Who Should I Start? Jason Sanders or Daniel Carlson

Saturday, February 22, 11:46 AM

The Miami Dolphins have already cut veteran running back Raheem Mostert, cornerback Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe this offseason, and The Athletic's Jim Ayello suggests that kicker Jason Sanders could be the next on the chopping block. The Dolphins have one of the worst salary cap situations in the league this year, and cutting big-money players such as left tackle Terron Armstead and linebacker Bradley Chubb would incur huge dead-cap penalties ($32.7 million for Armstead and $27.3 million for Chubb). Sanders has a fair cap hit of $4.7 million in 2025, but the Dolphins could get additional cap space of $3.3 million by cutting him. The 29-year-old was a top-10 fantasy kicker in 2024 and made a career-high 37 of his 41 field-goal attempts in 17 games while missing just two of his extra-point tries. This situation purely comes down to salary-cap space for Miami.

Monday, December 30, 12:05 AM

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson went 4-for-4 on field goals and also converted his lone extra-point attempt during Sunday's Week 17 win over the New Orleans Saints. His field goals came from 25, 31, 39, and 54 yards out. Carlson has now made four-plus field goals in 25 percent of his games this season, pushing him just inside the top 12 kickers (based on fantasy points) so far. Although his fantasy production has been relatively inconsistent due to the Raiders' developing offense, Carlson remains an intriguing weekly streamer with very high upside. He should continue to be viewed as a fringe top-12 kicking option in fantasy football ahead of Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers.