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Week 3 of the NFL season is here. The week begins on Thursday, September 22 as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Cleveland Browns in an AFC North battle. The action culminates on Monday, September 26 with an NFC East matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. While it may feel superfluous to start a weekly kicker, there are definitely kickers with better matchups and conditions than others. With that in mind, here are two kickers to start and two to sit for your Week 3 fantasy football lineups.
Kicker Starts
Joey Slye, Washington Commanders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Slye has been brutal for the Commanders and has finished as the overall K27 in each of the first two weeks of the season. Even so, when it comes to deciding what kickers to play, you want to think about who is going to have opportunity. The Commanders’ offense has been high-octane the first two weeks, which hasn't given Slye a lot of opportunity. The Eagles’ defense has been great to start the year, which will likely keep Washington out of the endzone, but in field goal range. Slye has upside this week in a tough game.
Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams
Prater is experiencing the same outcomes that Slye has dealt with. His offense has been good, and he hasn't had that many opportunities for success. This week, the Cardinals will have to deal with the Rams' defense that is used to stifling offenses. This should result in Prater finally getting some good field goal looks as the Cardinals make their way into field goal range without finding the endzone.
Kicker Sits
Graham Gano, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Gano was the special teams player of the week after hitting four field goals in a win over the Panthers. Unfortunately, his offense will have to go against the Dallas Cowboys' defense this week. In a tale of two weeks, Gano was the K32 in Week 1 and the K1 in Week 2. The Giants' offense has been bad to start the season, which has limited in his opportunities, and that isn’t expected to get better this week.
Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks
Similar to Gano, it has been a rollercoaster to start the season for Koo. He finished as the top kicker in Week 1, but then the K25 last week. The Falcons' offense has just been bad through their first two season losses. They would normally have a good matchup against the Seattle Seahawks this week, but because of how bad they have been, there isn’t any guarantee that they have a favorable outlook. Koo always has upside with his strong leg, but I don't think he gets many opportunities in this game.