Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Daniel Carlson

Friday, December 20, 7:09 PM

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins was given the week off to clear his head in a Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs as the team tabbed Riley Patterson as their kicker for the game. Hopkins will now return to the field after a one-week absence to take on the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 16. The Bengals have been decent against opposing kickers this season, allowing the 14th-fewest fantasy points per game to the position. Hopkins has struggled with his accuracy this season, making just 16 of his 25 field goals. In addition, the Browns offense could find it hard to move the ball as they will start Dorian Thompson-Robinson in place of Jameis Winston against Cincy. Those two factors combine to make Hopkins tough to trust in fantasy heading into Week 16.

Saturday, December 21, 3:07 AM

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson has mostly done a solid job making field goals, and his offense will face one of the worst defenses in the league when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. His accuracy on FGs under 50 yards has been impressive, though he's faltered numerous times on the long-range shots. He's made 83.6% of his field goal tries this season, though if you remove those attempts over 50 yards, he's nailed over 95% of the others. He's 95% on extra point tries as well. This week should finally see him getting more opportunities, at least in a way we can predict, so he's a decent option at kicker in deep fantasy football leagues.