Kickers are creatures of game script.
In fantasy football that doesn’t make them any different than a lot of running backs and wideouts and tight ends. For those positions, as with kicker, opportunity evaporates with unfriendly game script.
The receiver or tight end sees a dip in routes and targets when their team gets out to a big lead and runs the rock in the second half. The running back ends up with ten carries instead of twenty because his team has to abandon the run as they chase points in a trailing script. In an opportunity-based game, this is something short of ideal.
That’s why we want kickers in our lineups whose teams have a good chance of seeing plenty of neutral or positive game script. Usually this means a team won’t forgo easy field goal opportunities in the second half, down by multiple scores. So there is a process to selecting kickers — even those off the waiver wire.
FFToday.com
Week 9 Results
- Eddy Pineiro (SF): 9 points
- Cairo Santos (CHI): 9 points
- Dominic Zvada (NYG): 17 points
It was a pretty good week all around for Rotoworld kicker plays. Zvada was just the latest kicker to get a bunch of field goal tries against the Eagles, and Pineiro got rather unlucky with the Niners staying red hot in the red zone. So it goes.
Week 10 Kicker Options
Ryan Fitzgerald (CAR) vs. NO
The Panthers are 1.5-point favorites here in a matchup between the NFL’s two fastest pace offenses. That should produce plenty of play volume and yards and points, including, hopefully, a few field goals. Saints opponents this season have attempted multiple field goals in six of eight games. Five kickers to face the Saints have logged double-digit fantasy points.
Panthers and Saints (who play in Week 10) are the NFL's two fastest pace offenses, and the Saints play faster with a lead somehow. There should be a lot of play volume. I support this.
— Denny Carter (@dennycarter.bsky.social) 2026-11-10T14:45:20.894Z
That very much puts Fitzgerald in play here. Though he’s been a low-key disaster on extra points this season, Fitzgerald has made 13 of his 14 field goal tries. Barring a game script nightmare — which happens to the Panthers sometimes — Fitzgerald should be a safe floor option in Week 10.
Eddy Pineiro (SF) at DAL
We’re going right back to the Pineiro well because there’s no earthly reason to believe the machine-like San Francisco offense is going to meet the slightest resistance against the abominable Dallas defense. The Niners, unsurprisingly, enter this game with the week’s highest implied team total.
Eddy Pineiro ends the first half with a 57-yard FG ‼️ @AZvsSF on FOX/FOX One Stream on @NFLPlus
— NFL (@nflbot.bsky.social) 2026-09-27T21:37:59.000Z
While the Cowboys aren’t allowing all that many field goal attempts, the process tells us to roster kickers whose teams should score a lot of points. And it’s not as if kickers have been shut out against Dallas. Six kickers have scored at least nine fantasy points against the Cowboys this season despite the Boys allowing the 11th fewest field goal tries. Stick with Pineiro this week.
Dominic Zvada (NYG) vs. WAS
There aren’t many Zvada-heads out there if his rostership is any indication. Oh well, they’re missing out. Our guy is in another good spot this week against a Washington team allowing 2.25 field goal tries per game.
Four of the past five kickers to face the Commanders have had multiple field goal attempts. That’s due in part to the Washington defense profiling as an extreme pass funnel unit — the kind that usually leads to lots of play volume and points and all that good stuff. It doesn’t really matter to me whether JJ McCarthy can suit up for this one. Keep Zvada rolling in Week 10.
