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.
In this space I’ll highlight a few waiver kicker options who check the boxes of a viable play. Some, of course, will be better than others. Oh, and one more thing: Accuracy doesn’t really matter at all. We want opportunity.
Week 5 Results
Here’s how our waiver wire kickers did in Week 5.
Chris Boswell: 13 fantasy points
Nick Folk: 12 points
Chad Ryland: 3 points
Week 6 Kicker Options
Below is a look at kicker fantasy production allowed by each team through Week 5, along with a graph showing which coaches are most aggressive and most conservative with their fourth down decision making.
FFToday.com
RBSDM.com
Cairo Santos (CHI) at Falcons
Caleb Williams (hamstring) is expected to return to action this week and save the Bears from Tyson Bagent’s quietly disastrous stint as starter over the superior Case Keenum. That should help every fantasy-relevant Chicago player, including, naturally, Santos.
The Bears enter this one as 3.5-point favorites, Santos will be indoors — safe from the Chicago elements — and facing an Atlanta team that has allowed multiple field goal tries in four of five games this season. Santos, meanwhile, has yet to miss a field goal this season (accuracy doesn’t really matter when seeking a waiver wire kicker, but I had to brag about my boy Cairo).
Chris Boswell (PIT) at Bucs
The Boz — the zoomers insist on calling him the Boz — came through for us last week with two field goals and four extra points against the Colts. He’s in yet another good spot here, with the Steelers favored on the road against Jalon Daniels and the Bucs.
Tampa has allowed the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing kickers, as you can see in the chart above. Only six teams have given up more field goal tries than the Bucs through Week 5. Boswell, who has eight field goal attempts in three Pittsburgh wins this season, should have a tremendous floor here, with upside to spare if the Steelers offense is as efficient as it was in Week 5.
Andy Borregales (NE) vs. Jets
It’s not all that often we can find a kicker whose team is favored by 9.5 points to win. Lucky day: We found one here with Borregales, whose Patriots are massive home favorites this week against the competitive-but-still-quite-bad Jets.
You’re going to need to trust the process here because Borregales’ field goal opportunities have been limited through five games. He has just eight field goal tries so far. He’s made six (along with all 12 of his extra points). Remember: The process.
Allowing 3.7 red zone possessions per game, the Jets have allowed multiple field goal attempts in three of five games this year. The Drake Maye Machine coming back to life should mean good things for Borregales, especially if (when) the Pats cool down in the red zone. Borregales averaged 2.2 field goal tries per game last season in New England victories.
