Fantasy Football Week 1 Kicker Streamers: Daniel Carlson, Cam Little and a Multi-Week Target at the Top?

Kicker is the most fungible of all the fantasy positions. It's impossible to know which teams will get into scoring position but not get into the end zone on a given week; it's not just about skill, it's about opportunity. While running backs and wide receivers also need opportunities, we know they will get on the field. The kicker might not even get a chance at a field goal through an entire game.

I like going after guys on good offensive teams, but even if that team has a dominant day, the kicker might not get a chance at realy fantasy points. Scoring five touchdowns with no field goal attempts leaves your kicker with a maximum of five points available, not a very good day.

The best thing we can do is look for a kicker with a good weather situation who is playing against a team that could theoretically allow points. From there, all you can do is hope that things fall your way, and your kicker gets a chance to put three points on the board often.

Let's look at three kickers with good situations in Week 1 who are probably available as free agents in your fantasy league. These guys were all drafted outside the top 10 fantasy kickers. Weather reports are from Rotowire.

Check out fantasy football waiver wire options all season on FantasySP!

Cam Little, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers

Even if you don't pay attention to the preseason, you probably heard about Little making a 70-yard field goal. He's unlikely to make another one from that range, but by showing he can hit long kicks, Little will probably get more chances at those attempts, meaning more potential fantasy points. If they are near mid-field, Little will be on the minds of the coaches when they hit fourth down.

While Jacksonville wasn't very good on offense last season, they do have some hope for improvement. Trevor Lawrence appeared in just 10 games, leaving Mac Jones to play in eight games in which he threw at least 20 passes (while averaging a paltry 6.4 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions). Simple better health from their top guy, who only missed one game in three seasons before 2024, will help a lot.

The Jags also brought in a new offensive-minded head coach in Liam Coen, and while we don't know what he will be as a head coach, he comes from the vaunted Sean McVay tree and had success as Tampa Bay's offensive coordinator last season. Add in second overall pick Travis Hunter and three new offensive line starters taking over (after they were 19th in pass blocking and 25th in run blocking last year), and this team looks more likely to succeed, even if they aren't a top unit.

Carolina gave up more points than any other team last season, and I don't expect them to be much better on that side of the ball. They added a few players but no one who is going to single-handedly turn around the unit. Carolina's offense looks a little better, but the defense is likely to keep them among the worst in the league.

Little has a chance at big kicks against a bad defense and playing with an offense who has reason to expect improvement; that's a recipe for possible fantasy success. Early weather reports show a mostly sunny day with less than a 20% chance of rain.

Chad Ryland, Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

The Cardinals are playing a team that I expect to be among the worst in football. The Saints' offense might be worse than the defense, but that could mean better field position for Arizona's offense if New Orleans can't move the ball. The Saints still aren't projected to be great on defense; they don't have much top-line talent and are counting on a few older guys to make impacts, something that could lead to a lot of long days against good offenses.

Ryland was a fourth-round draft pick by the Patriots a few years back, so he was regarded coming out of college. After a horrible rookie season with New England, he hit 87.5% of his field goals last year and missed just one extra point, so it seems like he's a guy who can be counted on.

Arizona has the makings of a good offense, with Kyler Murray, James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Trey McBride leading the way. They had an average-or-better offensive line last year, ranking 16th in pass blocking and 11th in run blocking. The Cards should put their kicker in position to score points most weeks.

Ryland is my favorite streaming kicker to start the season and is a multi-week option, as the Cardinals play Carolina in Week 2, a team we just targeted above. Both games will also be in domes, a nice little cherry on top, setting him up with everything he needs to be successful. The only thing left is luck falling in favor of the owners who pick him up.

Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots

Carlson has been a top-10 fantasy kicker in four of the past five seasons, including K10 last year. The Raiders upgraded their offense by bringing in Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty, and they have the makings of a possible above-average team on that side of the ball (though the defense is another story).

The matchup isn't great here. The Patriots added new starters at every level with guys like Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane (a former Raider), and Carlton Davis III, and they hired a defensive head coach in Mike Vrabel who should theoretically help on that side of the ball. They were below average in many areas last year, though, including points and yards allowed and defensive line win rates, so even improvement might not turn them into a top unit. There's a little vulnerability.

This is more about a guy who has been successful and is part of a potentially good offense. Carlson is another kicker who was drafted relatively high (fifth-round pick in 2018) who was given up on by his first team (Minnesota) after a rough start but has looked much better since those early struggles.

The early weather report is calling for a clear, sunny day, as good as it can be for a kicker outside of a dome stadium.