NFL Player News
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Cairo Santos K | CHI
Chiefs' Cairo Santos: Makes three field goals
Santos converted each of his three field goal attempts in the Chiefs' third preseason game against the Bears, while adding two extra points.
Santos is off to a nice start through three exhibitions, making eight of his nine field goal attempts thus far. He tied for fifth in field goals made (30) in 2015 and should be in line for similar production again this season.
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Connor Barth K | CHI
Saints' Connor Barth: Kicking competition still "dead even"
The kicking competition between Barth and Kai Forbath is still "dead even," according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Both players converted on their lone extra point attempts in Friday's preseason tilt against the Steelers.
Forbath may have the edge due to his incumbent status, but Barth has been solid through training camp, and the starting gig remains firmly up for grabs entering the final week of the preseason. A miss or a clutch kick in Thursday's finale would probably sway the decision either way. The winner is not likely to be a top-5 fantasy kicker due to the Saints' consistently high touchdown conversion rate in the red zone but should nonetheless be an above-average option.
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Travis Coons K | LAR
Travis Coons: Waived by Browns
Coons was waived by the Browns, the team announced Monday.
Coons was been battling with kicker Patrick Murray this preseason, and coming off a season where he hit 28 of 32 attempts overall, it seemed like Coons was slated to be the team's starting kicker once again. However, it looks like the Browns will go with Murray, leaving Coons for hire on the NFL market right now.
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Matt Prater K | BUF
Lions' Matt Prater: Snipes 60-yarder in preseason loss
Prater converted 2-of-3 field goal attempts Saturday during the Lions' preseason loss to the Ravens.
Prater's lone blemish was a 53-yard attempt that pegged the right upright, but he otherwise converted a 28-yarder as well as a 60-yarder as time expired in the first half. Though facing heat from undrafted rookie Devon Bell, who converted one of his two attempts on Saturday, Prater has displayed significantly superior leg strength and appears poised to handle Detroit's kicking duties yet again during the 2016 campaign.
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Graham Gano K | NYG
Panthers' Graham Gano: Three points versus Patriots
Gano converted his lone field goal attempt in Friday's preseason game against the Patriots.
Gano's 29-yarder gave him his only points of Friday's contest, when the Panthers' offense failed to move the ball and put him in scoring situations. When called upon, Gano has converted all seven of his field goal attempts across Carolina's three preseason tilts, although he did miss an extra point last week against Baltimore. Coming off a career-best 146 points last season, Gano's fantasy value currently sits at its highest level since he entered the league in 2009.
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Andrew Franks K | MIA
Dolphins' Andrew Franks: Wins kicking competition
Franks' teammate Marshall Koehn was released by the Dolphins on Saturday, Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
After winning the job as an undrafted rookie last season, Franks was able to fend off undrafted rookie Marshall Koehn. Franks didn't have many opportunities last year, converting 13 of 16 field-goal attempts and 33 of 36 PATs. The gap between field-goal tries and extra points figures to be much smaller this year.
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Marshall Koehn K | CIN
Marshall Koehn: Released by Miami
Koehn was released by the Dolphins on Saturday, Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.
Andrew Franks won Miami's kicking competition, despite missing his only field-goal attempt in the team's third preseason game. Koehn, an undrafted rookie, will have a tough time finding another opportunity before the start of the season.
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Marshall Koehn K | CIN
Dolphins' Marshall Koehn: Hits field goal in win
Koehn connected on 45-yard field goal in Thursday's preseason win over the Falcons.
Koehn is battling with incumbent Andrew Franks for the kicking job. While Franks, who was 13-of-16 last season with the Dolphins, certainly has a leg up, Koehn made a good showing on Thursday night while Franks missed his only attempt. Look for this kicking battle to come down to the final preseason game.
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Matt Bryant K | ATL
Falcons' Matt Bryant: Ruled out for Thursday
Bryant will not play in Thursday's preseason matchup with Miami for undisclosed reasons.
Bryant is coming off of an injury shortened 2015 that saw him connect on just 14 of 18 field goals. Entering his age-41 season, the veteran kicker is competing with Shayne Graham, who replaced Bryant for the final six games of last season, for the kicker spot. Bryant's absence will give Graham a few extra in-game reps in Thursday's game.
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Zach Hocker K | TB
Bengals' Zach Hocker: Strained tendon in plant foot
Hocker has been bothered by a strained tendon in his plant foot, preventing him from practicing during most of training camp and the preseason, Bengals.com reports.
Hocker has missed out on an opportunity to displace incumbent Mike Nugent, who has missed three field goal attempts in the first two preseason games.