Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Wil Lutz

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.

Monday, March 11, 5:21 PM

Despite a previous report saying that he was signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, kicker Wil Lutz re-signed with the Denver Broncos on an undisclosed two-year deal, according to his agent, John Perla. Lutz will continue to kick for head coach Sean Payton, although moving to Jacksonville would have likely been much more lucrative for his 2024 fantasy value. The Broncos are in rebuilding mode and have moved on from quarterback Russell Wilson, which means their offense could struggle to get into field-goal range more often under Jarrett Stidham or another signal-caller. Lutz finished as the No. 18 fantasy kicker in 2023 by making 30 of his 34 field-goal tries and 29 of his 31 extra points. With Wilson now gone and an offense in flux, Lutz's fantasy ceiling and floor are likely going to be lower in his second year with the team.