Cameron Dicker or Chase McLaughlin: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Start Dicker — the consensus rank and red-zone opportunity edges are too wide to ignore.

Cameron Dicker is the higher consensus play (K2 to K15) and gets more red-zone stalls to kick from (1.8 to 1.4 per game). McLaughlin's edge is the game script, 23.0 implied points to 22.8. The gap is wide.

Cameron Dicker

Cameron Dicker

K2LACvs BUF

Projected Points

Start
Chase McLaughlin

Chase McLaughlin

K15TBvs MIN

Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium
LAC@
BUFSun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
MIN@
TBSun, Sep 27, 4:05 PM ETView the game →

Why Cameron Dicker

Start

Starting kicker with elite accuracy and big-leg range. Among the league's most reliable placekickers.

Start — K2 by consensus, projects K6 this week: 1.8 red-zone stalls a game, and 9.1 pts projected vs BUF.

  • Calm forecast at kickoff.
  • 2.2 FG tries projected, just over the 2.0 league median this week.
  • LAC's offense stalls in the red zone 1.8 times a game (2025) — that's where kicker points come from.
  • Vegas has LAC at 22.8 points as 3-point dogs.

Why Chase McLaughlin

Toss-Up· medium

Starting placekicker with big-leg range and a 65-yard career long. Reliable from distance, though his 84.9% career accuracy sits around league average.

K15 with a modest 23.0 implied total, but calm open-air conditions, 84% accuracy and 1.4 red-zone stalls per game keep him startable in a pinch.

  • 11 mph wind at kickoff — a real drag on long tries.
  • 2.1 FG tries projected, just over the 2.0 league median this week.
  • TB's offense stalls in the red zone 1.4 times a game (2025) — that's where kicker points come from.
  • Vegas has TB at 23 points as 1.5-point favorites.

The call

  • Volume is fine, not special: 2.1 attempts and 2.0 extra points projected off a 23.0 implied team total in a 1.5-point game — enough for 8.4 points but nothing that separates him from the K12-K18 pack.
  • The floor-builders are there: 1.4 red-zone stalls per game means Tampa Bay regularly turns drives into field-goal tries, and calm weather with the roof open removes the main kicker variance lever.
  • Leg strength is a real edge — 84% (32/38) with a 65-yard long and 50-plus makes in 7 games — so he can cash long attempts other K15-range options can't.
  • Tips to start if your alternative is a dome-less kicker in wind or on an offense with a lower implied total; tips to sit if a top-10 kicker is sitting on waivers.

Head-to-head stats

MetricCameron DickerChase McLaughlin
Projected points
Consensus rankK2K15
Projected FG attempts2.22.1
Red-zone stalls / game1.8(2025)1.4(2025)
Kicking conditionsCalm forecast at kickoff11 mph wind forecast at kickoff
Implied total · spread22.8+3.023.0-1.5
Field-goal %92.7%(2025)84.2%(2025)
Depth chartK1K1
Start/Sit record0–21–0+2 toss-ups

Recent form

Cameron Dicker — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs LV
Week 1vs ARI

Chase McLaughlin — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs CLE
Week 1vs CIN

Signal breakdown

  • 9.1 vs 8.4 projected PPR pointsCameron Dicker +
  • Rank 2 vs 15Cameron Dicker +
  • 2.2 vs 2.1 projected attemptsCameron Dicker +
  • 1.8 vs 1.4 red-zone stalls per gameCameron Dicker +
  • 5 mph, 71°F, clear vs 11 mph, 88°F, overcastCameron Dicker +
  • Implied 22.8 vs 23.0 team pointsChase McLaughlin +
  • No injury designationseven

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