Week 1 Kicker Waiver Wire Pickups to Make Immediately Including Matt Gay

Week 1 of the regular season is a mere two sleeps away! Michael Fabiano highlighted his waiver wire pickups for the prime fantasy positions.

If your leagues are a little more like mine, days often blend into each other and waiver wire pickups are ongoing. Either way, check your league settings and see what kickers may be out there. Before anyone knows it, Week 1 will be there and the points will be piling up!

Note: Ownership percentages are from ESPN. Players rostered in more than 60 percent of leagues won’t be mentioned.

Fantasy Football Kicker Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

Matt Gay, K, Commanders (37.3%)

Gay should see a more balanced offense in front of him for Washington. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders strive to run the ball a little more often. As it was, Washington ranked fifth offensively scoring 485 points. Gay expects to see a boost from his 31 field goals and 33 extra points made.

Playing the Giants will only help in Week 1. The weather is expected to be almost perfect. That means ideal kicking conditions for Gay against New York. Gay could be a kicker that delivers double digits fantasy points.

Chad Ryland, K, Cardinals (0.7%)

One of the bigger surprises is that Ryland is not skyrocketing up waiver wire lists faster. Ryland is only currently owned in around 1% of most fantasy football leagues. The kicker made 87.5% of his attempts last year. Also, Arizona faces New Orleans to open the NFL season on Sunday. New Orleans gave up nearly 400 points in 2024 and could exceed that in 2025.

That means the potential for more kicking opportunities. Many want to talk about ECR (Expert Consensus Ranking). However, sometimes taking a chance on an improved leg cannot hurt. It also helps that Spencer Rattler is starting for the Saints. Rattler in six starts turned the ball over eight times as the Saints offense stalled often.

Again, Arizona should see more possessions than suaul which helps Ryland here.

Brandon McManus, K, Packers (10.2%)

McManus only kicked 20 field goals last year but that was in 11 games. The Green Bay kicker still booted 30 extra points. Over the course of a full season, that is 30+ field goals and 40+ extra points. Suddenly, that looks like what a Top 10 kicker would average. Green Bay opens up the season against Detroit which seems risky.

However, the game is at Lambeau Field and Green Bay wants to avenge last season's two losses to the Lions. McManus missed his only regular season kick of 2024 versus Detroit. In a game that can come down to kicking, McManus is probably worth a look on Sunday.

Honorable Mentions For Week 1 Pickups

Evan McPherson - Bengals - 16.7%
Daniel Carlson - Raiders - 4.3%
Youghoe Koo - Falcons - 7.8%