Ryan Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is Carolina's settled starting kicker and has been accurate on field goals this season (11 of 11 through Week 6), but his extra-point misses and the offense's modest scoring volume cap what he gives you.
Role
He is the Panthers' only kicker on the evidence I found, handling all field goals and PATs. The club's Week 6 Inside the Numbers page (panthers.com, Oct. 18 game) lists 10 special teams snaps for him, 34%. Rotowire's page says Carolina had not added competition for the job early in the offseason. I did not read a current depth chart or any report of a challenger, so I can't speak to either. He won the job over Matthew Wright in the 2025 preseason (Yahoo/Heavy, Oct. 5). Volume depends on how often Carolina scores and stalls. Rotowire noted he was not among the volume leaders last season (t-19th in FGAs, 23rd in PATs).
He is perfect on field goals this season. Panthers.com says he has made his first 11 attempts, the first Carolina kicker to start 10 for 10 since Joey Slye in 2020. He has two 50+ makes this year, including a 52-yarder in Week 6, and a 53-yarder in the Browns game. He also has a career-long of 57 and a record of winning games on last-second kicks. His three-year contract from May 2025 and his preseason win suggest the job is secure. Carolina has also won recently, 34-3 over Atlanta and 25-14 over Philadelphia, which means more scoring chances.
The extra points are a real blemish: he missed two straight PATs on Sunday Night Football against Detroit in Week 4 (Yahoo/Heavy, Oct. 5), and he missed one of two PATs against the Eagles. Wikipedia's Week 4 career line shows 37 of 43 on extra points (86%). Rotowire says he lacks the volume to matter for fantasy, as the Panthers often struggle to reach the end zone. Blowout wins like 34-3 can mean fewer field-goal tries, and the offense has swung from a 59-37 loss to low-scoring games.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement: the coverage I found does not show analysts disagreeing about his job or his accuracy. The open question is volume. That means whether Carolina's offense will stall often enough to give him field-goal tries, and whether the PAT misses are noise or a real problem. I found no reporting that treats them as a threat to his job.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at K
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