Who Should I Start? Matt Gay or Will Reichard

Saturday, November 29, 4:55 AM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Matt Gay filled in reasonably well for the injured Eddy Pineiro (hamstring) in Week 12. In San Francisco's 20-9 win over the Panthers, Gay converted both of his extra point tries and nailed field goals from 29 and 47 yards out. Pineiro is listed as out on the 49ers' final injury report before their Week 13 showdown with the Cleveland Browns, so Gay will stay on as the team's kicker for at least one more week. Unfortunately, he won't be working in favorable conditions. Sunday's forecast calls for 25 to 35 MPH winds, rain, and snow in Cleveland. Gay will have to be at the top of his game to be of service to San Francisco. Fantasy football managers may want to look elsewhere to fill the kicker slot in their starting lineups for Week 13.

Friday, December 19, 4:07 PM

As the Minnesota Vikings appear to have turned a corner offensively by scoring 30-plus points in back-to-back weeks, kicker Will Reichard can be viewed as a fringe fantasy starter for a Week 16 matchup with the New York Giants. Though Minnesota has struggled immensely on offense at times this year, Reichard has been among the most consistent kickers in the league. The second-year man from Alabama is the No. 7 overall fantasy kicker on the strength of 24 makes from 26 attempts, including nine field goals from beyond 50 yards. The Giants rank among the bottom five against fantasy kickers, and in an upset for this time of the season, the weather on Sunday is projected to be borderline pleasant at MetLife Stadium. Given the host of green lights, Reichard is worthy of lineup consideration in Week 16.