NFL Player News

Sanders is set to open the regular season as the Dolphins' kicker so long as he doesn't endure significant struggles during Thursday's preseason finale against the Falcons, a source informed Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Sanders, a seventh-round pick out of New Mexico, has been battling undrafted free agent Greg Joseph for the kicking job throughout training camp. By virtue of his draft status, Sanders entered camp as the favorite, and he's done little to lose that edge by knocking down five of six field-goal attempts during the preseason, with his lone miss coming from 53 yards. Assuming he concludes the exhibition slate on a high note, Sanders will break camp with a roster spot in hand, but he likely won't be worth selecting in most fantasy drafts.

Sturgis made his only extra-point attempt and kicked the Chargers' only two kickoffs through the end zone in Saturday's exhibition loss to the Saints.

Sturgis was considered behind Robert Aguayo in the competition for the team's kicking role heading into the evening, so it is unclear where the two stand now. The Chargers may give Aguayo the nod in the final preseason contest, but that is just speculation. The competition may remain up in the air until Saturday's final roster cuts.

Martin was waived by the Browns on Tuesday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Martin was competing with Zane Gonzalez during training camp and the preseason with the hopes of overtaking him for the job. If unclaimed through waivers, he will be free to pursue other opportunities.

Gonzalez beat out Ross Martin for the kicker job, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

The Browns released Martin on Tuesday, but they could still take a look at what else is available around the league in the coming days. Given that he missed five of his 20 field-goal attempts as a rookie last year, Gonzalez seems unlikely to end the lengthy streak of fantasy irrelevance for Cleveland kickers.

Butker nailed both of his field-goal attempts and added to extra points during Saturday's preseason game against the Bears.

Although his 2017 campaign ended with a thud in the playoffs, Butker was phenomenal as a rookie, knocking home 38 of his 42 attempts on the year with only one miss coming from fewer than 40 yards on the season. He figures to remain one of the top fantasy kickers in 2018 given the explosiveness of the Chiefs' offense.

Fairbairn (undisclosed) has returned to practice, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

The Texans signed Nick Rose to fill in for Fairbairn, but he missed both of his field goals attempts in Saturday's preseason game against the Rams. Assuming no further setbacks, Fairbairn is locked in as the team's kicker after making 20 of 25 tries in 16 games last year, en route to recording 92 points.

Bryant won't kick in Thursday's preseason game against the Dolphins, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

The 43-year-old battled an undisclosed injury through the first two preseason games, so the Falcons see no need to push him further. The team signed Giorgio Tavecchio on Monday, so there was speculation about Bryant's job security despite a proven track record. Tavecchio will serve as a place holder for the preseason finale and will likely be released afterwards.

Tavecchio signed with the Falcons on Monday.

Tavecchio, who was waived by Oakland earlier this preseason, seems an odd fit for a Falcons team which recently signed Matt Bryant to a three-year contract extension. While Tavecchio performed decently as an incumbent starter for the Raiders in 2017, Bryant is one of the league's top options at the position and has finished in the top five among kickers during each of the last two campaigns. The addition of Tavecchio may indicate that the Falcons remain concerned about the lingering undisclosed injury that Bryant has dealt with this summer, despite the fact that the team's all-time leading scorer was able to suit up and kick two field goals in last week's preseason game against the Jaguars.

Martin hit four of five field goals, including one from 53 yards, during Sunday's practice session, Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Martin was set up in a duel with incumbent kicker Zane Gonzalez, with each kicker attempting a field goal from 34, 38, 40, 45 and 53 yards. Gonzalez went three for five, missing from 34 and 53, while Martin's only miss came from 38. Gonzalez is coming off a preseason tilt that saw him make a 54-yard field goal and he appears to be taking over the kicking battle. However, Martin's performance Sunday suggests the decisions haven't been made yet and he could grab the job for himself entering Week 1.

Gonzalez was beaten in a kicking drill by Ross Martin on Sunday, Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gonzalez, the Browns incumbent kicker, has performed well in the preseason but was bested on Sunday. Each kicker had five field goal attempts, one each from 34, 38, 40, 45 and 53 yards. Gonzalez went three of five, missing from 34 and 53 yards out, while Ross Martin went four of five, missing from 38. Despite the outcome of the kicking battle, Gonzalez is coming off a preseason game that saw him hit a 54-yard field goal and he's still the favorite to be the Browns' kicker come Week 1.