Best Fantasy Football Kicker and D/ST Streamers to Target in Week 5

Playing matchups makes sense at every fantasy football spot, but at the skill positions, there are more must-start players who belong in your lineup every week, no matter who they are playing. With kickers and defenses, scoring is much more random, and the top performers often fluctuate from week to week, making it more beneficial to chase the best matchups.

Let's look at two kickers and two D/ST groups with good matchups in Week 5 that are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Kickers

Chad Ryland, Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions

At kicker, I'm generally looking to target teams that give up a lot of points. The Lions have given up 127 points so far, just one less than the New Orleans Saints for most in the league. That includes at least 24 points allowed in each game and at least 30 points in three of the four.

Ryland is tied for ninth in fantasy points among kickers, having a poor Week 2 (just one point) but reaching double digits in two other weeks. I don't trust Arizona's offense to be effective every week, but there is talent at the skill positions, and with the defense struggling hard, they have to throw to keep up. Other than being held to seven points in Week 2, the Cardinals have scored at least 24 points in each of their other three games.

Ryland has a good outlook this week. He probably won't be a guy who should be in your lineup every week, but when the matchups align, Ryland has a chance to put up points in this offense.

Dominic Zvada, New York Giants @ Washington Commanders

Washington is another group that has struggled defensively, giving up the third-most points, just six less than New Orleans at the top. It's not much of a surprise, as they gave up a lot of points last year as well, but we now have confirmation that those struggles are continuing into a new season, making the Commanders a team we can go after with a lot of fantasy players.

(I don't like to use fantasy points allowed to kickers as one of my go-to measurements because it's so random, especially after just four games, but Washington has also allowed the third-most fantasy points to kickers, so if you're into that sort of thing, it's in our favor here.)

The Giants have struggled offensively since Jaxson Dart went down injured early in Week 2. They scored six points in that game and 12 in Week 3 against the Titans, but with a good matchup against the Cardinals last week, New York put up 36 points (though six of them came on a game-ending pick-six). This is another group that I don't want to count on often, but the matchup makes them appealing in Week 5.

The rookie Zvada has made all nine of his field goal attempts and all five of his extra points so far in his short career. That's enough to have him tied for 12th in kicker fantasy points, just four points shy of fifth place. Like with Ryland, I don't trust Zvada's offense to be successful every game, but they have shown that they can put him in position to score in the right matchups.

Defense/Special Teams

Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins

After a few years of brutal defensive performances, Cincinnati has looked much better in 2026, ranking a little better than average in points allowed. It hasn't been perfect; the Bucs scored 27 in Week 1 and the Steelers 30 in Week 3, but that first game included a defensive touchdown from Tampa, and the Bengals only gave up 28 total points in the other two weeks (Houston and Jacksonville).

Like with the kickers, though, this is more about the matchup. No team has scored fewer points than Miami's 46 through four weeks, and they are without running back De'Von Achane for the rest of the season. Malik Willis has only turned it over four times and could continue taking care of the ball, but that comes with a low-risk offense that isn't putting up points.

Cincy's D/ST group ranks fifth in fantasy points, and the Dolphins have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. We couldn't hope for a much better outlook just based on those measures. Even if you think the Bengals will regress a little defensively (and I think they will), this is the right matchup to attack, giving Cincinnati a high floor.

Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots

Drake Maye: what is going on? After just eight interceptions last season and 10 as a rookie (in 13 games), Maye has thrown seven picks through four games, putting him on pace for nearly 30 on the season. He will likely improve that number a little, but Maye has also fumbled five times and lost two of them.

That makes the Patriots an appealing fantasy target to go after with D/ST groups, as New England has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. On top of the turnover woes, the Pats have scored the third-fewest points, not topping 20 until they scored 29 last week against Buffalo.

The Raiders allowed 27 and 30 points the past two weeks to the Saints and Chiefs, but they started the season by giving up just 27 total points to the Dolphins and Chargers over the first two games. While this team is more notable for their offensive stars, they made additions this offseason to raise their ceiling and floor on defense and still have all-world pass rusher Maxx Crosby.

I don't want to count on Las Vegas every week, but they've showed that they can score defensive fantasy points, ranking third among all teams after the first month. With the matchup in their favor here, there's a good chance for the Raiders to have another successful fantasy week.