NFL Player News
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Ben Sauls K | NYG
Ben Sauls: Next man up at kicker
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.
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Riley Patterson K | MIA
Dolphins' Riley Patterson: Nails long field goal in loss
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.
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Chris Boswell K | PIT
Steelers' Chris Boswell: Converts four PATs in Week 15 win
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.
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Charlie Smyth K | NO
Saints' Charlie Smyth: Placed back on practice squad
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.
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Matt Prater K | BUF
Bills' Matt Prater: Out for Week 16
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.
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Will Reichard K | MIN
Vikings' Will Reichard: Perfect in Week 15
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.
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Brandon Aubrey K | DAL
Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey: Rare off night in Sunday's loss
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).
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Daniel Carlson K | LV
Raiders' Daniel Carlson: No kicks in Week 15
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.
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Evan McPherson K | CIN
Bengals' Evan McPherson: Kickless in blowout loss
McPherson did not log a field-goal attempt or an extra-point try in Sunday's 24-0 loss to Baltimore.
McPherson went without a field-goal try for the second straight week, which is quite the change of pace after he had gone 12-for-13 on field-goal tries over his four previous contests. The kicker has gone 23-for-26 on field-goal attempts, including 4-for-7 from 50-plus yards, and he'll look to get back on track against the Dolphins in Week 16.
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Chad Ryland K | ARI
Cardinals' Chad Ryland: No FGAs in loss
Ryland did not attempt a field goal and made both of his PATs in Sunday's 40-20 loss to Houston.
Ryland went without a field-goal try for the first time since Week 10 and the third time overall this year. On the bright side, the kicker snapped his streak of four straight games with a field-goal miss. Ryland has now gone six games in a row with one or zero field-goal makes, and he'll look to be busier in Week 16 against the Falcons.