Who Should I Start? Will Reichard or Ryan Fitzgerald

Saturday, January 11, 6:18 PM

Minnesota Vikings placekicker Will Reichard is a solid option this Monday night when he lines up with the Los Angeles Rams on the road. It's been a tale of two halves for the 24-year-old in his debut campaign. Reichard was excellent early in the year -; missing nary a kick in his first seven appearances. However, he hasn't been as fortunate since. The rookie missed his first two field goals in Week 9 and was placed on injured reserve afterward with a quad injury. Despite only a minimum IR stay, his kicking troubles have continued -; missing at least one attempt in three of the ensuing five contests. Still, he's yet to miss an extra-point try in 2024 and has an excellent opportunity to hang some more points on the board against a Rams defensive unit that allowed the seventh-most total yards per game in the NFL (352.8).

Tuesday, June 17, 2:34 PM

The Carolina Panthers' kicking competition is on between veteran Matthew Wright and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald, and Joe Person of The Athletic believes the youngster has the leg up so far this offseason. Fitzgerald went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft and was picked up by Carolina shortly after. Over his final two seasons at Florida State, he connected on 32 of his 34 field goal attempts and all 72 extra point tries. He did not miss any of his 18 total kicks a season ago. In his first NFL offseason, he continues to find success. "[Dave] Canales said it's too soon to name a leader in the kicking competition, but Fitzgerald appears to have the edge on veteran Matthew Wright, based on how each looked during the practices open to the media," Person wrote. "After a tough first week in rainy and windy conditions, Fitzgerald was 9-for-10 on field goals on the skinny goal posts over the next two practices with reporters present." If Carolina's offense takes a big step forward under third-year quarterback Bryce Young, the team's starting kicker could have solid fantasy football value.