Who Should I Start? Graham Gano or Chase McLaughlin

Monday, November 6, 8:01 PM

New York Giants kicker Graham Gano (knee) needs surgery for a left-knee injury and is likely out for the rest of the season. The Giants officially placed him on Injured Reserve on Saturday. Veteran Randy Bullock was signed and eventually elevated to the active roster, but he didn't have a single kicking opportunity in the 30-6 Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The G-Men also added Cade York last week, but he was inactive on Sunday. In eight games for the Giants this year before his knee injury, the 36-year-old Gano made 11 of his 17 field-goal attempts and made all eight of his extra-point tries. Bullock and York could continue to compete for the starting kicking job on game days on Sundays, but fantasy managers should avoid the situation entirely.

Monday, March 11, 5:15 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to an undisclosed three-year deal to re-sign kicker Chase McLaughlin on Monday, according to a source. McLaughlin will stay with the Buccaneers after going 29-for-31 on his field-goal attempts and 33-for-33 on his extra points in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old's success rate on field goals last year set a new single-season record, so it's no wonder why Tampa wanted the kicker back for another go-round in 2024 as their primary kicker. From a fantasy perspective, McLaughlin finished as the No. 16 kicker in terms of overall fantasy points in 2023. The Bucs offense should remain largely the same this year with quarterback Baker Mayfield and top wideout Mike Evans sticking around, so McLaughlin should enter the year as a matchup-based streamer at the kicking position in fantasy.