Who Should I Start? Jason Sanders or Rodrigo Blankenship

Friday, December 19, 12:35 PM

Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders (hip) is unlikely to return in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, but it's possible that he could come off Injured Reserve to kick in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or for the regular-season finale in Week 18 against the division-rival New England Patriots, according to Travis Wingfield of MiamiDolphins.com. The 30-year-old's 21-day practice window was opened on Wednesday, but he's not ready to return yet from a hip injury that has kept him out all season. With only two games left after this week and the Dolphins eliminated from the playoffs, it's unclear why Miami would even consider bringing Sanders back, but it appears that's still a possibility. Riley Patterson will kick for at least one more week against Cincy on Sunday, and he'll be a deep-league streaming option at the position in a plus matchup.

Monday, August 21, 6:14 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on Monday. Blankenship lost the kicking battle to Chase McLaughlin in training camp this summer and will now look to latch on with another team before the start of the 2023 regular season. The 26-year-old spent last year with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, going 4-for-5 on his field-goal tries and 4-for-5 on extra points in just three total games. As long as Tampa doesn't bring in more competition for McLaughlin to close out the preseason, he should enter Week 1 as the team's starting kicker. McLaughlin, 27, made 83.3 percent of his 36 field-goal attempts and made all 21 of his extra-point tries in 16 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. The kicking position in Tampa won't be as exciting in fantasy now that Tom Brady isn't running the offense in 2023.