Who Should I Start? Graham Gano or Anders Carlson

Wednesday, October 16, 5:18 PM

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said that kicker Graham Gano (hamstring) won't come off the Injured Reserve to kick in Week 7 against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Gano is not ready to return to the team despite missing the required four games on IR, so the Giants are expected to roll with veteran Greg Joseph again this Sunday. The 37-year-old Gano is recovering from a right-hamstring injury. Fantasy managers should be looking elsewhere for a kicking option this weekend. The Giants offense hasn't been great in 2024, although they could be getting rookie wideout Malik Nabers (concussion) back against the Eagles. Joseph missed both of his field-goal chances in the Week 6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and has made eight of his 11 field-goal tries overall in his four games this year.

Saturday, October 19, 2:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Anders Carlson will kick off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Santa Clara. The younger brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson will be the third kicker used by the 49ers in as many games since Jake Moody (ankle) and Matthew Wright (shoulder, back) both suffered injuries attempting to make tackles. Last season, Carlson spent his rookie year as the Green Bay Packers starting kicker from beginning to end but was cut during this year's preseason. Carlson was the 23rd-most productive kicker in fantasy but led the league in misses with 13. Any decent kicker that San Francisco puts out there is likely a decent fantasy option, given the team's offensive prowess, as seen last week with journeyman Wright's three field goals and three extra points made. Anyone streaming kickers or looking for a replacement could do worse than Carlson in Week 7.