Who Should I Start? Chase McLaughlin or Chad Ryland

Thursday, September 5, 4:26 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin (abdomen) was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday, according to Brianna Dix. McLaughlin missed practice on Wednesday due to an abdomen injury and an illness. However, seeing him return to full participation the following day is a great sign for his status in the season opener on Sunday afternoon. The 28-year-old enjoyed a great season in Tampa Bay last fall, hitting 93.5% of his attempts and a stellar 7-for-8 from outside 50 yards. DFS players should consider placing McLaughlin in their lineup as he will face the Washington Commanders, who surrendered the most total yards in the league last season.

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.