NFL Player News
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Scarcely called upon in Week 13
Bryant converted on a field-goal try from 44 yards out and succeeded on his lone extra-point attempt during Sunday's 26-16 loss to Baltimore.
The beloved veteran kicker has yet to miss since returning from a groin injury in Week 11 (6-for-6 on FGA, 4-for-4 on PAT), but the volume he's seen of late has proven insufficient to providing starting fantasy value. With just two field-goal attempts over Atlanta's past two games, Bryant has registered an output of 10 combined points (standard scoring) against New Orleans and Baltimore -- teams that have each allowed 17 FGA this season (tied for third-fewest in NFL). Facing Green Bay's 12th-ranked red-zone defense has the potential to provide more scoring opportunities to Bryant in Week 14.
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Cairo Santos K | CHI
Buccaneers' Cairo Santos: Keeps rolling in Week 13 win
Santos drilled his sole field-goal attempt from 35 yards and also connected on all three extra-point tries in the Buccaneers' 24-17 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Santos continued his flawless streak to open his Buccaneers career, as he's now 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 11-for-11 on extra-point tries over his first three games in Tampa. Granted, the 27-year-old has yet to be tested from distance, as the longest of Santos' three field-goal attempts has come from just 41 yards. Nevertheless, the stability he's brought to the position since taking over for Chandler Catanzaro has been noticeable, and he should continue enjoying a fair share of scoring opportunities over the last four contests of 2018.
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Ka'imi Fairbairn K | HOU
Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Key in Week 13 win
Fairbairn successfully converted a career-high five field goals in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Browns.
Houston's 25th-ranked red zone offense once again presented Fairbairn with a number of scoring opportunities, and the third-year kicker from UCLA happily obliged. He made kicks from 35, 42, 48, 53 and 38 yards while also converting two extra-point kicks for a career-high 17 points. He leads all kickers in scoring (116 points) and ranks second overall to only the Rams' Todd Gurley (120) on the season.
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Chris Boswell K | PIT
Steelers' Chris Boswell: Kicking woes continue
Boswell made his only field-goal attempt (48) and converted three of four extra-point attempts during Sunday's 33-30 loss to the Chargers.
The field-goal was just Boswell's 10th of the year, tied for second fewest for a team this season, and he has now missed four extra-point attempts this season -- more than in his previous three seasons combined. He should get plenty of opportunities in Week 14 against Oakland, which allows the second most fantasy points to kickers per game (8.6).
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Matt Prater K | BUF
Lions' Matt Prater: Drills trio of field goals
Prater converted all three of his field-goal attempts and his lone PAT during Sunday's 30-16 loss to the Rams.
The Lions' inability to convert in the red zone gave Prater a number of opportunities to rack up points, and the veteran responded with his fourth performance with at least three successful field goals. Now 23-for-26 on FGAs in 2018, Prater will proceed into Week 14 as a quality fantasy option in most formats.
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Graham Gano K | NYG
Panthers' Graham Gano: Dealing with knee pain
Gano said Sunday that he's dealing with knee pain in his plant leg, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Gano is usually one of the more reliable kickers in the league, so a knee injury would serve to explain his recent struggles. The 31-year-old expressed optimism that he would be able to play through the lingering issue, but it remains to be seen whether Gano will eventually be required to undergo surgery to address his injury.
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Suiting up Sunday
Bryant is active for Sunday's game against the Ravens.
Contained to just one limited listing on the injury report this week, Bryant nonetheless will continue on as the Falcons placekicker with Giorgio Tavecchio on the inactive list. In his eight appearances this season, Bryant has missed just one kick (an extra point) en route to 7.6 points per game.
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Expected to play
Coach Dan Quinn said Bryant (back) will play Sunday against the Ravens, Jason Butt of The Athletic reports.
Bryant didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, but with Giorgio Tavecchio still on the roster as a backup kicker, Quinn probably wouldn't have been as definitive in his statement if there was any real concern about Bryant's availability. While the matchup with Baltimore isn't an ideal one, Bryant has an excellent track record kicking at home.
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Held out again Thursday
Bryant (back) didn't practice Thursday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Bryant hasn't helped his cause with back-to-back absences to open Week 13 prep. As evidence, he didn't participate Thursday on his normal kicking day, as noted by D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. During his three absences this season, Bryant was ruled out on the final injury report of the week, so Friday's version will be telling for his upcoming availability. If he's unable to suit up, he'll yield kicking duties to Giorgio Tavecchio on Sunday against the Ravens.
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Misses practice with back issue
Bryant was held out of Wednesday's practice with a back injury, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Bryant dealt with a back injury last season without missing any time, but sat out three games earlier in 2018 while recovering from a hamstring issue. While still reliable whenever he's on the field, the 43-year-old kicker seems to be feeling the impact of his age. He gets a sub-optimal Week 13 matchup against Baltimore, but the track record suggests Bryant is a strong fantasy option any time the Falcons play in a dome. The team will probably re-sign Giorgio Tavecchio later this week if there's any real concern about Bryant's availability.