NFL Player News

McManus ended 2018 having connected on 20 of 25 field goals, with a long of 53, and converting all 35 of his point-after attempts.

McManus struggled mightily in 2017, missing from all over the field. His conversion percentage improved only slightly in 2018 -- ranking 26th in the league at 80 percent -- but he was a perfect 18 for 18 inside 50 yards. It was from the outer limits where he struggled, connecting on just two of seven field goals of 50 yards or longer. Most notably, he missed field goals of 62 yards and 51 yards at the end of both halves against Houston. The Temple product still managed to nail game-winners against the Raiders and Chargers, and was one of only three kickers to convert all of his point-after attempts. His opportunities faded down the stretch along with a dinged-up Denver offense, with just two multi-attempt games in the final seven contests of the season. He figures to improve to the extent Denver's offense improves in 2019.

Fairbairn did not attempt a field goal and converted his lone extra-point kick in Saturday's 21-7 wild-card round loss to Indianapolis.

Fairbairn, the NFL's leading scorer in 2018, did not get much work in the playoff loss. Houston's defense committed early penalties that extended a couple of the Colts' drives, which turned into touchdowns, putting the offense in a deep second-quarter hole. The Colts' defense then clamped down on quarterback Deshaun Watson and his weapons, preventing the offense from consistently moving the ball and limiting the Texans to one red-zone opportunity over the first three quarters. All that served to limit Fairbairn, who becomes an exclusive-rights free agent next year. The Texans are expected to bring him back for 2019.

Butker knocked home 24 of his 27 field-goal attempts and 65 fo his 69 extra-point attempts during the 2018 season.

Butker was perfect on all of his field goals from within 40 yards, while two of his three misfires came from over 50 yards out. He did hit a bit of a snag in the middle of the season where he missed some extra points, but the second-year kicker connected on all 14 of them over the final four weeks. He should be one of the first kickers off the board in 2019 as part of a Chiefs squad that should feature a high-powered offense once again.

Joseph missed a field goal while converting all three of his extra points during Sunday's 26-24 finale loss to the Ravens.

Joseph -- who was added to the roster ahead of Week 3 -- showed some promise in his rookie season with the Browns, hitting 17 of 20 field goals and 25 of 29 PATs. Cleveland may be on the prowl this offseason for a kicker with more experience, but it's not unreasonable to assume Joseph will be back with the team in 2019.

Hopkins did attempt a field goal during Sunday's 24-0 loss to the Eagles.

Hopkins made 90 percent of field goals he attempted this season (26-for-29) and converted 95.2 percent of extra-point tries (25-for-26). Despite his strong accuracy, Hopkins' low volume limited his fantasy upside all throughout the 2018 season. With two years remaining on his contract, Hopkins will return as Washington's starting kicker in 2019.

Carlson made his lone field-goal attempt from 50 yards during Sunday's 35-3 loss to the Chiefs.

Carlson was a rare bright spot for the Raiders during Sunday's blowout loss in Kansas City, as the rookie remained perfect from 50-plus yards. The Auburn product had quite an impressive turnaround following his release from the Vikings, connecting on 16 of 17 field-goal attempts in 10 games with Oakland. Carlson should be brought back by the Raiders in 2019 while the team looks to revamp its offense in the draft with additional weapons to surround quarterback Derek Carr.

Gonzalez connected on nine of 14 field-goal attempts and eight of 11 point-after tries in seven games between the Browns and Cardinals in 2018.

His final numbers weren't great, but Gonzalez bounced back well from rough Weeks 1 and 2 with the Browns, when he missed three of five field goals and two of five PATs. During his five-game run in place of the Cardinals' Phil Dawson (hip) to wrap up the season, Gonzalez misfired on just three kicks (two 50-plus-yard field goals and one extra point) en route to 5.2 points per game. Gonzalez is the only placekicker in Arizona under contract beyond this season, meaning competition likely will arrive via free agency, the draft and/or the return of a healthy Dawson.

Elliott made his lone field-goal attempt and all three extra-point tries in Sunday's 24-0 win over the Redskins.

Elliott got the scoring started in the first quarter by punching a 33-yarder through the uprights and then nailed an extra-point attempt in each successive period to help finish off the win. The 23-year-old wraps up the regular season with a repeat of his rookie year's 26 of 31 field-goal attempts made and with a slightly more accurate 33 of 35 on extra points. Four of those field-goal misses occurred in the first half of the season, but the second-year vet failed just once after the Eagles' Week 9 bye, and even that attempt was from beyond 50 yards.

Santos was successful on field-goal attempts of 36 and 45 yards and also drilled both of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 34-32 loss to the Falcons.

Santos proved to be the cure for what ailed the Buccaneers' kicking game after his Week 11 arrival, making nine of 12 field-goal attempts and all 17 of his extra-point tries across seven games. The 27-year-old now heads into unrestricted free agency, but he would presumably be a strong candidate for return, given Tampa's difficulty in finding stability at the kicking position during general manager Jason Licht's tenure. If Santos does indeed don a Bucs uniform again in 2019, he'll make for a strong fantasy prospect, considering the team's talented offense could nevertheless experience some growing pains while acclimating to what will likely be a new system.

Sanders converted his only field-goal attempt and made both extra-point tries during Sunday's 42-17 loss to the Bills. He finishes up the year with 89 points over 16 games.

Sanders caps his rookie season with a typical performance: accurate, but lacking in volume. The 23-year-old made 90 percent of field goals he attempted this year (18-for-20) and converted 97.2 percent of his extra-point tries (35-for-36). The 2018 seventh-round pick is expected to remain the Dolphins' top kicker in 2019, but he'll largely remain off the fantasy radar until such time as Miami's offense transforms into a higher-scoring unit.