Who Should I Start? Daniel Carlson or Rodrigo Blankenship

Friday, October 17, 9:14 PM

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson draws a challenging matchup in Week 7 versus the Kansas City Chiefs, making him a risky fantasy start. The Chiefs have allowed the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing kickers this season and continue to limit scoring opportunities with one of the league's stingiest defenses. Meanwhile, Geno Smith and the Raiders offense have struggled to sustain drives or finish in scoring position, further capping Carlson's upside. While the veteran remains a very accurate kicker, his lack of opportunity makes him tough to trust in fantasy lineups this week. Managers should consider streaming a kicker from a more favorable offensive environment until the Raiders show more consistency.

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.