NFL Player News

Gano converted 29 of 30 field-goal attempts and 34 of 37 extra-point tries en route to 121 points this season.

Gano, the Panthers kicker since 2012, had to earn his roster spot this season, as the team used a seventh-round pick on Harrison Butker following a 2016 campaign that saw Gano miss 11 times in total. While Butker enjoyed an outstanding rookie year with the Chiefs after Gano beat him out early in the season, the 30-year-old proved just why Carolina stuck with him. Although Gano's 121 points matched his 2016 mark, he was nearly flawless on his kicking opportunities, with his only missed field goal coming from 50-plus yards. Such improved accuracy resulted in Gano finishing 12th in points league-wide, and would figure to give the Panthers plenty reason to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Lutz made one field goal -- a 57-yard kick -- and four extra-point tries in Sunday's 31-26 playoff win against the Panthers.

Lutz's long kick came midway through the third quarter and reinstated the Saints' double-digit lead. Lutz had some struggles in the middle of the year but the big-legged kicker has made seven straight field-goal attempts. Backed by the Saints offense, Lutz should continue to be one of the better fantasy kicking options as long as New Orleans remains in the playoff hunt. While many kickers will be forced to face the winter elements next week, Lutz will have the luxury of kicking indoors when the Saints travel to Minnesota to face the Vikings in the Divisional Round.

Bryant connected on all four field-goal attempts and both extra points in Saturday's 26-13 NFC wild-card win over the Rams.

The kicks weren't chip shots either, as two of his field-goal attempts were longer than 50 yards. The veteran kicker may be operating in worse weather conditions in the divisional round in Philadelphia, but he has to be considered one of the most reliable kicking options left in the playoffs.

Hopkins was 1-for-2 on field goal-attempts Sunday against the Giants and ended the season going 14-for-17 on field-goal attempts and 18-for-19 extra-point tries.

Hopkins season was headlined by the fact that he missed nine games due to a strained rotator muscle in his right hip. It was about par for the course for the third-year pro, as his 82.4 field goal percentage was a slight tick up from his 2016 campaign (81.0%). It's worth mentioning his replacement, now-Charger Nick Rose, went 10-for-11 on field-goal attempts, which, were he to have qualified, would have placed him at fifth-best percentage in the league (the league minimum to qualify is 16 attempts).

Tavecchio converted 16 of 21 field-goal attempts and 33 of 34 extra-point tries in 16 games during his 2017 rookie campaign with the Raiders.

Tavecchio's fantasy value was held in check throughout his rookie year as he posted just 81 total points, including a dismal four total field goals made in the Raiders' last seven games of the season. He'll be an exclusive-rights free agent in 2018, so Tavecchio will hope the Raiders elect to re-sign him.

The Seahawks signed Myers to a reserve/future contract Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The Blair Walsh experiment didn't go as planned in 2017, with the most-recent faux pas a missed 48-yard field goal that would have put the Seahawks ahead by one point with less than a minute remaining Week 17 against the Cardinals. Overall, Walsh hit 72.4 percent of his field goals (21 of 29) on the season, which ranked worst in the NFL for any kicker with as many attempts. Myers' career mark is modestly better at 81 percent, but he'll be given the first shot to lock down the place-kicking gig in Seattle with Walsh an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Gonzalez, who converted a 51-yard goal during Sunday's 28-24 loss to the Steelers, ends his rookie year by making 15 of 25 field goals.

Gonzalez beat out Cody Parkey during training camp and struggled mightily to start his career. He missed three of his first five field goals, and there were rumors that the Browns would be trying out kickers to replace him. That never happened, and Gonzalez showed more consistency toward the end of the season, making seven of his last eight attempts.

Butker converted each of his two field-goal attempts and all three of his extra-point attempts in Sunday's Week 17 matchup against the Broncos.

Butker thus finishes a spectacular 2017 campaign having made 38 of his 42 field-goal attempts on the year and all 28 of his extra-point tries. The rookie's contract remains intact through next season and his performance as a rookie will likely boost him up the kicker rankings heading into 2018.

The Giants signed Koehn to a reserve/future contract Monday, Dan Duggan of NJ.com reports.

Koehn previously worked out for the Giants in mid-November, but ultimately wasn't signed to the roster after the team elected to stick with rookie Aldrick Rosas as its kicker. While he suited up for all 16 games, Rosas didn't find much success, converting just 18 of 25 field-goal attempts (72 percent) and 20 of 23 extra-point tries. Look for Koehn, who made his lone extra-point attempt while serving as the Bengals' kicker for one game in 2017, to compete with Rosas throughout the offseason.

Prater converted both of his field-goal attempts and all three PATs during Sunday's 35-11 victory over Green Bay.

Prater was flawless Sunday while capping off another strong season in Motown. He now finishes the campaign having connected on 30 of 35 field-goal attempts and 40 of his 41 PATs. Four of his five field-goal miscues came on attempts from beyond 50 yards, while his seven makes from that range were second-most in the league. Under contract with the Lions for another three years thanks to the extension he signed mid-season, Prater will return in 2018 as a fantasy-worthy option at the kicker position once again.