Zane Gonzalez and Will Reichard Top Week 18 Waiver Wire Kicker Pickups
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Amazingly, we have made it to Week 18 of the NFL season! For those souls who have to negotiate a final week of fantasy football still, the lights are still on here at Fantasy On SI. The mission has been accepted and it will be a challenge. Sifting through who might play and not play will be an adventure.
Week 17 saw 12 kickers get into the double digit point column. That is still a solid 37.5%. For December, that is outright great. Here is one problem. This last week brings the even harsher month of January into the conversation. Yes, two important and obvious notes are essential. There is no Thursday football or Monday football this week.
Two games are on Saturday with the rest coming on Sunday. Which kickers will get rested and which ones will play?
Zane Gonzalez - Atlanta Falcons
If the dome feels like home, then roll with it! Yes, Zane Gonzalez may miss a field goal here and there but Monday night's miss was a block that went back for a touchdown. Arguably, the Falcons' special teams failed massively. That is not on Gonzalez. He came back and nailed two 50+ yard kicks in the second half as Atlanta defeated the Los Angeles Rams 27-24.
Atlanta will play New Orleans on Sunday with a good chance to end their season on a four game winning streak. The Falcons are the team one wonders what could have been yet again. However, for fantasy football purposes, they were the perfect sleeper team heading down the stretch. Gonzalez has benefitted averaging 2.4 attempts per game over his last five appearances.
CLUTCH! 🎯
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) December 30, 2025
Zane Gonzalez nails a 51-yard game-winner! 🥶
#Falcons pull off the UPSET over the #Rams! 😮💨
That's how you deliver under pressure! 💪
🗣️: Kevin Harlan & #kurt13warner pic.twitter.com/mKcqXNu4ok
Quantity is important and this NFC South game with New Orleans has some meaning. The Falcons' kicker is owned only in 1-2% of leagues. This contest could be a dud or be all out scoring. However, Gonzalez or Charlie Whyte can be viable options here.
Will Reichard - Minnesota Vikings
With the Green Bay Packers resting their starters, Minnesota has a chance to go over .500 on Sunday. Will Reichard has gone pretty quiet while scoring in double digits over the past three games. Gobbling up kicker points is a good thing and Green Bay's defense has been porous lately anyway. The Packers have yielded 10+ points to kickers in three straight weeks.
Again, if one is in this position, take advantage of the advantageous whenever possible. Reichard has been a Top 10 kicker all year and has been underowned in the 15-20% range. The Minnesota Viking has 11 kicks made from 50+ yards on the season (30-32 overall).
Crazy fact: #Vikings K Will Reichard has not missed an extra point in his ENTIRE NFL CAREER!
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) December 27, 2025
Reichard is 68/68 from XP in his NFL career. pic.twitter.com/IoliMqLfp0
Reichard has been excellent and will get opportunities in the season finale.
Ben Sauls - New York Giants
Ben Sauls is not an insane nuclear option this week. MetLife Stadium figures to witness a game with defense being optional. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants give up yardage in epic fashion. Weather expects to not be a factor with seasonably cold conditions and little wind. Less swirl is great for kickers and Sauls is an option against a team that ranks 32nd in points allowed.
The game total for this Giants-Cowboys game likely goes up a little too. Dallas yields 61 red zone opportunities which ranks 31st in the league. At a minimum, field goal chances should be moderate to high here.
