Start Cameron Dicker over Tyler Loop — Week 1 Start/Sit Verdict

Dicker's range and role make him the sturdier kicker start

Dicker's K2 standing is the separator; at kicker, that confidence signal matters more than the modest projection gap. His 93% accuracy, 59-yard range and dome give a 28.5-point Chargers outlook multiple ways to cash, while Loop benefits from nearly the same stall rate and a calm roof. Loop is still a sound start, but the Ravens' kicker competition—despite Minter's public backing (ESPN 2026-09-01)—adds a role risk Dicker doesn't carry.

What flips it: A change in Baltimore's kicking plan amid the Moody competition.

Sources: ESPN · Sep 1, 2026

AI editor

Cameron Dicker

K2LACvs ARI

10.310.310.3 Projected Points

Start· high

Tyler Loop

K12BALvs IND

8.58.58.5 Projected Points

Start· medium

Why Cameron Dicker

Start· high

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

K2 on the board with a 28.5 implied total in a dome, 93% accuracy and 1.8 red-zone stalls per game feeding steady FG tries.

Dicker's accuracy and range turn a likely lead into a sturdier floor when the Chargers settle for threes.
Indoor conditions remove the obvious execution variable from his high-volume setup.

The call

Dicker is the K2 consensus play at 10.3 projected points and the locked PK1 with no injury designation — nothing to think about at the position.
A 28.5 implied team total and -11.5 spread means volume: 3.1 projected extra points plus 2.3 field-goal attempts, and the offense stalls in the red zone 1.8 times per game to create those tries.
Indoors with no weather risk, and he's hit 38 of 41 (93%) with a 59-yard long and five games with a 50-plus make — the range keeps low-end outcomes off the table.

Why Tyler Loop

Start· medium

Starting placekicker who handles kickoffs. Accurate inside 50 but limited range, hitting just 1-of-4 from 50-plus as a rookie with a long of 52.

K12 with a 26.5 implied total, 1.9 red-zone stalls per game and 88% accuracy indoors — volume and environment both check out.

Loop's nearly matching stall rate keeps his floor alive; Baltimore can still manufacture chances despite the tighter spread.
His limited 50-plus range makes missed red-zone conversions harder to replace with a long try.

The call

Baltimore's 26.5 implied team total plus 1.9 red-zone stalls per game is the ideal kicker recipe: plenty of drives, plenty that end in a field-goal try. Projection of 2.0 attempts and 2.6 extra points backs it.
Loop is the locked-in PK1 with no injury designation and 88% accuracy (30/34), so there's no leg-strength or usage risk to work around beyond a modest 52-yard long.
Retractable roof with a calm forecast either way removes the wind and precipitation variance that usually separates kickers — this is a clean scoring environment.
Only real caveat: K12 on 8.5 projected points is a mid-tier start, so a top-8 kicker in a higher-total game on your bench would be the tiebreaker.

Latest on Loop

News & Notes: Tyler Loop Has 'Embraced' Competition From Jake Moody

The Ravens have a completion rate target for Lamar Jackson. Declan Doyle has a timeline for choosing the starting center. Where rookie Zion Young has made strides.

baltimoreravens.com · Sep 2, 2026

Minter backs Loop as Ravens add kicker competition in Moody

Baltimore signed Jake Moody to the practice squad three days after Tyler Loop missed two kicks in the preseason finale.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

Jesse Minter still has confidence in K Tyler Loop

Jamison Hensley breaks down the kicking situation for the Ravens.

VideoESPN · Aug 31, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

Metric	Cameron Dicker	Tyler Loop
Projected points	10.310.310.3	8.58.58.5
Consensus rank	K2	K12
Projected FG attempts	2.3	2.0
Red-zone stalls / game	1.8(2025)	1.9(2025)
Kicking conditions	Indoors, no weather risk	Retractable roof, calm forecast either way
Implied total · spread	28.5-11.5	26.5-3.5
Field-goal %	92.7%(2025)	88.2%(2025)
Depth chart	K1	K1