NFL Fantasy 2021 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 1: Kickers

Carlson was the top-scoring kicker in fantasy football last season. The Raiders should once again be able to move the ball this year, which should mean a lot of opportunities for him. He opens up against the Chargers, who have a stout defense. That means those Raiders drives could stall out and lead to field goals. Start him with confidence. 

Blankenship is one of my personal favorites this season. Remember, when Matt Ryan was with the Falcons, his kickers would routinely be some of the best in fantasy. That is because Ryan would drive down the field and stall in the red zone. Repeating that in Indy could lead to a lot of opportunities for Blankenship. It was just two years ago that he was a top-five fantasy kicker. The Texans were middle of the pack against kickers last season. Blankenship is in play as a streaming option. 

Elliott faces the Lions, who allowed 9.9 fantasy points per game to kickers last season, by far the most in the NFL. That was a full point more per game than the next closest team (the Dolphins). Elliott is in play as a streaming option in a very favorable matchup. 

Folk finished last season as the second-highest scoring kicker, ending up just two points behind Carlson. He also faces a Dolphins team that allowed the second-most fantasy PPG to kickers last season (8.9). Folk is a top-12 kicker for Week 1. 

Sanders faces the Patriots, who allowed the fewest fantasy PPG to kickers last season at just 4.2 per game. No team hit a 50-plus yard field goal on the Patriots all year. Part of that is luck, but another part of that is limiting opportunities by slowing down games and reducing the number of possessions an offense has against them. There are better options than Sanders out there. 

Maher may seem like a good idea, as there could be a lot of points scored between the Cowboys and Bucs. But last year Tampa Bay allowed just 4.2 fantasy PPG to kickers, the second-fewest in the NFL. Go another direction in this tough matchup. 

Zuerlein has been a fantasy darling for years and his name may draw you to start him. But this year he plays for the Jets, who could be led by Joe Flacco in Week 1 against a tough Baltimore defense. That just screams limited opportunities. Don’t fall for the name here. 

Boswell will go against the Bengals, who allowed just 5.8 fantasy PPG to kickers last year, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. There are also a lot of unknowns regarding how the Steelers offense will look without Ben Roethlisberger. Given all that, Boswell is not a top-15 kicker this week.