3 FanDuel Kickers to Target in Week 4

In fantasy football, every point counts, and points are the only way you can win.

You need to maximize output from each and every player on your roster, and "punting" a position is never truly ideal. Sometimes in season-long leagues, you simply are stuck without any better options than who is on your roster already, but in daily fantasy football, where you are in control of every player you pick, there are no excuses.

So when you're making your lineups on FanDuel, don't leave kicker for last and choose whichever minimum-salary player fits in.

Move the position higher up on your priority list and learn to love the kicker. Start by targeting these three guys in Week 4.

Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

FanDuel Price: $5,100

I really don't think you have to pay up for kicker this week. Stephen Gostkowski is home against the Buffalo Bills, but the New England Patriots' quarterback situation is still up in the air.

Still, I reckon we shouldn't entirely overlook Justin Tucker, whose Field Goal Net Expected Points (NEP) of 15.10 is more than twice as good as any kicker so far this year -- nobody else is above 6.95. That's a fancy way of saying that Tucker is elite.

The Baltimore Ravens are fairly slim favorites -- just 3.5 points -- over the Oakland Raiders, and we generally want kickers on sure-to-win teams, so that's a bit scary at his price. Our algorithm sees them winning 57.0% of the time. With an implied team total of 25, it's tough to suggest Tucker as a cash-game option when there are more sensible plays for cheaper, but that line of thinking could leave him under-owned in tournaments, and Tucker has the most games with 15 FanDuel points of any kicker since 2013.

Dustin Hopkins, Washington

FanDuel Price: $4,500

Dustin Hopkins is the bare minimum this week again, and his Washington squad is the biggest favorite of the week at 9.5 points over the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland was a big underdog last week yet played the Miami Dolphins tight, and Andrew Franks mustered just 6 FanDuel points. However, the process is still appropriate for Hopkins, whose 13.7 FanDuel points per game is actually tied with Tucker's for the most on the main slate.

With a 27.5-point implied total, Washington has the second-highest mark, though the Patriots, Bills, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks don't yet have spreads and totals from which to draw. Still, Washington should be in a position to kick field goals in Week 4 in a game our algorithms see them winning 62.4% of the time.

Josh Lambo, San Diego Chargers

FanDuel Price: $4,500

Josh Lambo is another minimum-salary kicker, and he's playing for the team with the highest implied total on the main slate as of Wednesday morning, the San Diego Chargers. San Diego ranks 10th in Adjusted NEP per play through three weeks offensively, and the New Orleans Saints, their Week 4 opponent, rank 31st defensively.

The Chargers have a 66.1% chance to win, per our algorithms and are 4-point favorites in a game with an over/under of 53.5 points. That's all good news for Lambo at a basement price. And, as with Tucker and Hopkins, as well, the weather looks calm at this point.