Smyth is expected to be signed to the Saints' active roster this week, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Smyth has been elevated from the practice squad to serve as the team's starting kicker each of the last three weeks, going 4-for-5 on field-goal attempts, including a 56-yard make. The 24-year-old has now exhausted all three of his elevations and in order to appear in another contest, the team will have to officially sign him to the active roster, which head coach Kellen Moore stated is coming in the near future.

Sanders (hip) had his 21-day window opened to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Alain Poupart of SI.com reports.

Sanders has been sidelined for the entirety of the regular season to this point while nursing a hip injury he suffered in August. He will now have a 21-day practice window opened, and he's eligible to be added to the active roster at any point in that time frame. Riley Patterson has operated as Miami's starting kicker so far this year, going 24-for-26 on field-goal attempts, including 2-for-3 from 50-plus yards, so there's no guarantee that the Dolphins activate Sanders this season.

The Giants appear likely to sign or elevate Sauls from the practice squad to handle kicking duties Sunday versus the Vikings after the team waived Younghoe Koo on Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports.

Following Koo's dismissal, Sauls is the only kicker remaining on New York's 53-man roster or practice squad, making him the logical choice to replace Koo unless the Giants opt to sign another kicker in the coming days. If he receives the nod for Week 16, Sauls would become the Giants' fourth full-time kicker this season. Since going undrafted out of Pittsburgh this spring, Sauls has been part of three different organizations but has yet to make his NFL debut. He converted field-goal attempts at an 81.3 percent clip over his five-year collegiate career.

Patterson made his only field-goal attempt and didn't try any extra points in Monday's 28-15 loss to Pittsburgh.

Patterson broke open the scoring with a career-long 54-yard field goal in the second quarter -- no easy feat considering the frigid temperature in Pittsburgh. That ended up being Patterson's only kick of the game, as the Dolphins didn't score again until the fourth quarter and went for two-point tries on each of their late touchdowns. Patterson has been reliable for Miami this season, going 24-of-26 on field-goal attempts and 29-for-30 on point-after tries.

Boswell didn't try a field goal and made all four of his extra-point attempts in Monday's 28-15 win over the Dolphins.

Pittsburgh's offense was quiet in the first half but was able to squeeze out a touchdown with under 20 seconds remaining before halftime. Boswell punched through the point-after and then hit three more in the second half as the Steelers got into the end zone with more ease. Boswell hasn't had a field-goal try in three of his past four games, so fantasy managers in leagues that count kicking may want to look in a different direction.

The Saints reverted Smyth to their practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Smyth has been New Orleans' kicker three straight weeks and has performed well, making four of five field-goal attempts and all five of his extra-point tries. It seems likely that he'll kick again for the team in Week 16 versus the Jets, but he's out of elevations, so the Saints would need to sign Smyth to their active roster in order for him to be active on gameday. If New Orleans decides against doing so, Cade York -- who is currently on the club's practice squad -- would likely get an opportunity.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that Prater has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns due to a right quadriceps injury, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Prater suffered the injury during the Bills' 35-31 win over the Patriots on Sunday, when he converted all five of his extra-point attempts. With Tyler Bass (hip) already done for the season, the Bills will have to pursue a free-agent kicker to hold down the fort for the duration of Prater's recovery. Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo relays that Prater is considered week-to-week and could miss more than one game.

Reichard went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts and 4-for-4 on extra-point tries in Sunday's 34-26 win over the Cowboys.

The second-year pro from Alabama has not missed a kick since the Week 8 loss to the Chargers. On the year, Reichard has made 24 of 26 field-goal tries and all 27 of his point-after attempts. He's expected to remain one of the NFL's top kickers in the Week 16 matchup against the Giants.

Aubrey missed two of his six field-goals attempts and converted both his extra-point tries in Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Vikings. He also added six yards on his only carry.

The Cowboys engaged in a bit of trickery on their opening possession, as Aubrey ran for a first down on a fake field goal from the Minnesota 29-yard line, but the trick ultimately may have been on Dallas. The star kicker seemed a little off the rest of the night, as he missed multiple field-goal tries (from 51 and 59 yards) at AT&T Stadium for the first time in his career. Aubrey still connected on tries from 37, 26, 41 and 41 yards, marking his third straight game with at least three successful field goals. For the season, Aubrey ranks second in the NFL with 133 points, trailing only Seattle's Jason Myers (153).

Carlson did not attempt a field goal or a PAT in Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Eagles.

Carlson has now gone without a field-goal try for the second time in three weeks while making one or zero field goals in seven of the last eight games overall. The kicker has limited upside while operating with a struggling Las Vegas offense, and he hasn't necessarily done himself any favors this season, going 17-for-22 on field-goal attempts, including 3-for-6 from 50-plus yards, over 14 contests so far.