Who Should I Start? Blake Grupe or Charlie Smyth

Thursday, October 17, 1:20 AM

New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe made the most of the Week 6 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Grupe had a perfect day, hitting field goals from 29 and 42 yards out and converting all three of his extra point attempts in the 51-27 loss which resulted in his best fantasy score since Week 1. He is 10-for-10 on field goal attempts in 2024 though he has missed two extra points. The Saints open Week 7 with a Thursday night matchup against the Denver Broncos. The game is expected to be a low-scoring affair given Denver's defensive prowess and lack of firepower on offense. As such, Grupe's upside is limited in a game where scoring chances are expected to be few and far between. Grupe has not done enough this season to separate himself from the pack so fantasy managers should have no qualms about streaming another kicker in Week 7.

Sunday, August 25, 6:35 PM

New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth (groin) didn't suit up during Sunday's preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans. The rookie kicker has been dealing with an ongoing groin issue since Friday. Head coach Dennis Allen said that the team wanted to play it safe and hold Smyth out of this game. In his absence, Blake Grupe handled the kicking duties during the preseason finale. He connected on both his field goal attempts and made all three of his extra point attempts as well. It remains to be seen which kicker the team decides to ride with into the regular season. Grupe is probably the favorite after making 30-of-37 field goal attempts and all 40 extra point attempts during his rookie season with the Saints in 2023.