Who Should I Start? Graham Gano or Riley Patterson

Wednesday, November 12, 5:43 PM

The New York Giants placed kicker Graham Gano (neck) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday due to the neck injury that he's been dealing with, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's the second time that Gano has been on IR this year, so his season will come to an end after only five games played in 2025. The 38-year-old veteran kicker went 9-for-10 on his field-goal attempts (he made his only 50-yard attempt) and 9-for-9 on extra points. The G-Men explored using Jude McAtamney for a short bit with Gano injured this year, but that didn't work out, and they are set to continue with former Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo in their Week 11 contest this Sunday against the visiting Green Bay Packers. In last week's loss to the Bears, Koo made both of his field goals and both of his extra points. He shouldn't be on the streaming radar in fantasy this week, though, with quarterback Jameis Winston taking over for the injured Jaxson Dart (concussion).

Saturday, December 13, 6:51 PM

Miami Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson has been solid but not spectacular this season, while filling in for Jason Sanders (hip), who remains on IR. Patterson has made 23 of his 25 field goal attempts and 28 of his 29 extra point attempts. He didn't have any issues on the road in the cold against the Jets last week, making all four of his kicks. This week, he'll be on the road for a night game in Pittsburgh with very cold temperatures again in the forecast. While it won't be ideal conditions for long field goals, Patterson has been consistent enough from short range to not be a total "must avoid" option, especially since the Steelers have been a top-10 matchup for kickers. Patterson is the No. 19 kicker in RotoBaller's Week 15 rankings, so there are potentially kickers with more upside on the waiver wire in most standard-sized leagues this week.