Who Should I Start? Blake Grupe or Tyler Loop

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.

Monday, August 4, 9:34 AM

The Baltimore Ravens released kicker John Hoyland on Saturday, leaving rookie Tyler Loop as the lone kicker on the roster. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Loop is "kicking well enough to win the job." A sixth-round pick out of Arizona, Loop made 83.8% of his field goals and 98.4% of his extra-point attempts in 50 career college games. The 24-year-old is poised to fill the shoes of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was released this offseason amidst multiple allegations of sexual misconduct after 13 years with the team. Baltimore could always bring in a veteran kicker later in the summer, so Loop will still need to perform throughout the preseason to hold the job.