Who Should I Start? Cairo Santos or Riley Patterson

Saturday, September 27, 12:44 PM

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos has had a quiet start to his 17th NFL season, making just two field goals and adding 10 extra points through three games. He currently ranks 29th in fantasy points among kickers, despite Chicago's offense performing well. Head coach Ben Johnson's aggressive approach (going for four fourth downs in field-goal range in the first three games) has limited Santos' opportunities. Week 4 brings a potential high-scoring matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, which could lead to more attempts. Still, his lack of production early in 2025 makes him unstartable in most fantasy formats this week.

Wednesday, September 17, 7:15 PM

Miami Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson will continue to fill in for Jason Sanders (hip) for a third straight week when his team visits the Bills on Thursday Night Football. Patterson is on the Dolphins' practice squad but has been promoted for each of Miami's two games this season. He has converted both of his field-goal attempts and all three of his extra-point tries so far this season. However, he's only the K28 in RotoBaller's Week 3 rankings, since the Dolphins' offense has been so off this year and is in a tough spot to get back on track against the defending division champs in Buffalo. If Patterson continues to produce, he could earn a full-time role with Miami or another team later this season, but for now, he's not an elite option for standard leagues.