NFL Player News

McLaughlin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against Baltimore, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

McLaughlin has filled in admirably for the injured Robbie Gould (quadriceps), going seven for eight on his field goal attempts and nailing all eight of his extra points. McLaughlin's services won't be needed for the 49ers on Sunday, as the aforementioned Gould returns from injury.

Maher will continue as the Cowboys' kicker, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Even though coach Jason Garrett said the club would evaluate the kicker position after Thursday's loss to the Bills, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team would stand by Maher after he missed both of his field-goal tries in the loss. The 29-year-old has made just 19 of his 28 field-goal attempts on the year and has missed three in the last two games, both Dallas losses.

Prater made both of his field-goal attempts and both of his PATs during Thursday's 24-20 loss to the Bears.

While Prater's stat line was aided by the fact that the Lions' offense stalled twice from within the 10-yard line, he's now attempted at least two field goals in eight of 12 games this year. He also afforded the Lions an extra possession by way of a successful onside kick during the first quarter. Given the relative success that quarterback David Blough had Thursday -- combined with Minnesota's declining defense -- Prater might be worthy of a spot in starting lineups during Detroit's Week 14 game against the Vikings.

Coach Dan Quinn said Friday that Koo will remain the Falcons' kicker, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Koo has missed three combined field-goal and extra-point tries over the last three contests, but he redeemed himself in some capacity by converting two onside kicks during Thursday's loss to the Saints. While the 25-year-old looks like he'll remain on the roster through the Week 14 game with the Panthers, he'll need to improve his accuracy to keep his spot for the remainder of the season.

The Patriots released Folk (abdomen) on Friday.

Folk is unable to kick Sunday against the Texans after undergoing an appendectomy, so the Patriots removed him from the roster entirely and replaced him with Kai Forbath. Folk isn't expected to require a lengthy recovery, so the Patriots could decide to bring him back once he's 100 percent healthy.

Koo went 2-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 0-for-1 on extra-point tries during Thursday's 26-18 loss to the Saints.

The entire NFL had succeeded on two onside kicks coming into Week 13. Koo himself converted on two straight in the waning moments of the fourth quarter Thanksgiving night -- not including a third that was erased by Falcons penalty -- though the miraculous recoveries were not enough to overcome his blunders earlier in the contest. Surely, Koo cannot solely shoulder the blame for the team's second straight defeat, but the four points he left on the board proved to be pivotal as Atlanta's late rally came up short against rival New Orleans. The 25-year-old has missed three combined field-goal and extra-point attempts over the past three weeks, as the Falcons prepare for a fourth straight divisional tilt Dec. 8, this time against the Panthers.

Lutz converted all four of his field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point attempts in the Saints' 26-18 win over the Falcons on Thursday.

Lutz was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals for the second game this season, and he played a key role in the Saints' eight-point victory. Impressively, three of his makes were from 42, 45 and 47 yards out, while his fourth was a 22-yard chip shot. Lutz is one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL this year and remains an elite option while playing on the high-flying Saints offense.

Pineiro connected on a field goal and three extra points in the Bears' 24-20 win over the Lions on Thursday.

The biggest takeaway for Pineiro was that the Bears chose to pass up a 49-yard field-goal attempt in a domed stadium in order to let the offense try to convert a 4th-and-6, showing a lack of confidence in the kicker. With a total of 19 points over his last five games, Pineiro is not a recommended fantasy option.

Folk (appendectomy) will not be available for Sunday night's game against the Texans, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

While Folk won't be able to kick this weekend, his absence is not expected to be a lengthy one. Per Reiss, the Patriots must now decide whether to sign another kicker in advance of Week 13 action, or alternatively, employ punter Jake Bailey as a short-term replacement for Folk.

Folk recently underwent an appendectomy that is expected to sideline him Sunday against the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

We'll await official confirmation from the team, while Rapoport notes that Folk's expected absence isn't likely to be lengthy, given that his procedure was reportedly minimally invasive. Either way, it looks like the Patriots will be on to their fourth kicker of the season when they face Houston on Sunday.