Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Blake Grupe

Friday, November 22, 5:57 AM

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins made his lone field-goal attempt and added an extra point in a 24-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12's Thursday night game. It was a cold, snowy evening in Cleveland, so conditions for the kickers of both teams were not ideal. That led to Cleveland going for it on fourth down several times in field-goal range throughout the game, thus cutting into Hopkins' workload. Hopkins has now hit 15 of his 21 field-goal attempts through 10 games this season. He will now prepare to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 13.

Saturday, November 16, 3:27 AM

New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe was perfect in Week 10, converting both of his field goal attempts and both extra point tries. He scored the first points of the game against the Falcons with a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter and hit another from 26 yards out in the third quarter. On the season he has missed just one of his 19 field goal attempts and is now 21-for-23 on extra points. Grupe offers a solid floor, rarely straying far from his average 7.5 fantasy points per game. In Week 11, the Saints face the Browns, who have offered little to opposing kickers this season, though that may be because they are allowing teams to reach the end zone more often than they are stopping them short, particularly in close range. Cleveland has only seen five field goals attempted at a distance of 39 yards or fewer. They have also had the good fortune of opponents going 8-for-14 from 40 yards out or more, with just one block to their credit. Grupe is 8-for-9 from that range. Grupe isn't an option to get excited about but a top-12 finish isn't out of the question. He is worth a look for fantasy managers seeking a kicker in Week 11.