Who Should I Start? Daniel Carlson or Matt Gay

Thursday, July 23, 10:37 AM

Veteran kicker Matt Gay will compete with undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa this summer in training camp after the Las Vegas Raiders didn't bring back All-Pro placekicker Daniel Carlson after he posted an 81.5% field-goal percentage in 2025, his worst since his rookie year in 2018. ESPN's Ryan McFadden writes that Gay isn't much of an upgrade over Carlson after making 73.9% of his kicks in 2025 in 12 games with the Washington Commanders and San Francisco Giants. Barring a disaster from Gay in camp, we'd expect him to get the nod over Matsuzawa to begin the 2026 regular season, but he'll surely be on a short leash. In his seven-year NFL career, the 32-year-old Gay, a former fifth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 from the University of Utah, has made 84.3% of his 216 field-goal attempts (32-for-54 from 50-plus yards) and 96.7% of his extra points. The Raiders' offense is expected to take a step forward under new head coach Klint Kubiak, but that isn't a reason enough to target Gay in most fantasy football leagues.