The kicker position has been a real sore point for Minnesota Vikings fans at times, with some big failures in big moments. In just two seasons, though, Will Reichard has taken away a good bit of that angst.
Reichard only missed two field goals last season, both from 50-plus yards out (with one that hit a low-hanging cord), and he made all 31 of his extra points on his way to a First Team All-Pro nod.
If the Vikings' offense hadn't been so inept...
In fantasy football terms, Reichard was the sixth-highest-scoring kicker last year. Depending on the cutoff, Week 17 or 18, he was either two or six points away from being a top-five fantasy kicker.
The expected arrival of (at minimum) acceptable quarterback play with Kyler Murray has created a promising outlook for the Vikings' offense this season. In fantasy terms, everyone is on an optimistic trajectory as draft season rolls on.
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard gets blatantly disrespected in fresh fantasy ranking
In his freshly updated ranking of fantasy kickers for this year, going into the first preseason game for most teams, Nathan Jahnke of PFF has Reichard at 14th.
"Reichard earned a 93.8 PFF kicking grade last season, second-best at the position behind Brandon Aubrey. He tied for the league lead with 11 makes from 50 or more yards and converted an impressive 94.3% overall despite that heavy long-range workload. The problem was that the Minnesota Vikings‘ offense wasn't scoring enough.
If Minnesota takes a real step forward with Kyler Murray at quarterback, he can be a weekly fantasy starter, but that possibility doesn't make Reichard worth taking over kickers already attached to great offenses. The dome helps, though it's worth noting that two of the Vikings' December games are outdoors in the Northeast."
In Murray's last fully healthy season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024, their primary kicker (Chad Ryland) was tied for 10th in fantasy points per game at the position. It's also safe to say the Cardinals' array of skill-position talent wasn't on the level the Vikings have for this year on paper.
Jahnke's concern about two outdoor games in December (Week 14 at the New England Patriots; Week 17 at the New York Jets) has merit and is duly noted.
However...
All outdoor games are obviously not created equal, especially when winter hits in certain parts of the country, but Reichard has missed one kick in 10 career outdoor games--the aforementioned controversial kick in England against the Cleveland Browns last season.
The two late-season outdoor games, even as ill-timed as the second one is, are not enough to really drop Reichard out of the top-10 in any fantasy ranking. There may not even be nine kickers fantasy managers should rather have, let alone a baker's dozen.
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