Who Should I Start? Joey Slye or Charlie Smyth

Friday, December 20, 12:00 PM

New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye can be left on waivers in most fantasy leagues ahead of Sunday's Week 16 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Slye has been relatively mediocre this year, showcasing impressive power but struggling with accuracy on kicks that most NFL kickers would make. All in all, he's 19-for-20 on extra points and 23-for-30 on field goals in 2024. This week, the bad news for Slye is that he faces the Bills, who have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing kickers in 2024. To further complicate matters, he'll be kicking in Orchard Park, New York, which is known for cold temperatures, wind gusts, and potential snow in the winter months. Any of these weather conditions could affect Slye in Week 16, further reducing his fantasy value. For now, he's a mid-range K2 who lacks fantasy appeal on Sunday.

Sunday, August 25, 6:35 PM

New Orleans Saints kicker Charlie Smyth (groin) didn't suit up during Sunday's preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans. The rookie kicker has been dealing with an ongoing groin issue since Friday. Head coach Dennis Allen said that the team wanted to play it safe and hold Smyth out of this game. In his absence, Blake Grupe handled the kicking duties during the preseason finale. He connected on both his field goal attempts and made all three of his extra point attempts as well. It remains to be seen which kicker the team decides to ride with into the regular season. Grupe is probably the favorite after making 30-of-37 field goal attempts and all 40 extra point attempts during his rookie season with the Saints in 2023.