NFL Player News

Zuerlein connected for four field goals (56, 20, 24 and 41 yards) and made both his point-after attempts during Sunday's 32-16 win over Arizona.

Zuerlein has now kicked multiple field goals in 10 of 12 games and is up to 36 for the campaign. The league record of 44 is held by David Akers, who accomplished the feat for San Francisco in 2011, and that mark is now in serious jeopardy. Zuerlein is obviously locked in as a high-end fantasy asset while chasing a historic season.

Texans head coach Bill O'Brien suggested Monday that the team would stick with Fairbairn as its kicker, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. "He's a good kicker. I have a lot of faith in him," O'Brien said of Fairbairn. "He had a bad day [in Sunday's 24-13 loss to the Titans]. He'll be alright."

Fairbairn had a pair of costly missed field goals Sunday that changed the complexion of the contest, with the attempt he yanked wide left from 23 yards out in the third quarter especially brutal. The first-year kicker at least righted the ship before the end of the game by knocking home a 42-yard attempt, and his solid work on the whole this season looks like it will give him a little leeway before the Texans start working out other options. Through Houston's 12 games, Fairbairn has connected on 17 of 21 field-goal tries and 29 of 31 extra-point attempts.

Bryant connected on three field goals in Sunday's 14-9 loss to the Vikings.

Bryant connected from 36, 38 and 47 yards, but he missed a late attempt from 45 yards that could have made it a 14-12 game. Bryant is now 24-for-28 on the season and has a decent kicking matchup in Week 14 at home against the Saints.

Fairbairn converted two of his four field-goal attempts and his lone extra-point try in Sunday's 24-13 loss to the Titans.

Fairbairn had a 48-yard attempt hit the upright, then badly misfired on a 28-yard try, which sailed wide left. The misses occurred at critical junctures that could have altered the game's outcome. On balance, the Texans have been pleased with Fairbairn, who has connected on 17 of 21 attempts this season, but the rookie kicker has missed four of his last 10 tries. All of the misses have come in the last five games with Tom Savage at quarterback. Given the way Houston's offense has regressed since Savage replaced the dynamic Deshaun Watson (knee) under center, any missed opportunity to score hurts.

Gano did not attempt a field goal but made all three of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 31-21 loss to the Saints.

Gano's scoring opportunities were restricted Sunday, but he still did all that was asked of him. Although his three points tied a season low, Gano still sports 93 on the campaign, placing him just outside the top 10 leaguewide.

Santos sustained a groin injury in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports.

Bears head coach John Fox indicated post-game that Santos "tweaked his groin," but the injury was never officially announced during the game even though punter Pat O'Donnell began practicing field goals at halftime and handled kickoffs during the contest. The severity of the injury is unclear at this point, so he'll likely be reevaluated Monday as the Bears look to determine whether or not Santos will be available for the Week 14 game in Cincinnati. It's somewhat troubling that Santos is dealing with a groin issue again, given that the injury was why the Chiefs placed him on injured reserve in September before ultimately waiving him.

The Chargers promoted Coons to their 53-man roster Saturday, putting him in line to serve as the team's kicker for at least Sunday's game against the Browns, Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com reports.

Coons will be the third kicker to play for the Chargers this season. Regular kicker Nick Novak (back) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday, but it looks like he's not ready to play given Coons' promotion. If Novak's back issues prove to be more of a long-term concern, Coons could handle kicking duties in future contests should he impress Sunday. The 25-year-old went 28-for-32 on field-goal attempts and missed two extra points in 2015 as the kicker for the Browns.

Bryant (back) doesn't have a designation on the final injury report for Sunday's game against the Vikings, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Bryant has made a number of appearances on the injury report this season but has yet to miss a game. While his volume hasn't approached last season's level, he has been as reliable as ever with the chances he has had, converting 21 of 24 field-goal attempts and each of his 28 extra-point tries.

Bryant didn't practice Wednesday due to a back injury, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Bryant has made an unusual number of injury report appearances for a kicker this season, but he's yet to actually miss a game and has been as accurate as ever. The only cause for concern is the fact that he dealt with a back injury earlier this season, but there hasn't been any suggestion that his recent flare-up is serious.

Tavecchio is expected to serve as the Raiders' kicker the rest of the season with Sebastian Janikowski (back) not slated to be activated from injured reserve, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Raiders opted to use their two designations for return from IR on defensive backs Obi Melifonwu and Antonio Hamilton (knee), with Tavecchio's strong showing this season likely influencing the team's decision not to activate Janikowski, who is slated to become a free agent this offseason. Tavecchio, who has converted 12 of 15 field goals this season, including three makes from 50-plus yards, will be an exclusive rights free agent after the season, but he should be cheaper for the Raiders to retain than Janikowski would be.