With Week 8 in the rearview mirror and the fantasy playoffs quickly approaching, a few things stick out about the 2018 fantasy season. If you were lucky enough to get the first overall pick and take Todd Gurley, chances are you are sitting near the top of your standings. If you were lucky enough to grab Patrick Mahomes as a late-round flyer, chances are you too are sitting pretty. If you happen to be ridiculously fortunate enough to grab both players, you might as well start engraving your name on your trophy and swim in your fantasy riches like Scrooge McDuck from “DuckTales.”

A not so obvious observation from the first half of the season is how poorly top-ranked kickers have performed compared to their draft position. Three of the top six kickers were selected outside of the top 12, and Jason Myers, the No. 2 kicker after Stephen Gostkowski, went undrafted in most leagues.

Justin Tucker ranked as the No. 1 fantasy kicker by many experts entering the season and is currently the eighth-ranked player through eight weeks. Injuries have also taken their toll on top-ranked kickers, with Matt Bryant and Greg Zuerlein each missing a big chunk of the season with leg and groin injuries.

This season, more than any in recent memory, is an example why owners should not draft a kicker until the last round and be flexible in-season with playing matchups. Hopefully, this article has been helpful to those owners who stream the position.

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Week 8 Stud Performances from Widely-Available Kickers

Josh Lambo (JAC) vs. Philadelphia: 20% ownership on Yahoo
Lambo has been a risky play over the previous four weeks with Blake Bortles and the scuffling Jacksonville offense struggling to move the ball into field goal range. That changed this week in London, as Lambo led all fantasy kickers with four field goals, including two 50-yard kicks. With the Jags heading into the bye, Lambo should be dropped in all formats for other options. However, keep an eye on him after the bye as he will likely be a top-12 kicker in Week 10 against the Colts.

Jason Sanders (MIA) @ Houston: 1% ownership on Yahoo
Sanders posted his second 13-point performance in the previous three weeks with three field goals and two PATs against the Texans on Thursday Night Football. Miami’s 27th-ranked offense limits Sanders’ value, as the team does not sustain enough drives to give the rookie from the University of New Mexico enough opportunities. However, Sanders’ K score of 42 this week against the Jets at home could make him another solid play.

Dustin Hopkins (WAS) @ New York Giants: 8% ownership on Yahoo
Hopkins continues to be one of the most consistent kickers in fantasy with at least seven fantasy points in all but one of his games. His nine fantasy points against the Giants on Sunday placed Hopkins as the No. 9 ranked kicker in what turned out to be a reasonably low scoring week across the NFL. Hopkins will not give fantasy owners monster games like Lutz or Gostkowski, but his floor is attractive in head-to-head season-long leagues, and he does have an attractive home game this week against Atlanta.

Week 8 Dud Performances from Heavily-Owned Kickers

Matt Prater (DET) vs. New Orleans: 75% ownership on Yahoo
Prater delivered his lowest performance of the season with two PATs and zero field goal opportunities in a 28-14 loss at home against the Lions. Although the Kscore metrics pointed to a strong game for Prater, a negative game script caused by the Seahawks jumping to an early lead limited Prater’s usage. Don’t let one bad week by Prater sway you away from starting him this week in what should be an excellent kicking opportunity on the road against the Vikings. Prater has the best K score of any player this week, and the 51-point over/under by Vegas oddsmakers suggests a high-scoring game.

Dan Bailey (MIN) vs. Carolina: 57% ownership on Yahoo
The Saints possess one of the worst pass and red zone defenses in the league, which is a formula that allows elite passing offenses like the Vikings to score touchdowns instead of field goals. When you add in the factor of a negative game script created by a flukey pick-six by the Saints and a missed extra point, you have the perfect recipe for a one-point dud performance by Bailey.

Kicker Rankings

*Red Zone Efficiency is based on the inverse of how well the kicker’s offense does in the red zone. For example, the Ravens rank second in red zone efficiency; therefore Justin Tucker has an RZ EFF score of 31. The lower the number, the better for kickers, as playing on a team that struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone equates to more field goal opportunities.

**The K Score is the sum of a player’s opponent red zone, the red zone efficiency of his offense, and the overall rank of his respective team in terms of total yards. A low score indicates that a kicker has variables working in his favor for a good fantasy kicking performance.

Kicker rankings are based on numerous factors including matchups, Vegas lines, score projections, weather conditions, the ability of a kicker’s team offense, their ability to move the ball into field goal range, offensive red zone efficiency, and how well the opposing defense limits touchdowns in the red zone. These factors are a guide, but not a definitive way to predict kicking success, as other variables and negative game scripts significantly impact the outcome.

Based on all of the variables mentioned above, the following two kickers are players ranked outside of the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who could be an excellent play in Week 9.

Ryan Succop (TEN) @ Dallas: 11% Ownership on Yahoo
Outside of a shocking goose egg in Week 6 at home against the Ravens, Succop has been one of the most consistent kickers in fantasy with a floor of at least seven fantasy points in five of seven games. The Titans covert only 33% of their red zone possessions into touchdowns as the fourth-worst red zone offense in the league, while the Cowboys rank second in allowing the fewest red zone touchdowns. Assuming that Marcus Mariota and the Titans can move the ball between the 20s on a handful of drives, Succop could be a matchup winner this week.

Caleb Sturgis (LAC) @ SEA: 1% ownership on Yahoo
Sturgis missed his previous two games due to injury, but appears to be back and ready to kick for the Chargers after the bye. Targeting players who play on top-10 offenses is a smart move based on the premise that the kicker will have ample opportunities to kick PATs and the occasional field goal. The Chargers boast the sixth-best offense in yards per game, but a 17th-ranked red zone offense. Those two factors are reliable indicators of a strong kicking performance. Assuming that the weather in Seattle does not change from the 54-degree, light wind forecast, Sturgis has everything in line for a good game.

Prediction Review

Each week I suggest two kickers ranked outside the FantasyPros ECR top 10 who I believe will be solid performers based on the variables described in the K score section. The following is a review of my picks from the previous week to see where I was successful and where I missed the mark.

Josh Lambo (JAC) vs. Philadelphia
ECR Rank: 23 / My Rank: 1
Week 8 Finish: Kicker #1

Lambo proved to be the beneficiary of Bortles being Bortles, with four field goals in Jacksonville’s 24-18 loss in London to the Eagles. The Jags continue to be one of the least efficient offenses in converting drives into touchdowns, giving Lambo numerous field goal opportunities to close out stalled drives. With the Jags heading into the bye, Lambo will be dropped in most leagues, but he will be a nice waiver pick up Week 10 with the Jags heading to play indoors against the Colts.

Cody Parkey (CHI) vs. N.Y. Jets
ECR Rank: 13 / My Rank: 12
Week 8 Finish: Tied Kicker #18

Parkey scored outside K1 range after shanking a 35-yard field goal at home against the Jets. The volume and opportunity were there for Parkey to have a big day, with two field goal attempts and three extra points, but a wide-right shank proved to be a five-point swing that kept Parkey from scoring 10 fantasy points and finishing as a start-worthy player.

Waiver Wired

Top Add

Ryan Succop (TEN) @ Dallas: 11% ownership on Yahoo
Succop’s ownership percentage dipped to 11% as owners opted not to keep the Titan kicker over the team’s bye week. With the highest K score of the week and the seventh-most points on the season, Succop is without question the top kicker add of the week and should see his ownership level jump closer to 60%.

Others to Consider:

• Caleb Sturgis (LAC) @ SEA: 1% ownership on Yahoo
• Dustin Hopkins (WAS) vs. ATL: 9% ownership on Yahoo (bye last week)

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Andrew Swanson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive or follow him @FFtoday_Andy.