Ryan Fitzgerald and 2 Other Must-Start Kickers in Week 8 Fantasy Football
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Legs and uprights. We are looking for guys that have absolute rockets on their legs that will get us many points to win our fantasy football league. Some have stood out, most notably Brandon Aubrey. Others have struggled and been bench — say goodbye to Jue McAtamney. The best thing I can do is crunch the numbers and find those kickers with the highest upside ahead of Week 8. I came up with these three options that may be more reliable than some others.
Bye-Mageddon
We have hit that tough spot in the NFL calendar where many teams hit their bye weeks. This means that you may see an influx of players absent from your roster this week. Many people do not quite know how to stream a kicker so they will just take one blindly. That is not always the smartest move.
We have (6) teams on a bye this week. This includes kickers such as Jake Bates, Daniel Carlson, and Jason Myers. The goal of this weeks' article is to dive even deeper than usual to find players likely to be available on your waiver wire.
Matt Prater (@ CAR) - Owned 27%
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 8 Ranking: K13
Tyler Bass remains out for the Bills but they have not had to worry as the veteran, Prater, has been ultra accurate. In 6 games, Prater is 10/11 which is, of course, among the best in the NFL. Only four kickers remain perfect that have played over two games this year. >90% is always immaculate.
Prater will face the Panthers this week who have been good on defense, but not elite. We know that you must be elite to contain Josh Allen, especially as he is 7-0 after a bye week. The Bills should have plenty of opportunities this week in a reliable weather forecast.
Ryan Fitzgerald (Vs BUF) - Owned 8%
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 8 Ranking: K20
We are coming back to this same game here to stack the kicking games. Fitzgerald has flown under the radar as an elite kicker this season. In 7 games, he is 12/13 with his only miss being a 50+ yarder. Buffalo has been a midpack defense this season and we can see Dave Canales' brilliant mind working some magic to get the Panthers in scoring position. If Carolina we're "that bad", they would be much worse than one touchdown underdogs. We can expect Carolina to take points when presented this weekend.
Will Reichard (@ LAC) - Owned 4%
Fantasy Sports On SI Week 8 Ranking: K17
How about a dome? A dome is a kickers best friend as we no longer have to calculate wind into the kick. It is a matter of a hold and a good edge block. Reichard is 13/14 this season and much like Fitzgerald, his only miss was beyond 50 yards. Reichard is reliable and should see opportunities in a moderate scoring matchup at the Chargers. Be sure to snag him off of waivers if need be.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.