Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Jake Elliott

Thursday, January 11, 3:00 PM

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for Saturday's wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans after missing practice all week. Hopkins will miss his third straight game due to his hamstring injury. Riley Patterson, who has served as Cleveland's kicker the last two games with Hopkins out, will likely be elevated from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster for Saturday's playoff contest. The 24-year-old was the Detroit Lions' primary kicker for 13 games this year before getting cut and latching on with the Browns. In 15 total games between both teams this year, he's gone 16-for-18 on field-goal tries and has miss three of his 44 extra-point attempts. Fantasy managers should be looking for better options at the position on wild-card weekend.

Wednesday, March 13, 4:22 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles are re-signing kicker Jake Elliott to a four-year, $24 million contract extension, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Elliott earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2023 after making 30 of his 32 field-goal attempts and 45 of his 46 extra points. His longest field goal of the year was from 61 yards. The 29-year-old finished tied for fifth among kickers in fantasy points per game (9.2) last year, and he should remain a top-12 fantasy kicker for years to come behind a strong Eagles offense. He is now tied with Justin Tucker as the highest-paid kicker based on average salary ($6 million).