NFL Player News
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Dustin Hopkins K | CLE
Redskins' Dustin Hopkins: Not facing competition
Hopkins is locked in as Washington's kicker, according to the team's official website.
Washington didn't even bother adding another kicker to the 90-man offseason roster. Hopkins has made just nine of 18 kicks from 50-plus yards through four NFL seasons, but he's been excellent on shorter field-goal attempts, converting 28 of 34 (82.4 percent) from 40-49 yards and 62 of 64 (96.9 percent) inside of 40. There are at least 20 superior options for fantasy purposes, as the Washington offense isn't likely to provide a plethora of kicking opportunities.
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Harrison Butker K | KC
Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Signs five-year extension
Butker signed a five-year contract extension worth roughly $20 million with the Chiefs on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
One of the most notable kickers in fantasy thanks to his team context, Butker has proved to be an effective pro since being claimed off waivers from the Panthers ahead of the 2017 campaign. Since then, Butker has converted 62 of 69 field-goal attempts (90 percent) and 93 of 97 PATs, taking advantage of a tie for the league lead in FGA in 2017 (42) before having to settle for the league lead in extra points in 2018 (69 attempts). This new contract lands the 23-year-old in the top 10 of all kickers league-wide and sets the stage for Butker to return as a top fantasy option in 2019 as the leg behind the high-powered Chiefs offense.
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Chris Boswell K | PIT
Steelers' Chris Boswell: Defers roster bonus
Boswell agreed Tuesday to defer his $2 million roster bonus until the end of the preseason, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Coming off an ugly season in which he missed seven field goals and five extra points, Boswell likely would have been released if he hadn't agreed to push the bonus back from March. He'll now have a chance to regain the stellar form he displayed from 2015 through 2017 while competing against Matthew Wright for the kicker job. Boswell returned healthy for OTAs after missing Week 17 of last season with a groin injury.
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Eddy Pineiro K | SF
Bears' Eddy Pineiro: Traded to Chicago
Pineiro was traded to the Bears in exchange for a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Pineiro appeared poised to start for the Raiders as a rookie before sustaining a preseason groin injury, the severity of which kept him on injured reserve for the entire 2018 campaign. He will now compete with Chris Blewitt and Elliott Fry for the Bears' starting kicker role.
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John Baron K | CHI
John Baron: Waived by Chicago
Baron was waived by the Bears on Sunday.
Baron signed with the Bears two days ago to join the kicking competition after a career at San Diego State where he made 50 of 60 field-goal attempts. His stay, however, was short-lived, and it is, for now, down to Chris Blewitt and Elliot Fry.
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John Baron K | CHI
Bears' John Baron: Added to Bears' kicking competition
The Bears signed Baron as an undrafted free agent, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.
Baron arrives in the Windy City following a solid career for San Diego State. He made 50 of 60 field-goal attempts over three seasons, with a long of 54 yards. The former All-Mountain West selection will be added to a kicking competition that will be hoping to change the narrative following Cody Parkey's 43-yard missed field goal in the playoffs.
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Matt Gay K | SF
Buccaneers' Matthew Gay: Joins Tampa Bay kicking logjam
The Buccaneers selected Gay in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 145th overall.
Roberto Aguayo jokes aside, Gay does make sense for the Buccaneers even as a fifth-round selection. The Utah product has a strong leg and should be able to beat out Cairo Santos and Phillip Andersen for the job in 2019.
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Justin Tucker K | BAL
Ravens' Justin Tucker: Staying in Baltimore long term
Tucker agreed Wednesday with the Ravens on a four-year contract extension, Clifton Brown of the team's official website reports.
Tucker leads the NFL in career field-goal percentage (90.1%) and has consistently turned in useful fantasy seasons despite being attached to mediocre or subpar offenses. His phenomenal track record includes at least four field goals of 50 or more yards in each of his seven NFL seasons, with a career conversion rate of 70.4 percent (38 of 54) from long range. The 29-year-old kicker showed no sign of decline in 2018, though he did miss a game-tying extra point Week 7 to snap his streak of 222 consecutive PATs. Adam Schefter of ESPN relays that the four-year extension is worth $23.05 million, including an $8 million signing bonus and $12.5 million guaranteed. All of those figures are NFL records for a kicker.
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Harrison Butker K | KC
Chiefs' Harrison Butker: Remaining with Chiefs
The Chiefs signed Butker, an exclusive rights free agent, on Monday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Butker has benefited from the high-flying Kansas City offense in his first two pro seasons, ranking fourth with 142 points in 2017 and third with 137 last year. He's also exhibited accuracy, with an 89.9 percent success rate on field goals and 95.9 percent on point-after tries. Because Patrick Mahomes is under center and the skill positions are loaded with talent, Butker shouldn't have a problem upholding his standard in the fall.
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Ka'imi Fairbairn K | HOU
Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Re-ups with Texans
The Texans signed Fairbairn, a restricted free agent, Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
After the Texans extended a second-round tender to Fairbairn in early March, a return to Houston was all but guaranteed considering the price tag attached to him. In his second pro season in 2018, he led the NFL in both field-goal attempts (42) and field goals made (37) en route to 150 points. This latter number likely will go down if the Texans find the end zone more often this fall, but he should still be among the top kicking options for fantasy purposes.