Who Should I Start? Daniel Carlson or Rodrigo Blankenship


Week 3 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
7.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Daniel Carlson News

Daniel Carlson Set to Handle Saints' Kicking Duties

Sunday, August 30, 10:17 AM

New Orleans Saints kicker Daniel Carlson appears set to handle the job entering the regular season, with Charlie Smyth being released Sunday, according to Mike Triplett. Carlson only joined New Orleans on Aug. 24 but made a strong final impression. He hit field goals from 38 and 53 yards in Friday's preseason finale against Dallas, with the 53-yarder providing the winning points in a 27-24 victory. The veteran made 22 of 27 field goals for Las Vegas last season and owns an 86.9% conversion rate over his NFL career. Smyth had handled the job over the final six games of 2025, making 12 of 16 field goals and all 13 of his extra points, but never completely separated from the competition this summer. Tanner Brown was also part of the battle, though Smyth's release leaves Carlson in position to enter Week 1 as New Orleans' kicker.


Week 3 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Rodrigo Blankenship News

Buccaneers Waive Kicker Rodrigo Blankenship

Monday, August 21, 6:14 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on Monday. Blankenship lost the kicking battle to Chase McLaughlin in training camp this summer and will now look to latch on with another team before the start of the 2023 regular season. The 26-year-old spent last year with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, going 4-for-5 on his field-goal tries and 4-for-5 on extra points in just three total games. As long as Tampa doesn't bring in more competition for McLaughlin to close out the preseason, he should enter Week 1 as the team's starting kicker. McLaughlin, 27, made 83.3 percent of his 36 field-goal attempts and made all 21 of his extra-point tries in 16 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. The kicking position in Tampa won't be as exciting in fantasy now that Tom Brady isn't running the offense in 2023.


Daniel Carlson vs. Rodrigo Blankenship

Still trying to decide between Carlson and Blankenship? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Daniel Carlson is projected to score 7.6 points this week while Rodrigo Blankenship is projected to score 0.0 points.