Evan McPherson and Matt Prater Top Week 8 Waiver Wire Kicker Pickups
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October delivered some big swings in the form of Week 7 for kickers. Naturally, Week 8 could do much the same. With a half dozen fewer kickers to choose from, the adventures lies in trying to find those players who will get the opportunity to do what they do best and often.
While searching for options, wide receiver Week 8 debates have begun already. It is going to be one of those weeks even in kicking circles.
Note: Ownership percentages are from Yahoo and ESPN. Players rostered in greater than 60 percent of leagues will not get mentioned.
John Parker Romo - Atlanta Falcons (1% Rostered across ESPN Leagues)
There are going to be a lot of situations in Week 8 where risk is just an acceptable part of doing business. Obviously, the waiver wire is full of risk-reward scenarios. John Parker Romo, or Parker Romo, is one of those. He has missed three kicks in 12 attempts. However, like Blake Grupe, there figure to be a few chances to get some kicks in.
Miami has allowed 31 red-zone trips in 2025 and given up only 16 touchdowns. Only is a relative term but the Dolphins has allowed kickers 2-3 chances a week like clockwork. The quirky part was last week in adverse weather where Cleveland scored four touchdowns and only one field goal.
Miami Dolphins Defense has had 6 penalties so far and we are still in the 3rd quarter.
— AzzurriFL🐬 (Ollie Gordon II Stan) (@azzurri_fl) October 19, 2025
When teams take this many penalties, that extends drives and leads to more chances for kickers. Even Romo should be able to benefit with the extra downs. Again, Week 8 will not be easy but if the usual options are scooped up, Romo may be up for the task if the Atlanta offense can just not make mistakes themselves.
Evan McPherson - Cincinnati Bengals (9.1% owned in ESPN Leagues)
The Cincinnati Bengals kicker finally got chances in better weather on better turf. McPherson bootted four field goals against Pittsburgh in a 33-31 win that snapped a four-game losing streak. He may get chances this week against a Jets team that usually does not allow touchdowns. In last week's 13-6 loss, the red zone defense was again a bright spot.
The game will be in Cincinnati on a faster track and not at the swirling winds of MetLife Stadium. With Joe Flacco under center, the Bengals have confidence again. Going up against a Jets team desperate for the bye week could mean more offensive output again. That means Evan McPherson should get work again.
The Cincinnati defense is not all that good either so Nick Folk may be a possibility in this scenario as well.
Matt Prater - Buffalo Bills (Less than 30% owned in ESPN and Yahoo)
Prater comes back into focus because Tyler Bass has not even entered the practice window yet. It appears the Bills' kicker will get one more week at least. The loss last week to Atlanta was frustrating as the Bills' offense was downright stagnant. After four weeks of being prolific, Josh Allen and company have come back down to Earth.
Maybe that is not a bad thing. Prater's ownership is down below 30% and as low as 10% on Yahoo. Expect Buffalo to get James Cook involved early against a Carolina defense that has not faced a solid running attack in almost a month.
#NFL Field Goal % Leaders - 2025 (min 10 attempts)
— NFL Analytics & Stats (@gofbanalytics) October 19, 2025
Eddy Pineiro 100.0% (15/15)
Cameron Dicker 100.0% (14/14)
Brandon Aubrey 100.0% (12/12)
Nick Folk 100.0% (12/12)
Spencer Shrader 92.9% (13/14)
Ryan Fitzgerald 90.9% (10/11)
Matt Prater 90.9% (10/11)
Tyler Loop 90.0% (9/10)…
Prater has been rather accurate and if one needs a long kick, he can do that too. The Buffalo kicker has three field goals of 60+ yards in his career. Considering two of those came in his late 30's (now 41), that is impressive.
