Who Should I Start? Eddy Piñeiro or Matthew Wright

Saturday, September 13, 2:00 PM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro revealed that he had offers from at least two teams before signing with the Niners this past week. Pineiro acknowledged that he chose the 49ers over an offer from the Atlanta Falcons. While the veteran kicker did not explain his reasoning for the decision, it's likely because he was offered a 53-man roster spot with San Francisco, whereas Atlanta merely wanted to add him to the practice squad as competition for Younghoee Koo. The Falcons pivoted to John Parker Romo, who will now add some pressure on Koo going forward. As for Pineiro, the veteran kicker will be active for his 49ers debut on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He owns an impressive 88.1 percent success rate on field goals through his five years in the NFL, which includes stints with the Bears, Jets, and Panthers. Pineiro has top-12 kicker upside in fantasy football, but scoring opportunities could be a little harder to come by with Brock Purdy (shoulder), George Kittle (hamstring), and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) sidelined. On the other hand, Mac Jones' drives may stall just over midfield, creating more long field goal opportunities for Pineiro. He's a solid streaming option in leagues with 12+ teams.

Tuesday, August 26, 12:20 AM

Carolina Panthers kicker Matthew Wright has been released, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. As a result, rookie Ryan Fitzgerald has won the kicking job. Wright failed to convert his only field goal attempt of the season, missing wide from 55 yards out. No stranger to being an NFL journeyman, Wright played for six organizations over five seasons, including three teams in 2024. He made 15 of his 16 field goal attempts last year. Now, he will proceed to search for a kicking job elsewhere, perhaps adding another team to his resume.