Welcome to Crossing the Streams (Week 1). This is where we come to highlight kickers and D/STs we are starting this week. For the starts, we will be avoiding the obvious starts, and will only be selecting players outside the top 10 who could conceivably be available to stream off the waiver wire. After each week we will show a report card with a grade of our Hit and Miss rate. A hit will be any player that scores more than 8.0 fantasy points which we will refer to as the magic number, with anything under that being a miss. For our full list of weekly rankings, head over to The FFU Weekly Rankings Page or try out our Sit/Start Tool Powered by Fantasy Pros.
*Disclaimer* Don’t bet too heavily based on this column in the early weeks of the NFL season. The data gets more accurate as we go, but in the first few weeks of the season, bet smaller as we need some time to see what data holds and what data has to be reevaluated.
Kickers
Cairo Santos, Bears vs TEN (1) ✅
Much to the surprise of everyone, Santos finished as PK4 last season. He hit the magic number in only nine of 17 games but did so in seven of his final eight games to climb his way up the end-of-season rankings. Despite this fantasy finish, Santos is being consistently ranked outside the top 10 at the position, even in Week 1 where he faces the best possible matchup for a kicker in the Tennessee Titans who gave up 11.0 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers in 2024.
Jake Moody, 49ers vs NYJ (6)
Moody was a highly drafted rookie with lofty expectations in 2023 and was disappointing in an up-and-down rookie campaign. Last season he finished as PK20 and hit the magic number in seven of 17 games, while doing so in four of his last seven games. Moody faces the Jets in Week 1 and their stingy defense tends to limit even the best offenses to field goals. In 2023, the Jets gave up 9.4 fantasy points per game to kickers and should continue the trend of being a solid matchup to the position. The Jets were the sixth-best matchup for kickers last year.
Chase McLaughlin, Buccaneers vs WSH (2) ✅
McLaughlin finished as PK15 last season, hitting the magic number in nine of 17 games and four of his final five games. He kicks off the season with the second-best matchup possible, facing a Commanders team that allowed 10.8 fantasy points per game to kickers last season. McLaughlin was only average last season, finishing as PK15, but he produced consistently all season and was rarely a letdown in a prime matchup. Expect the Buccaneers to score early and often against what could be this season’s worst overall defense.
D/ST
Vikings DST vs NYG (2) ✅
In 2023 the Vikings were a mess on defense, and with their offense being a mess this season, it could be a long year in Minnesota. The Vikings hit the magic number in only seven of 17 games with three of those hits coming in the final six games and finished as DST14 overall. In Week 1, they face a Giants team that has lost the biggest fantasy football stud it’s likely ever had in Saquon Barkley. The Giants are going to struggle to score with essentially only rookie Malik Nabers as their only weapon. Add in Daniel Jones who will happily play high-risk football and force the ball and this amounts to a productive outing for the Vikings DST against the second-best matchup for a DST as the Giants gave up 12.0 points per game to DSTs last season.
Chargers DST vs LV (11) ✅
The Chargers DST was an even bigger disaster in 2023 than the Vikings. The Chargers finished as DST21 overall and hit the magic number only six times in 17 games, with three of those hits coming in the final five games. The Chargers start the season against the Raiders who could be one of the worst teams in the league. It appears as if Gardner Minshew will be the starting quarterback for Week 1, but there isn’t much proven firepower left on this roster. The combination of Minshew and Adams is still capable of producing, but it’s likely to be a low-scoring struggle for both teams in this matchup. The Raiders allowed 6.8 fantasy points per game to opposing DSTs in 2023
Giants DST vs MIN (9) ❌
The Giants’ DST was surprisingly productive for fantasy last season, finishing as DST12 overall. They hit the magic number in nine of 17 games and did so in five of their final six games to finish the year strong. In Week 1, they face off a Vikings offense that is likely to compete with their own for most inept. Kirk Cousins has moved on to Atlanta, and rookie first-rounder JJ McCarthy is done for the season with an injury. The Vikings still have one of the most lethal receivers in the league with Justin Jefferson, but it’s gonna be tough without a solid quarterback to throw him the ball. This game, along with the Chargers vs. Raiders matchup both project to be sloppy and low-scoring, so load up on the DSTs and hope for a turnover fest. The Vikings allowed 8.6 fantasy points per game to DSTs last year.
2023 Report Card
D/ST- 33 for 36 (91.6%)
Kickers- 26 for 36 (72.2%)
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