NFL Player News

Patterson (coach's decision) is listed as inactive Sunday at Cleveland.

The Lions placed Austin Seibert (hip) on injured reserve prior to Week 10, when Ryan Santoso ended up handling placekicking duties for last Sunday's tie at Pittsburgh. On Tuesday, Detroit signed Patterson off the practice squad to compete with Santoso, but the latter will be the team's kicker yet again Week 11.

Koo missed his only field-goal attempt during Thursday's 25-0 loss to the Patriots.

After the Patriots scored a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead at the start of the second quarter, the Falcons marched into field-goal range thanks to a 14-play drive. Koo connected on the 45-yard attempt, but it was nullified by a holding call. On the ensuing 50-yarder, Koo's kick narrowly missed the upright as it curved wide left. The 27-year-old has only missed two kicks this season, both of which were over 40 yards. Koo will likely remain one of the more consistent kickers in the league, but his fantasy value continues to be hampered by the Falcons' sporadic offense.

The Saints signed Maher off their practice squad Friday, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

New Orleans waived Brian Johnson in a corresponding move, clearing the way for Maher to take over as the team's kicker beginning with Sunday's game in Philadelphia. It's the 31-year-old Maher's second stint on the roster in 2021, as he previously competed for the kicking job in the preseason before being waived in late August on an injury settlement. Over 29 career regular-season games -- all with Dallas -- Maher has converted at a subpar 74.2 percent clip on field-goal attempts, though he has 63- and 62-yard makes on his resume.

Folk made all four of his field-goal attempts (including a 53-yarder) en route to 13 points in Thursday's 25-0 win over the Falcons.

Though he missed one of his two extra-point tries Thursday, Folk was able to match his season high for points in the contest. The veteran kicker has been managing a left knee injury of late, but there's no reason to think his Week 12 status is in any danger, even if he continues to be limited at practice.

Folk (knee) is active for Thursday's matchup against the Falcons.

Folk has been on the injury report regularly with a knee issue, but he has yet to miss a game this season. He's connected for multiple field goals in six contests the campaign, including three makes of more than 50 yards.

The Cowboys activated Zuerlein from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Zuerlein missed last week's win over the Falcons following a positive test for the virus, but the veteran kicker has since cleared all health and safety protocols and is back in the fold ahead of Sunday's game in Kansas City. Lirim Hajrullahu was summoned to serve as Dallas' placekicker in last week's win over the Falcons, but he's since reverted to the team's practice squad.

Gano (illness) wasn't included on New York's initial Week 11 practice report and is on track to play Monday in Tampa Bay, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, Gano wasn't present for the Giants' informal practice session Wednesday due to a stomach bug, but he apparently was able to make a full recovery 24 hours later. Through nine games, Gano has made a strong case for receiving his second Pro Bowl nod. He's converted 19 of 21 field-goal attempts -- including a 5-for-6 mark from 50-plus yards -- while drilling all 12 of his extra-point tries.

Folk (knee) is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest against the Falcons.

Folk has managed a left knee issue since Week 3, but the injury has yet to keep him out of a game. The injury hasn't hindered him from a performance standpoint either, as the 37-year-old has converted on 22 of 24 field-goal tries and 25 of 28 extra-point attempts through 10 games.

Colts head coach Frank Reich said Wednesday that Blankenship (hip) will remain on injured reserve for the foreseeable future with Michael Badgley having secured the team's kicking job, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

After Blankenship landed on IR on Oct. 16 with the right hip injury, Badgley has stepped in to handle kicking duties for each of the last five games. Badgley has gone a perfect 7-for-7 on field-goal attempts and 19-for-19 on extra-point attempts, a performance that will allow him to retain the job even with Blankenship seemingly trending toward a return to full health. Since the Colts haven't designated Blankenship for a return from IR, he can't practice with the team, but he'll presumably work out on his own and continue to rebuild strength in his hip in the event he's needed at some point later in the season.

Zuerlein (illness) is expected to be activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, Jori Epstein of USA Today reports.

Zuerlein wasn't able to clear COVID-19 health and safety protocols ahead of last week's win over the Falcons after head coach Mike McCarthy implied that the kicker tested positive for the virus, per Jori Epstein of USA Today. The 32-year-old's condition looks to have improved while he's been isolated from the team, so Zuerlein should be on track to play Sunday against the Chiefs if he indeed returns to the active roster Thursday. Lirim Hajrullahu handled kicking duties Week 10 but has since reverted to the practice squad.