Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Kickers (Week 1)

Amazing how quickly fantasy football draft season comes and goes, isn’t it? Some of you still have last-drafts coming up in the final days before the NFL’s Thursday-night opener, but most of us have shifted from draft mode to in-season mode. Most leagues have a waiver wire run just before Week 1, so it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start managing.

Not that you’re obligated to do any waiver wire shopping this week. Maybe you’re perfectly content with the hand you’re holding. No problemo.

Some fantasy football managers confuse activity with productivity, doing more harm than good with restless overmanagement. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your fantasy football team is nothing. There is a concept of Taoism called wu wei, which essentially means “do without doing.” In other words, inactivity is sometimes the most prudent choice.

On the other hand …

Early waiver wire shopping has its benefits. A year ago, this Week 1 waiver wire article included Puka Nacua, De’Von Achane, Jake Ferguson, Jayden Reed and Jordan Love. All were rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues heading into Week 1, and all became impactful fantasy assets.

Who among this summer’s widely undrafted players might be able to help your fantasy football team? Let’s have a look at our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1. Below we dive into our top fantasy football Week 1 waiver wire pickups at Kickers.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Kickers

Kickers

Cairo Santos (K – CHI): 16% rostered

Santos quietly finished third in fantasy scoring among kickers last season, drilling 35-of-38 field goals and 31-of-33 extra points. The Bears’ offense could be significantly better this season with Caleb Williams at quarterback and Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze joining the WR corps. The Bears open with the Titans, who gave up a league-high 11.0 fantasy points per game to kickers in 2023.

Cameron Dicker (K – LAC): 46% rostered

Dicker the Kicker is a precise craftsman. He’s hit 52-of-55 field goals and 59-of-59 extra points in 28 career NFL games. He finished eighth in kicker fantasy scoring last year. The only drawback here is that Dicker has an early bye (Week 5).

Jake Bates (K – DET): 10% rostered

A rookie kicker? Why, yes! The Lions averaged 27.1 points per game last year and should afford Bates plenty of scoring opportunities. Detroit plays only three games outdoors this season, so Bates is as weather-proof a kicker as you’ll find. And this dude has a powerful leg. The former UFL kicker drilled a 64-yard field goal in his first game in that league.