NFL Player News

Fairbairn practiced kicking in wet conditions Friday following a heavy downpour that drenched the practice field at Houston's training facility in White Sulpher Springs (W. Va.), Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Fairbairn made some kicks and, as expected, missed some on a wet field that included puddles. "That's part of being a young kicker. Really understanding the elements and how he has to change some of things that he's doing in the elements. But I thought overall he did a good job," said head coach Bill O'Brien. Fairbairn is the lone placekicker in camp, so he should be the team's kicker for the regular season barring injury or poor performance during preseason. He made 20 of 25 field-goal attempts and 30 of 32 extra points in 2017. His 92 points and 5.8 points per game were well below the team averages of 114.6 points and 7.16 PPG, although the state of Houston's quarterback play without Deshaun Watson was a major contributor. With a healthy Watson as a starter last season, Fairbairn averaged 8.67 PPG.

Pineiro is one step closer to becoming the Raiders' starting kicker after the team waived Giorgio Tavecchio on Friday, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Pineiro entered camp as the favorite after receiving a handsome $25,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent. He then impressed enough in camp to become the frontrunner for the job before Oakland's first preseason game, although it's worth noting that veteran Mike Nugent has just been brought in as competition. It's easy to see why the Raiders are intrigued by the 22-year-old's potential -- during Pineiro's final two seasons at the University of Florida, he knocked home 29 of 30 field-goal attempts (94.4 percent) and completed all five tries over 50 yards.

Tavecchio was waived by the Raiders on Friday, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Tavecchio was battling rookie Eddy Pineiro for the starting job, and considering the latter received an atypically high $25,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent, the decision isn't entirely surprising. Tavecchio also struggled with the Raiders last season, completing just 16 of 21 field goal attempts (76.0 percent). Luckily for the 28-year-old, he'll have an entire preseason to find a new landing spot.

Zuerlein (back) has been a full participant during training camp, Myles Simmons of TheRams.com reports.

Zuerlein, who was a limited participant during the Rams' mandatory minicamp earlier this summer, has returned to full strength after landing on the IR at the end of last season due to a back injury. He made all six of his field-goal attempts during Monday's practice, and potential fantasy owners shouldn't have any concerns with his health at this point.

Fairbairn has a firm grasp on the starting kicker job, but new special teams coordinator Brad Seely will continue to evaluate Fairbairn's talent throughout training camp, USA Today's Mark Lane reports.

Fairbairn attempted just 25 field goals in 2017 during his first year in the league, converting 20 to go along with 32 extra points. He currently has no competition on the Texans roster, but Seely will continue to hold him to a high standard. Fairbairn could become a decent fantasy option if quarterback Deshaun Watson is able to spark the Houston offense in his return from a torn ACL.

Elliott, who converted three field-goal attempts as a rookie during the Eagles' Super Bowl victory, has looked solid throughout training camp as he enters his second year in the league, Nick Fierro of The Morning Call reports.

Elliott is reportedly off to a good start at training camp, which is a good sign after he missed three attempts from 30-39 yards as a rookie last season. Boasting a favorable combination of job security, leg strength and team context, the 23-year-old should be a serviceable fantasy option in 2018 as Carson Wentz (knee) returns to lead an Eagles offense that has plenty of weapons.

Butker, who missed a key field-goal attempt during the Chiefs' playoff loss to Tennessee, won't let the mistake bother him mentally as the 2018 season approaches, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Butker enjoyed a wildly successful first year in the league, needing only 13 games to set an NFL record for field goals (38) by a rookie. He missed just four kicks throughout the entire regular season, but he couldn't connect on a 48-yarder during the Chiefs' one-point loss to the Titans in the wild-card round. The second-year kicker has displayed confidence throughout training camp and says he won't let that miss haunt him as he prepares to continue his success in 2018. Butker will have a hard time matching last year's per-game kicking workload, but he nonetheless makes for a worthy target toward the end of fantasy drafts.

Sturgis made four of his six field-goal attempts during the Chargers first kicking reps of training camp, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports.

Robert Aguayo, Sturgis' only competition for the starting job, made five of his six attempts, including a kick from 50 yards out. Sturgis is projected to win the role, but the Chargers have been known to go with whatever player they feel is best suited for the role regardless of age, i.e. Younghoe Koo last season.

Gonzalez will compete with Ross Martin during training camp for the Browns' placekicking duties, Andrew Gribble of the team's official site reports.

A seventh-round pick last year, Gonzalez converted just 15 of 20 field-goal attempts and 25 of 26 extra-point tries as a rookie. He'll now need to beat out Martin, who spent the past two offseasons with the Jets but never made it on the 53-man roster. Neither kicker warrants draft consideration in most fantasy leagues.

McManus is the only kicker on the Broncos' roster heading into training camp.

McManus only made 24 of 32 field-goal attempts last season, but he did convert all of his PATs and only missed three kicks after Week 6. As he heads into his fifth season with Denver, McManus isn't worth drafting in most shallower leagues, but he should work his way into the streaming conversation if quarterback Case Keenum can lead the Denver offense back toward competence.