Best available kickers on the Week 9 waiver wire

Kicking is a spot that’s sometimes taken for granted in fantasy football terms, the kicker is an afterthought many times and many treat them as interchangeable members of their roster.

But a good kicker can mean the difference between a big win and a loss when it all comes down to it. Here are some kickers you might want to consider adding this week if you’ve run out of options on the kicking front.

Week 9 byes: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Football Team, Detroit Lions

Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins (23.6%)

Next up — Houston Texans

The Texans and the Dolphins are both very bad football teams in 2021, but the ‘Fins are not nearly as bad as Houston. The Texans are giving up the second-most points in the NFL on average each week, so Sanders should have plenty of chances to score on either field goals or PATs. He’s perfect on extra points this season and has gone 8/12 on field goals, though he’s hit on all but one from inside of 39 yards and has hit two of three from over 50 yards.

Rodrigo Blankenship, Indianapolis Colts (45%)

Next up — New York Jets

Blankenship has missed the last three games after going on injured reserve with a hip injury he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens. He’s eligible to return this week and his percent rostered is perfect for you to pick him up before he’s snagged up by somebody else. The second-year man out of Georgia was one of the best kickers in NCAA history before getting signed by Indy in 2020. In his career, he’s missed just eight kicks (43/51) and has hit all but three PATs (50/53).

Greg Zuerlein, Dallas Cowboys (58.1%)

Next up — Denver Broncos

Greg the Leg has had a solid year in 2021, his 10th in the NFL. You don’t get that kind of longevity as a kicker without producing consistently and in big moments for your team. So far this season, he’s hit on 14 of his 18 field goals, with an absurd long of 56 yards. He has just two misses from inside of 50 yards too and has hit on 21 of his 23 PATs.

The Cowboy offense will probably get Dak Prescott back this week, so it should move more efficiently and give Zuerlein more opportunities to score against a Denver defense that’s been suspect when matched up against a halfway decent offense. The game will also be indoors at Jerry World, so weather conditions won’t be a factor in the kicking game.