Kickers can be frustrating. They are completely unpredictable when it comes to fantasy scoring because they are entirely dependent on something that is outside of their own control, the offense putting them in a position to kick.

Outside of the Justin Tucker owner, most teams will add/drop kickers based on perceived matchups. However, most fantasy players will simply look for a kicker on a high-scoring offense or a kicker facing a poor defense when making their kicker selection. While this sounds like a solid strategy in theory, if the offense is so good that they are always scoring touchdowns, the kicker will be limited to extra-point attempts which will only result in 1 point.

One strategy that I have found successful when looking for a fantasy football kicker is to look for teams with a good offense, but that struggles in the red zone. An additional strategy that I have found is to target the kicker going against a team defense that has a “bend don’t break” defensive philosophy that allows teams to move the ball but is great in the red zone.

The jackpot is to find a kicker on a struggling red zone offense going against a great red-zone defense. Following this strategy, the following kickers could be good streaming options for Week 10 in fantasy football.

Week 11 Streaming Kickers

Chase McLaughlin (CLE)

McLaughlin has been an up and down kicker this season. However, in week 11 he gets the best matchup for kickers against the Lions. The Lions have been allowing nearly 13 points per game to kickers this season which is by far the most in the league. Additionally, McLaughlin has been a reliable kicker in wins this season averaging almost 11 points per game. A matchup with the Lions should provide a great opportunity for the Browns to win and allow McLaughlin to put up a great fantasy day for his owners.  

Zane Gonzalez (CAR)

Zane Gonzalez has been averaging 11 points per game over the last month which would easily make him the number 1 kicker in fantasy over the course of a full season. Gonzalez is available in more than 90% of leagues and has a great matchup this week against the Washington Football Team who have been a top 5 matchup for kickers this year. Gonzalez should be in line to continue his hot stretch and benefit those owners streaming him this week. 

Matt Gay (LAR) — BYE

Matt Gay has been the number 3 kicker in fantasy this season and is owned in about 80% of leagues. However, the Rams have a bye this week and Gay has seen a 10% decline in his ownership percentage over the last few days. Most teams will not want to carry two kickers due to the perceived limitation on their value. However, the Rams have been a great offense for fantasy kickers over the past 5 years and Gay has been one of the elite and reliable kickers this season. If he was dropped in your league, Gay is worth the 1-week stash to lock up a top-tier kicker for the fantasy playoffs.