NFL Player News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Obarski was waived by the Giants on Monday, Seth Walder of the New York Daily News reports.

With Josh Brown suspended for Week 1, the Giants appeared interested in a more experienced kicking presence, and after signing Randy Bullock on Monday, Obarski quickly became an expendable asset.

Hartley will work out for the Giants on Monday, NorthJersey.com reports.

Hartley's workout comes after Giants kicker Josh Brown was recently handed a one-game suspension and backup Tom Obarski missed a 28-yard field goal attempt in New York's preseason game over the weekend. With coach Ben McAdoo looking to increase competition at the position, a group of kickers has been brought in to work out for the Giants to start this week, and Hartley could conceivably receive a contract offer if he impresses the team.

Sturgis has been cleared from the league's concussion protocol and will practice Monday, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sturgis suffered the concussion prior to the Eagles' preseason game against the Steelers last week after being hit in the head by a punt during warmups. He'll be sure to wear a helmet next time around when the team plays in Indianapolis on Saturday. A timely recovery means well for Sturgis, who continues to compete with Cody Parkey (groin) for the kicking job.