Who Should I Start? Cairo Santos or Ramiz Ahmed

Friday, September 12, 11:29 PM

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos had a rough start to his 12th NFL season. He connected on three extra points but went just 1-of-2 on field goals, missing a crucial 50-yarder that ultimately proved to be the difference in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings. To make matters worse, on the final kickoff, the Bears needed Santos to boot the ball out of the end zone, but his short kick was returned and forced the clock to run down to the two-minute warning. Frustration with Santos' kicking strength appears to be growing in Chicago, as the team signed former 49ers kicker Jake Moody to the practice squad ahead of Week 2. With the Bears traveling to Detroit, Santos enters the week ranked as K23 and should be considered unstartable in fantasy. This could be a make-or-break week for his job security.

Saturday, August 10, 7:37 PM

Washington Commanders kicker Ramiz Ahmed went 1-for-1 on his field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on his extra-point attempts on Saturday afternoon. His field goal attempt came from 40 yards out. This is important to note because Riley Patterson missed his lone field goal try from 39 yards out. Brandon McManus was originally brought in during free agency to serve as the starting kicker in D.C. but was let go in June due to being involved with a civil lawsuit. As a result, this opened up a competition between Ahmed and Patterson, and after the team's first preseason game, Ahmed may be in the lead. Patterson does have more experience in the NFL and has gone 59-for-67 throughout the first four seasons of his career. Ahmed made only one NFL appearance back in 2022 with the Green Bay Packers and moved on to play for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL last spring. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this competition as the winner could be fantasy-relevant, especially if rookie Jayden Daniels is able to adjust to the NFL fairly quickly and move the Washington offense downfield on a consistent basis.