Fantasy Football Week 9 Kicker Streamers: Tyler Loop, Cairo Santos, and More

There's nothing worse than losing a fantasy football week because of a huge kicker performance. It's great when you steal a victory thanks to your kicker, but to be beaten because of the position is a real drag.

Three kickers have reached 20 fantasy points in a week this season according to FantasyPros: Brandon Aubrey in Week 2, Chase McLaughlin in Week 3, and Chris Boswell last week. There are surely fantasy owners out there who won or lost because of one of those performances, and it's enough to push you toward axing the kicker altogether in fantasy if you came out on the wrong side.

We're here for those owners who are still soldiering on and playing with the “standard” positions, though, so let's look at three kickers with good matchups in Week 9 who are widely available in fantasy leagues and can be picked up and inserted into your lineup. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players with the best matchups each week!

Tyler Loop, Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins

Loop is owned in more leagues than the other guys listed here, but he is still available in more than half of fantasy leagues and has a major boost coming his way, as quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to return for this game.

In the four games Jackson played, the Ravens averaged 32.8 points per game. In the three he missed, they averaged 14.3 points per game. Part of that is how inept his backups were at times, but most just has to do with how dynamic Jackson really is. This is a different team with him in the lineup.

Loop is one benefactor of that increase in offensive prowess. His field goal attempts didn't change a lot, as Loop had seven tries in the four games with Jackson and six FG attempts in the three games without him, but Loop kicked 15 extra points in the first month and only four since that time.

He has been on point, making 12 of 13 field goals and 18 of 19 extra points, so it's just a matter of getting on the field often. With the offense more likely to put points on the board, Loop sees a big improvement in fantasy.

The Dolphins are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, allowing nearly 27 points per game, tied for sixth worst. They just held the Falcons to 10 points in Week 8, but prior to that, Miami had given up at least 27 points in every game except for one. There's nothing about this defense that scares me (unless I have Atlanta's offense, but that's a nightmare all itself).

We have a kicker here who has been very good this season getting back his star quarterback just in time to face one of the worst teams in football. Everything is pointing up, making Loop my favorite kicker to pick up this week (and he's probably worth keeping on your roster). He plays on Thursday, so make sure to take care of your roster moves early.

Chad Ryland, Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys

Ryland was here often early in the season, as the Cardinals started with a string of good matchups. As the schedule has gotten tougher and the offense has struggled, Ryland has fallen back down the fantasy hierarchy, and Arizona just had their bye, so many owners who did own him likely dropped Ryland last week.

Well, the matchup is back in his favor for this one, as the Cowboys have given up the second-most points per game (31.3). They have allowed at least 30 points in five of their eight games, and that includes contests against the Panthers, Bears, and Russell Wilson-led Giants.

Arizona has labored recently, but that's partly a quirk of the schedule. After beating the Panthers and Saints in the first two weeks, the Cardinals have lost five straight, including games against the 49ers, Seahawks, Colts, and Packers. Their only bad loss was against Tennessee in a game that they had well in hand before giving it away near the end.

Off a bye, with a better matchup for the offense, and with Kyler Murray expected to return, things look to be in Ryland's favor. His team doesn't need to win or even stay close; they just need to get him in kicking range. That seems likely with such a favorable matchup.

Cairo Santos, Chicago Bears @ Cincinnati Bengals

Speaking of bad defenses, Cincinnati has been a dumpster fire for several years now. They are the only team to allow more points than the Cowboys, putting the Bengals worst in the league in that category. They just gave up 39 to the Jets, if that tells you anything.

That was the seventh time in eight games that Cincy allowed at least 27 points and the fourth time they gave up more than 30. What else can I say? Go after the Bengals with players at every offensive fantasy position as often as you can.

The Bears are good but not great on offense. They rank 12th in yards per game and 10th in both passing yards and rushing yards per game, and they sit right in the middle in points per game scored. It's the same on a per-play basis, as Chicago ranks 11th in yards per pass attempt and 13th in yards per rush attempt.

That's a team that can have offensive success in the right situations, and playing against the Bengals is about as good a matchup as they will face.

Santos missed two games, but he has been good when on the field, making nine of 11 field goal tries and all 12 of his extra points. His two missed kicks were both from over 50 yards (distance can be a problem at times). Jake Moody, formerly of San Francisco, filled in when Santos was hurt, but Santos returned last week and figures to be Chicago's kicker again.

Whoever starts for the Bears has a great outlook this week. We can say the same about Caleb Williams and the skill players, but I'm looking for Santos to stand out on special teams. If Moody would happen to play instead, he would be another strong fantasy option.