Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Matt Gay

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.

Saturday, December 23, 12:21 AM

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay (hip) will not carry a designation into the Week 16 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Gay missed Wednesday's practice, then logged a limited session on Thursday, and on Friday was able to participate in full, per the team's official injury report. On the season, Gay has gone 26-for-33 on field goal attempts and has converted 32 of his 33 extra-point tries. Five of his misses (including the whiffed PAT) have come in the four games since the Colts' Week 11 bye, but Gay saw enough success in the same timeframe to finish as a top-10 kicker three times. On the season he has been a top-10 option nine times and can be counted on for another strong finish on Sunday in the neutral conditions of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.