Who Should I Start? Brandon McManus or Brett Maher

Sunday, October 26, 7:20 PM

Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus (quadricep) is officially active for Sunday's Week 8 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had been listed as questionable after logging a limited practice session. The 34-year-old returns following a two-game absence. He went 7-for-9 on field goals and 11-for-12 on extra points when healthy, maintaining low-end streaming appeal in fantasy football. His return to action is bittersweet for the Packers and fantasy managers alike. Green Bay is surely pleased to get its primary kicker back, but it also spells the end of a magical two-week stretch for Lucas Havrisik, who went from searching for substitute teaching jobs to going 4-for-4 on field goals and 6-for-6 on extra points while filling in for McManus. Havrisik is a healthy scratch Sunday night.

Monday, January 1, 7:38 PM

The Los Angeles Rams are signing veteran kicker Brett Maher on Monday after waiving rookie Lucas Havrisik earlier in the day. Maher began the year as the Rams' kicker and played in the first seven weeks before getting cut on Oct. 24, going 17-for-23 (73.9 percent) on his field-goal opportunities and 12-for-13 with his extra points. Havrisik was cut by the Rams on Monday after missing two of his four extra points in a one-point win over the New York Giants on Sunday. LA just has been unable to settle on a kicker all season, but Maher will hope to come back in and be more successful than he was earlier in the year as the team gets ready for another playoff appearance. In the Week 18 regular season finale against the San Francisco 49ers with key starters potentially being rested, Maher should be avoided for fantasy lineups.