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The 2022 NFL season is upon us and that means it is fantasy football season once again! Drafts are complete and it’s time to start setting lineups. You invested all sorts of time and energy in picking your roster — or maybe you just set it to autodraft and are only now seeing what your roster looks like.
Whatever the case, it’s now time to make some difficult decisions about who to start and who to sit. The kicker position is one that offers a lot more flexibility. Most people wait until the final round or two to draft kickers, although the Justin Tuckers of the world still go a little earlier than they probably should.
Since kickers are easy to add and drop on a whim, there’s some flexibility for who to start and who to sit, regardless of who you actually drafted.
Kicker Starts
Dustin Hopkins, Chargers vs. Raiders
He’s currently on only 17.9% of rosters in ESPN leagues. You probably have an option already, but if you’re playing a streaming kicker strategy, his matchup against a mediocre Raiders defense is a great one.
Randy Bullock, Titans vs. Giants
Bullock is projected on the lower end of the scoring scale this week, but it’s hard not to like a player getting a crack at a bad Giants defense. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Kicker Sits
Chris Boswell, Steelers vs. Bengals
Boswell is usually a solid enough waiver option, but this year we need to figure out what to make of the Steelers offense. They’re starting Mitchell Trubisky in Week 1, while Kenny Pickett is the guy they eventually want taking over. Neither is exciting and this offense has a lot of work to do — particularly with a banged up Diontae Johnson. Let’s take a wait and see approach with Boswell.
Nick Folk, Patriots vs. Dolphins
Folks is generally a strong kicker and this “sit” is less about definitely sitting him and more just about lowering your expectations. The Patriots offense has some improved parts but a ton of questions with Mac Jones headed into his second year. It’s not a bad idea to start Folk, but you were better off looking elsewhere in your draft.