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.

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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 13 in fantasy football.

Week 13 Streaming Kickers

Matt Prater (ARI)

Prater has struggled over the past few weeks which has led to him being dropped in many leagues. However, the Cardinals have been playing without Kyler Murray who is expected to return in week 13. Through the first 7 weeks of the season, with a healthy Kyler Murray, Prater was averaging just under 10 points a game which would make him the number 3 kicker on the year in points per game.

Additionally, the Cardinals have a great matchup against the Bears this week who have been a top 5 matchup for opposing kickers. As long as Kyler Murray is returning, Matt Prater will be a good play this week and moving forward into the fantasy playoffs. 

Michael Badgley (IND)

Badgley has been a reliable kicker all season. Since taking over the kicking duties for the Colts, Badgley has not missed a field goal or extra-point attempt. The Colts’ offense has been incredibly efficient over the past month which has limited some of Badgley’s upside.

However, he has still provided 8 or more points in all but 2 games this season with the Colts. Badgley offers one of the safest floors for a kicker along with a huge ceiling if the Colts’ offense regresses back to the mean in terms of red-zone efficiency. 

Evan McPherson (CIN)

McPherson is coming off two huge weeks (21 and 13 points respectively). While it’s usually not smart to chase these outlier performances from kickers, McPherson is set up to continue his hot streak in Week 13. The Bengals’ kicker gets a great matchup against the Chargers who have allowed double-digit points to opposing kickers in 5 of the last 7 weeks.

Coupled with the great matchup, the Bengals have been a top 10 offense in terms of yards per game at home this season. The Bengals should be able to move the ball with ease against the Chargers and set McPherson up with plenty of kicking opportunities.