harrison Butker, or Brandon Aubrey to lock in and forget for the year.

However, if you drafted the 11th or 12th kicker off the board, perhaps you've since looked at their Week 1 matchup and wondered if there's someone better out there.

Jake Bates is someone who's likely still available but is in a great spot on Sunday. As of this writing, the Detroit Lions are 3.5-point home favorites versus the Los Angeles Rams in a game with a slate-high 51.5 total. As a result, the Lions boast the week's highest implied team total (27.5).

Kicking indoors in a potential shootout, Bates should be plenty busy, and Detroit might not hesitate to use him from long distance, too. The kicker is coming off a promising year in the UFL, most notably kicking a 64-yard game-winning field goal and going 3-for-4 from 60-plus yards.

Bates is an intriguing option heading into Week 1, and he could even become a long-term solution kicking behind a potent Lions offense that won't play many games outdoors this season.

Cairo Santos, Bears

Matchup: vs. Titans

If Bates isn't available -- or you're not quite ready to commit to a kicker in his first NFL regular season contest -- then Cairo Santos is a viable alternative. The Chicago Bears are 4.5-point home favorites over the Tennessee Titans and come in tied for the week's sixth-best implied team total (25.0).

Per FantasyPros, Santos was tied for the third-most kicker fantasy points in 2023, and he was tied for the sixth-most per game at the position. While there's some uncertainty surrounding the Bears' offense as they enter their first year with Caleb Williams, they've given him the weapons to succeed, and he's the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+120).

We should feel pretty confident in Chicago taking a step forward on offense with Williams under center, and that should lead to more opportunities for Santos -- possibly straight away versus the Titans in Week 1.

Jason Myers, Seahawks

Matchup: vs. Broncos

Although this Seattle Seahawks-Denver Broncos matchup has an unexciting 41.5 total, Seattle is favored by 5.5 points at home, which is tied for the second-highest spread. This might not be a shootout, but Seattle should be doing most of the scoring against a Denver team that enters the season with one of the NFL's lowest win total lines (5.5).

Jason Myers was the kicker tied with Santos in both total and per-game kicker fantasy points in 2023, and like Santos, he could also be attached to an offense that could perform better this year. Geno Smith is a potential bounce-back candidate in 2024, landing on FanDuel Research's recent quarterback sleepers list and Week 1 QB streaming options.

This is the right matchup for Geno -- and Myers -- to get off on the right foot. Entering the year, PFF ranks the Broncos' defensive line (31st) and linebacker unit (28th) near the bottom while the secondary is middle-of-the-pack (16th).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.