Week 9 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: K
Peppers & Picks' Week 9 K start 'em, sit 'em call for the 2026 NFL season: start Tyler Bass (BUF), our K1 at 5.8 projected points, and sit Eddy Pineiro (SF) at 3.6 projected points. Every call below comes from our own weekly projection, position rank, roster and start rates, opponent and injury designation, with Sally's and Tina's reasoning attached.
Data on this page is as of November 10, 2026 at 6:55 PM ET and refreshes automatically every 30 minutes.
Sally's and Tina's Week 9 K picks
Sally's pick
Tyler Bass K · BUF
Sally's Week 9 K pick: Tyler Bass. He's our K1 at 5.8 projected points at MIN · Final, and the Pepper Meter has him at 1 of 5.
Tina's pick
Dominic Zvada K · NYG
Tina's Week 9 K pick: Dominic Zvada. 5.6 projected points at PHI · Final, started in 31% of leagues — she'll take the cheaper version of the same production.
Start 'em: Ks to start in Week 9
Tyler Bass K · BUF · at MIN · Final
5.8 proj · #1 K1 of 5 peppers, MildStart Tyler Bass in Week 9: our K1 projects for 5.8 points, 1.7 below a typical starting K.
Rostered 77% · started 72%
Full outlook for Tyler BassWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Tyler Bass (BUF K) as a start in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at MIN, with 5.8 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K1 this week. Sally's angle is simple: he's a top-three K on our board, and she never benches the guys who win weeks. Facing MIN away from home, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. He's still in 72% of lineups at 77% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Mild heat, high rank: reliable points without the fireworks.
Sally's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Dominic Zvada K · NYG · at PHI · Final
5.6 proj · #3 K1 of 5 peppers, MildStart Dominic Zvada in Week 9: our K3 projects for 5.6 points, 1.9 below a typical starting K.
Rostered 37% · started 31%
Full outlook for Dominic ZvadaWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Dominic Zvada (NYG K) as a start in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at PHI, with 5.6 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K3 this week. Tina would rather take the cheaper, steadier option than 1.9 points of shortfall. Facing PHI away from home, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. Only 37% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Mild heat, high rank: reliable points without the fireworks.
Tina's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Ka'imi Fairbairn K · HOU · at LAC · Final
5.5 proj · #4 K1 of 5 peppers, MildStart Ka'imi Fairbairn in Week 9: our K4 projects for 5.5 points, 2 below a typical starting K.
Rostered 83% · started 65%
Full outlook for Ka'imi FairbairnWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU K) as a start in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at LAC, with 5.5 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K4 this week. Sally's angle is simple: he's a top-six K on our board, and she never benches the guys who win weeks. He's still in 65% of lineups at 83% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. 5.5 points is roughly 27% short of the K baseline, and I rank on output, not name recognition. Mild on the Pepper Meter reflects a steady weekly floor rather than a boom week — that's still a start.
Sally's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Will Reichard K · MIN · vs BUF · Final
5.3 proj · #5 K1 of 5 peppers, MildStart Will Reichard in Week 9: our K5 projects for 5.3 points, 2.2 below a typical starting K.
Rostered 92% · started 85%
Full outlook for Will ReichardWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Will Reichard (MIN K) as a start in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season vs BUF, with 5.3 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K5 this week. Tina's pushback: 85% of leagues start him, so you gain nothing on your opponent here — the edge is elsewhere. The projection sits about 29% under what a startable K returns, so I honestly can't pretend the price tag matches the output. At home against BUF, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. Tina keeps the Pepper Meter at Mild here because the ceiling is capped, not the role.
Tina's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Cam Little K · JAX · at BAL · Final
5 proj · #6 K1 of 5 peppers, MildStart Cam Little in Week 9: our K6 projects for 5 points, 2.5 below a typical starting K.
Rostered 67% · started 54%
Full outlook for Cam LittleWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Cam Little (JAX K) as a start in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at BAL, with 5.0 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K6 this week. Sally's angle is simple: he's a top-six K on our board, and she never benches the guys who win weeks. The at BAL draw matters here — road snaps against BAL shape how often he's asked to do something. He's still in 54% of lineups at 67% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Mild heat, high rank: reliable points without the fireworks.
Sally's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Sit 'em: Ks to bench in Week 9
Eddy Pineiro K · SF · vs LV · Final
3.6 proj · #25 K1 of 5 peppers, MildSit Eddy Pineiro in Week 9 if you have an alternative — 3.6 projected points lands 3.9 under the K starter line.
Rostered 35% · started 24%
See his full outlook for Eddy PineiroWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Eddy Pineiro (SF K) as a sit in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season vs LV, with only 3.6 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K25 this week. Tina would rather take the cheaper, steadier option than 3.9 points of shortfall. Facing LV in front of his own crowd, the script reads neutral to friendly, not scary. 24% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. Tina keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Tina's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Jason Myers K · SEA · vs ARI · Final
3.9 proj · #23 K1 of 5 peppers, MildSit Jason Myers in Week 9 if you have an alternative — 3.9 projected points lands 3.6 under the K starter line.
Rostered 89% · started 84%
See his full outlook for Jason MyersWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Jason Myers (SEA K) as a sit in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season vs ARI, with only 3.9 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K23 this week. Sally wants fireworks, and 3.6 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. He's still in 84% of lineups at 89% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. 3.9 points is roughly 48% short of the K baseline, and I rank on output, not name recognition. The Pepper Meter cools him to Mild, and that reading is doing its job.
Sally's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Chad Ryland K · ARI · at SEA · Final
4 proj · #21 K1 of 5 peppers, MildSit Chad Ryland in Week 9 if you have an alternative — 4 projected points lands 3.5 under the K starter line.
Rostered 29% · started 25%
See his full outlook for Chad RylandWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Chad Ryland (ARI K) as a sit in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at SEA, with only 4.0 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K21 this week. Tina calls it a floor problem: 3.5 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He grades 47% below the average weekly K number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. SEA is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.
Tina's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Matt Gay K · LV · at SF · Final
4 proj · #20 K1 of 5 peppers, MildSit Matt Gay in Week 9 if you have an alternative — 4 projected points lands 3.5 under the K starter line.
Rostered 57% · started 51%
See his full outlook for Matt GayWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Matt Gay (LV K) as a sit in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season at SF, with only 4.0 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K20 this week. Sally wants fireworks, and 3.5 points below a typical starter isn't fireworks. The at SF draw matters here — road snaps against SF shape how often he's asked to do something. He's still in 51% of lineups at 57% rostered, which is exactly the trap I'm trying to talk you out of. Sally keeps him at Mild until the usage says otherwise.
Sally's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
Cairo Santos K · CHI · vs TB · Final
4.3 proj · #17 K1 of 5 peppers, MildSit Cairo Santos in Week 9 if you have an alternative — 4.3 projected points lands 3.2 under the K starter line.
Rostered 38% · started 33%
See his full outlook for Cairo SantosWhy?
FINAL — his game is over; this was our pre-game read. Peppers & Picks lists Cairo Santos (CHI K) as a sit in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season vs TB, with only 4.3 projected fantasy points and a mild Pepper Meter rating, our K17 this week. Tina calls it a floor problem: 3.2 points under the starter line is a lot of risk for a lineup spot. He grades 43% below the average weekly K number, which is a floor problem more than a ceiling one. TB is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. Mild on the Pepper Meter is generous, honestly.
Tina's original analysis from our own projection, usage and status data. Game is final — numbers above are the pre-game projection.
This article is rebuilt automatically every week from our own Week 9 projections, position ranks, roster and start rates, opponent data, injury designations and Pepper Meter heat ratings. Commentary is written in-house by Sally and Tina.