Who Should I Start? Blake Grupe or Brandon Aubrey

Saturday, January 4, 4:22 AM

New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe was perfect in Week 17, hitting his lone extra point and a 34-yard field goal try. On the season he is 30-for-32 for extra point attempts and has converted 23 of his 27 field goal attempts. All of those misses have come from 40 yards out or further. Grupe won't be kicking in the comfort of a dome in Week 18 but he will have good weather conditions when the Saints travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. That said, Grupe should probably be avoided for fantasy purposes. Since their Week 12 bye, the Saints have averaged just 11.4 points per game. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler will be at the helm again in the season finale. The Saints have had a hard time sustaining drives since he took over for Derek Carr (hand), which means there is less of a chance for Grupe to get on the field. Grupe has a good leg and can be of service when called upon but the Saints' woes on offense should steer fantasy managers elsewhere in Week 18.

Saturday, January 4, 10:12 AM

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is coming off of a rough outing in which he made his lone extra point attempt but missed his lone field goal attempt in a blowout loss to Philadelphia. The 29-year-old kicker will look to bounce back in the season's finale against the Washington Commanders, although the Dallas offense looks inept with CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) on the shelf. Aubrey missed two field goals in the previous matchup against Washington and it appears that Dallas may be rotating quarterbacks this week, making it a questionable offensive situation. However, Aubrey is one of the most consistent kickers in the league. He can be started but beware that he has a wide range of outcomes in Week 18.