Trey Smack or Tyler Loop: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Loop's Baltimore attack gives him more chances than Smack's Green Bay dome comfort

Baltimore's offense stalling more often in the red zone is actually the point for Loop — those drives that stop short still need a kick, and a 26.5-point implied total means more trips there in the first place. Smack sits in a dome with zero weather variance, but Green Bay's lower implied total and cleaner scoring shows up as fewer field-goal looks, not just a marginally lower projection. Loop's accuracy sample and consensus rank reflect a full season of made kicks, while Smack is still an unproven rookie leg with no regular-season track record to lean on. The preseason wobble and a coach going out of his way to back him publicly cut both ways, but Minter's endorsement is the stronger signal this close to kickoff.

What flips it: Baltimore adding real competition in Moody or another shaky outing forcing Minter to hedge his support.

Sources: ESPN · Sep 1, 2026 · ESPN · Aug 29, 2026

AI editor

Trey Smack

Trey Smack

K17GBvs MIN

Projected Points

Toss-Up· medium
Tyler Loop

Tyler Loop

K12BALvs IND

Projected Points

Start· high

Why Trey Smack

Toss-Up· medium

Rookie starting placekicker with a strong leg. Long-range kickoff and field-goal ability; no NFL regular-season sample yet.

K19 in a 12-team format, but a dome, a 23.0 implied total and 1.5 red-zone stalls per game keep him in the streaming mix.

  • A dome removes any weather variable, which matters more for a rookie leg without an NFL track record.
  • Green Bay's tighter red-zone efficiency actually caps his kick volume compared to Loop's stall-prone offense.

The call

  • The projection is the problem: 8.3 points and a K19 consensus rank put him just outside the every-week starter tier in a 12-team league, so a top-12 kicker on waivers should beat him out.
  • Everything around the volume is favorable — indoor game with no weather risk, a 23.0 implied team total and a 1.5-per-game red-zone stall rate that manufactures field goal tries on top of the 2.3 projected extra points.
  • He's the clear PK1 with no injury designation, so the role is locked; the ceiling is capped by only 2.0 projected attempts.
  • Tip-in: if the alternative on your waiver wire is a kicker with a higher implied total or more attempts, sit Smack; if you're choosing between him and an outdoor kicker in a low-total game, the dome makes him the play.

Why Tyler Loop

Start· high

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.

K10 with a 26.5 implied total, 88% accuracy (30/34) and 1.9 red-zone stalls per game — 1.7 FGs plus 2.6 XPs is a top-10 floor.

  • Baltimore's red-zone stalls translate directly into extra field-goal tries rather than lost scoring chances.
  • A proven 88% accuracy season gives him a safer floor than a rookie with no regular-season sample.

The call

  • A 26.5 implied team total is among the best kicker environments on the board: 2.6 projected extra points give him a scoring floor before a single field goal.
  • Baltimore stalls in the red zone 1.9 times per game, which converts drives into the 2.0 attempts projected here — volume plus touchdown equity is the ideal kicker mix.
  • He's 30-of-34 (88%) on the season and locked in as PK1 with no injury designation; the retractable roof removes most weather downside even with no forecast yet.
  • Only real cap is the 50-plus profile — one make from that range with a long of 52 — so the upside is volume-driven rather than bonus-leg driven.

Latest on Loop

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.

ESPN · Aug 31, 2026

K Tyler Loop struggles in preseason finale

Jamison Hensley discusses whether Tyler Loop's job is in jeopardy after a lackluster preseason.

ESPN · Aug 29, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricTrey SmackTyler Loop
Projected points
Consensus rankK17K12
Projected FG attempts2.02.0
Red-zone stalls / game1.5(2025)1.9(2025)
Kicking conditionsIndoors, no weather risk—
Implied total · spread23.0-1.526.5-3.5
Field-goal %—88.2%(2025)
Depth chartK1K1
Start/Sit record0–0+1 toss-up—

Signal breakdown

  • 8.3 vs 8.5 projected PPR pointsTyler Loop +
  • Rank 17 vs 12Tyler Loop +
  • 2.0 vs 2.0 projected attemptsTrey Smack +
  • 1.5 vs 1.9 red-zone stalls per gameTyler Loop +
  • Kicking weathereven
  • Implied 23.0 vs 26.5 team pointsTyler Loop +
  • No injury designationseven

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