Week 9 Kicker Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds: Daniel Carlson On Fire

Younghoe Koo had a bounce-back day after a miserable week last week. His four field-goal attempts are what he is more used to seeing and what should be expected for the remainder of the season. Michael Badgley turned out to be one of the best options this week with three field goals from varying distances. His converted field goal from 50+ now raises his conversion rate to 50% from that distance, but the inconsistency of his leg has proved to be a challenge towards ownership. Ryan Succop also proved to be a great option with four field goals of his own. Succop has missed just two field goals and one extra point on the season and as the Buccaneers’ offense continues to strengthen itself, he could be a top kicker in the league. He just needs the volume to pick up the pace in terms of field goals. With more games like last week, that could become the case. With the playoff race heating up, here are some kickers that you should be considering when putting together the best possible lineup.

Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders

Opponent: Los Angeles Chargers
Own %: 47.7

It was another productive day for Daniel Carlson last week which makes seven out of seven games in which he has put up solid numbers. No game has gone by in which he has not had at least two field goals and the extra point base is there as well. The Chargers have also been among the top six best teams to play a kicker against as they have averaged 8.43 points per game to kickers this season. He has also been almost perfect for how many attempts he gets per game. He has only missed two field goals this season, one coming last week, and one extra point, which came in a game where he had five extra-point attempts. The volume has been there for Carlson and as long as he continues making his attempts, he could end as a top 5 kicker.

Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Opponent: New Orleans Saints
Own %: 29.3

As mentioned above in the introduction, Ryan Succop had one of the best kicker performances of the week. He nailed all four of his field-goal attempts, keeping his nearly perfect field goal percentage with only two misses on the season. He now has two four-field goal games on the season and the Buccaneers’ offense has only seen improvements as time goes on. Losing Godwin to an injury has mainly only helped Succop as more field goals have been attempted in his absence. Because of how many points the Buccaneers put up each week, Succop’s floor is fairly high with his ceiling being just as high if not higher than some of the best kickers in the league. His consistency gives him the value that a lot of other kickers struggle with, and it is just the field-goal volume that is in question if too many touchdowns are scored.

Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

Opponent: Seattle Seahawks
Own %: 7.5

Two weeks ago, Tyler Bass had eight field goal attempts in a crazy game that pushed his ranking up. He fell back to his normal type of performance last week with one field goal and three extra points, but the upcoming matchup for the Bills is favorable for Bass. The Seahawks have been in several shootout types of games in which the score goes up and up. If that comes to be the case, we could see a big game for Bass again. Even if the majority of the scores are touchdowns, just a couple of field goals would make Bass a top kicker for the week once again. The Seahawks did not give up any field goals last week, but just two weeks ago, Zane Gonzalez finished as a top kicker against them which shows what is possible for Bass.

Michael Badgley, Los Angeles Chargers

Opponent: Las Vegas Raiders
Own %: 10.2

It now has been back-to-back games in which Badgley exceeded expectations with his best game of the season coming last week. He made all three field-goal attempts with one coming from over 50 yards. The one problem with Badgley this season has been his inconsistency. He has missed four field goals on the season which is a lot for a kicker with not too many attempts on the season. The recent production surge gives the value to Badgley that makes him usable this week. The Raiders have been on the favorable end of the spectrum for kickers this season, increasing the favorability for Badgley this week. With the momentum from the past two weeks and the upcoming matchup, Badgley is a go for week 9.

Nick Folk, New England Patriots

Opponent: New York Jets
Own %: 2.8

With how poorly the Patriots have played recently, it has resulted in good effects for Nick Folk. The amount of extra points has gone down to practically zero, but his field-goal attempts have picked up at its expense, giving him better value. The past three weeks in which the Patriots have failed offensively have been some of Folk’s best games with two field goals every week. He has only missed two field goals on the season which came in the first two weeks of the season. Since then, Folk has been perfect with field goals, so as his production increases, his points will go up as well. If he continues to make all of his opportunities, the future is bright for him. With the Patriots traveling to face the Jets next week, they should begin to move their offense more and find more points for Folk.

Zane Gonzalez, Arizona Cardinals

Opponent: Miami Dolphins
Own %: 27.6

Zane Gonzalez and the Cardinals have seen a spike in their production in their last game against the Seahawks two weeks ago. Zane Gonzalez hit three of four field goals with his one miss coming in overtime, followed up by a 49-yard field goal minutes later to win the game. After a bye week, it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals will look against a Dolphins’ defense who has looked amazing in the last few weeks. Both the Cardinals’ offense and the Dolphins’ defense are hot and it will quickly become a clash of titans. This type of clash can prove to be highly beneficial for Gonzalez if the Cardinals push through the Dolphins but the Dolphins make final stands resulting in field goals. It is a risky pick but there is a way for Gonzalez to be among the top this week.