Chase McLaughlin and 2 Other Need-to-Know Kicker Streamers in Week 1 Fantasy Football
Kickers serve a role in fantasy football. Love it or hate it, your league probably uses them in the lineup. Kickers are people too, and we must put stock in their usefulness. This could make all the difference between a win and a loss. When searching for high-upside streamers, look no further than these 3 kickers.
Chase McLaughlin
Available in over 80% of leagues.
Last week, I ranked McLaughlin among the top-10 kickers in 2026 fantasy football. He is in that second tier. The key factor is being on a promising offense that plays often in warmer weather and/or indoors.
The Buccaneers will begin their season this week at home. The current weather forecast calls for mid-80s temperatures, light winds, and a 15% chance of rain. The game has an over/under standing tall at 50.5 total points.
In 2025, McLaughlin had the 5th-most field attempts and 7th-most makes in the NFL. I see great upside regarding this kicker, who also went 11-for-12 from 50+ yards a year ago.
Cairo Santos
Available in about 90% of leagues.
Everyone is bullish on the Bears' offense after what they showed last season. So am I. It is hard not to be in favor of Ben Johnson's squad. His resume says it all, from Detroit to the 2025 Chicago revival. Being bullish on their offense, they favor being confident in their kickers.
In 2025, Santos averaged 1.6 kicks made per game. He averaged 2.6 XPM made per game. On average, that would be 8.0 fantasy points per game in non-bonus leagues. Santos was also 14-for-18 in 40+ yard kicks, or above league average.
The Bears play the Panthers in Carolina this coming Sunday. The weather will be hot, with a high of 93 degrees. That will favor further air travel for the football. The wind will be average, but not too concerning: 6.8 mph with 11 mph gusts. The chance of rain is about 20%. That weather risk is not all that scary, especially for a kicker accustomed to playing in the literal Windy City.
Chris Boswell
Available in about 40% of leagues.
The Steelers play host to the Falcons on Sunday. The betting lines have the Steelers are 3-point favorites on a 42.5-point over/under. Thus, they are implied to score about 22.5 points. The Steelers should range on 2.2-2.5 points per drive all season long. Less-than-elite in touchdown scoring, Boswell probably gets plenty of chances to kick that football.
There is expected to be virtually no wind this weekend. Pittsburgh's Sunday forecast calls for winds of 1.5 mph, gusts only to about 7.5 mph, and less than a 20% chance of rain.
In 2025, Boswell was awesome in his long-range, going 10-for-11 in the 40-49 yard range and 9-for-11 from 50+.
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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.