Evan McPherson and Andy Borregales Best Week 17 Waiver Wire Kicker Pickups
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Fantasy football builds to its final crescendo. Yes, it was another crazed week with Charlie Smyth leading the kickers scoring 19 points. What will happen in the finale for most fantasy football playoffs?
Yes, the second week of the "playoffs" showed some telling trends and rebounds. The stakes are at their highest for Week 17. One misstep can mean the difference between glory and the dreaded runner-up position.
The end is near. Do not forget there are Christmas games, a couple Saturday contests, and much more.
Evan McPherson - Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals came out firing in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins. One of the big beneficiaries was Evan McPherson. He had six extra points and a field goal which did inch above his projections. Week 17 is very different with all sorts of clinching scenarios mixed with teams just playing out the regular season.
Cincinnati entertains the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. McPherson is ranked 14th positionally and owned in around 20% of leagues still. He has made 11 out of 12 kicks at home this season without missing an extra point. Arizona gave up 26 points but it could have easily been 30+. The Cardinals' defense has truly collapsed over the second half of 2025.
Sunday will feature a little rain but no cold weather. Kickers should have an easy track of sorts for this tilt, especially McPherson.
Andy Borregales - New England Patriots
The New England kicker enjoys a great matchup against a New York Jets defense that cannot generate much of anything to slow the Patriots down. New York's simple rating score ranks dead last in the NFL. The Jets are 30th in points allowed with 57 red zone trips yielded, and 23 field goals from inside said red zone.
Andy Borregales hits the 41-yard field goal.
— New England Sports Fellow (@_JosephManning) December 22, 2025
The #Patriots now lead the #Ravens 13-10 pic.twitter.com/YeiuKvMXLx
Borregales just keeps making those kicks. The Jets are one of the best five or six teams to kick against in fantasy football. The only thing that can truly derail Borregales is the weather. A potential winter storm is forecast for the weekend. However, Sunday should be okay by that time. It is merely something to keep an eye on. Do not be too concerned.
Simply, he is projected for as close to double digit projected points as a player can get. The green light is still on.
Will Reichard - Minnesota Vikings
Yes, Will Reichard is a dangerous choice here for Week 17. However, this could pay off. Detroit is not the best team on the road and injury concerns abound with several good kicker scenarios. See Green Bay! Do watch to see who is the quarterback for the Vikings. J.J. McCarthy is ailing and not 100% again.
However, the Detroit Lions' defense is a shell of what it was also. At the least, this game could offer the chance for more field goals for both kickers. Could this be Giants-Vikings part two? That answer is likely no but it could be closer than anyone imagined.
If Reichard is not the most ideal choice ultimately, may we suggest Eddy Pineiro one more time. A home matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday primetime could be beneficial as the kicker has a marvelous 96.4% field goal conversion rate.
