Who Should I Start? Chad Ryland or Jude McAtamney

Tuesday, August 27, 8:31 PM

The New England Patriots released kicker Chad Ryland on Tuesday, according to a source. Ryland has officially lost the starting kicking competition in New England to Joey Slye and will now be looking for work elsewhere. The 24-year-old was the Patriots' starting kicker in 2023 after being drafted in the fourth round out of Maryland. He made just 64% of his 25 field-goal attempts in his rookie season while making 24 of his 25 extra-point tries for a bad offense. Ryland could end up rejoining the team's practice squad, but he's obviously not even close to being fantasy relevant. Slye, 28, made 79.2% of his 24 field-goal attempts for the Washington Commanders in 17 games last year, missing three of his 35 extra-point tries. Fantasy managers should avoid Slye in pretty much all formats in 2024.

Sunday, August 25, 4:43 AM

New York Giants kicker Jude McAtamney hit both of his field goal attempts in Saturday's loss to the Giants, connecting from 43 yards and 23 yards away. He was the only Giant to put points on the board in the preseason finale. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, McAtamney had experience playing Gaelic football before giving the American game a go, eventually playing for Rutgers in 2022 and 2023. McAtamney's path to the NFL makes for a good story but he won't be making waves in fantasy just yet. Signed as an international player, the 24-year-old rookie would not count against the 16 players on the Giants' practice squad. That does seem like the likeliest destination for McAtamney, as Graham Gano is healthy again and slated to be the Giants' starting kicker.