NFL Player News

The Chargers signed Dicker to the practice squad Thursday.

Dicker previously spent time with Philadelphia's practice squad this season before being waived by the team this past Thursday. The undrafted rookie was elevated for the Eagles' Week 5 win against the Cardinals, making both of his field-goal attempts and going 2-for-2 on PATs. With Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) still sidelined and Taylor Bertolet (undisclosed) now on the Chargers' practice-squad injured list as well, Dicker should serve as the team's best option at kicker against Atlanta on Sunday.

Prater (hip) was a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through session, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Prater's limited activity follows comments from head coach Kliff Kingsbury earlier Wednesday indicating that the 38-year-old was fully cleared for all kicking duties moving forward. That likely will be the case Sunday versus the Seahawks and beyond, especially after the Cardinals waived Rodrigo Blankenship (undisclosed) with an injury settlement earlier Wednesday. However, Prater's activity level now will be watched as the weekend approaches to see if he can add kickoffs to his placekicking.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said Wednesday that Hopkins (hamstring) is making progress but remains week-to-week, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins suffered a hamstring injury during Week 6 and was given a 2-to-4-week return timeline. After sitting out Week 7 and rehabbing during the team's Week 8 bye, the kicker looks like he may be sidelined for an additional contest. If Hopkins remains sidelined for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons, Taylor Bertolet will likely be elevated from the practice squad again.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that Prater (hip) is set to handle all placekicking and kickoff duties for the Cardinals moving forward, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

The Cardinals signaled as much when they waived Rodrigo Blankenship (undisclosed) via an injury settlement earlier Wednesday. In his return to action this past Sunday at Minnesota, Prater took on both field-goal attempts and point-after tries, while Blankenship handled kickoffs. With the latter out of the picture, Prater is good to go for kickoffs Sunday against the Seahawks and beyond.

Arizona waived Blankenship (undisclosed) with an injury settlement Wednesday.

Blankenship filled in for Matt Prater during Week 7 and made both of his field-goal attempts, including a 50-yarder, but he missed one of his three extra-point tries. Prater returned in Week 8 but wasn't cleared for kickoff duties, so Blankenship handled that role. However, Blankenship appears to have suffered an injury of his own during the contest and was waived with an injury settlement Wednesday. Once healthy, Blankenship will be allowed to sign with a new team.

McPherson missed his only field-goal attempt as well as one of his two extra-point tries in Monday night's 32-13 loss to the Browns.

McPherson went wide right with a 47-yard field goal just before halftime, then failed on his next kick as well. Although he finished by converting a PAT, it was a forgettable outing for the second-year player, with his point total marking a season low.

Bass made both of his field-goal attempts and all three of his extra-point tries in Sunday night's 27-17 win over the Packers.

Bass converted field goals from 42 and 38 yards. His nine points marked his third most in a game this season, with his overall tally of 57 putting him just outside the top 10 for kickers league-wide.

Maher connected on all seven of his extra-point attempts in Sunday's 49-29 win over the Bears.

Despite not getting any field-goal attempts, Maher still wound up with solid production by virtue of sheer volume. The 32-year-old kicker's prior career high for PATs in a single game was five, set in Week 1 of the 2019 season, and with Dak Prescott back under center and the Cowboys' offense regaining its swagger, Maher figures to be plenty busy in the second half of the season.

Patterson converted his lone field-goal attempt and both PATs during Sunday's 21-17 loss to Denver.

Patterson came through on all of his opportunities but only kicked three times as Jacksonville averaged only 4.7 yards per play. He's 11-for-12 on field goals and 15-for-16 on PATs through eight games this year.

Elliott went 5-for-5 on extra-point attempts in Sunday's Week 8 win over the Steelers but was not asked to kick any field goals.

Elliott hasn't lost any effectiveness this season, but the Eagles have found the end zone frequently enough that his fantasy value has taken a hit. He's only missed two kicks (one field goal and one extra point) all season, but the Eagles rank last in the league in field-goal attempts thanks in large part to the fact that they rank second in the league in touchdowns.