NFL Player News
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Wil Lutz K | DEN
Saints' Wil Lutz: Perfect on kicks Thursday
Lutz went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts while making all four of his extra-point tries in Thursday's 42-34 loss to Cardinals.
Lutz was once again perfect Thursday, making two field goals in the contest. The first came in the third quarter from 25 yards and the other was a 45-yarder late in the fourth. Lutz was also able to go 4-for-4 on point-after attempts, improving to 16-for-16 on the year. The kicker has been a solid fantasy option this season and could be busy again when the Saints face the Raiders' uninspiring defense in Week 8.
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Rodrigo Blankenship K | TB
Cardinals' Rodrigo Blankenship: Subbing for Prater on Thursday
Blankenship will serve as the Cardinals' placekicker Thursday versus the Saints with Matt Prater (hip) sidelined, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
With Prater out for a third consecutive contest, Blankenship will be the second kicker to stand in for him after Matt Ammendola handled those duties Weeks 5-6. In parts of three seasons with the Colts, Blankenship made 45 of 53 field-goal attempts and 52 of 55 point-after tries, which amounted to 8.5 points per game in his 22 appearances.
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Matt Prater K | BUF
Cardinals' Matt Prater: Missing third straight game
Prater (hip) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Saints.
Prater thus will miss a third contest in a row as he tends to a right hip injury. This time around, Rodrigo Blankenship instead of Matt Ammendola will handle placekicking duties for the Cardinals. Prater will look to rest up for the Cardinals' next outing Sunday, Oct. 30 in Minnesota.
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Rodrigo Blankenship K | TB
Cardinals' Rodrigo Blankenship: Joins 53-man roster Thursday
The Cardinals elevated Blankenship from their practice squad Thursday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Blankenship was signed to Arizona's practice squad Tuesday, and he could serve as the team's top kicker for Thursday night's matchup against the Saints if Matt Prater (hip) -- who's currently questionable to play -- is eventually ruled inactive for a third consecutive contest. The 25-year-old was let go by Indianapolis after going 2-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 2-for-2 on extra-point tries in Week 1.
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Matt Prater K | BUF
Cardinals' Matt Prater: Game-time decision for TNF
Prater (hip) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against New Orleans and is considered a game-time decision, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.
If Prater doesn't play, the Cardinals presumably will turn to Rodrigo Blankenship, who was signed to the practice squad Tuesday after Arizona cut Matt Ammendola. Prater missed the past two games and is in danger of missing a third after he was held out of practice all week.
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Jason Myers K | SEA
Seahawks' Jason Myers: Perfect in win
Myers made all four of his field-goal attempts as well as his only extra-point try in Sunday's 19-9 win over the Cardinals.
Myers converted from 39, 27, 34 and 32 yards on his respective field goals. In doing so, he notched a season-high 13 points and has now scored at least eight in four straight outings.
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Harrison Butker K | KC
Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Long make in return
Butker made two of his three field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Bills.
Butker returned from an ankle injury suffered in the season opener to drain a 62-yarder before halftime. While he went wide left with a 51-yard try to begin the third quarter, Butker rallied to make from 44 yards later on. Now that he's healthy again, look for Butker to resurface as one of the league's most productive kickers.
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Brandon McManus K | GB
Broncos' Brandon McManus: Hits double figures
McManus made all three of his field-goal attempts as well as his only extra-point try in Monday night's 19-16 overtime loss to the Chargers.
McManus converted from 51, 27 and 48 yards on his three field goals. The veteran has now notched at least nine points in four of six games this season, giving him good value despite Denver's offense struggling.
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Dustin Hopkins K | CLE
Chargers' Dustin Hopkins: Out 2-to-4 weeks, per HC
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said Tuesday that Hopkins (hamstring) will be out 2-to-4 weeks, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.
Hopkins remained in Monday's game after initially suffering a hamstring injury on his first kick of the contest and ended up connecting on four field goals, including a game-winning 39-yarder in overtime. It's unclear if staying in the game made the hamstring issue worse, but the Chargers may not have come away with a victory without Hopkins' persevering performance. In Hopkins' absence, Los Angeles is expected to promote Taylor Bertolet from its practice squad to serve as the primary kicker against Seattle.
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Dustin Hopkins K | CLE
Chargers' Dustin Hopkins: Expected to sit out Week 7
Hopkins isn't expected to be available for the Chargers' Week 7 game against the Seahawks after injuring his hamstring in Monday's 19-16 overtime win over the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Hopkins initially tweaked his hamstring on an extra-point attempt following Austin Ekeler's second-quarter touchdown, but the kicker soldiered on and came up clutch for the Chargers. He went on to deliver a 37-yard field goal in the final minute of the second quarter, then added 31- and 35-yarders in the second half before drilling a game-winning 39-yard kick with 2:38 remaining in overtime. Fortunately for Hopkins, his injury doesn't seem to be a long-term concern, so he appears likely to avoid a stint on injured reserve. The team will likely promote Taylor Bertolet from the practice squad to serve as its kicker against Seattle.