Who Should I Start? Joey Slye or Charlie Smyth

Sunday, January 5, 10:28 PM

New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye went 2-for-2 on extra points and 3-for-3 on field goals during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. He converted field goals from 41, 42, and 50 yards out. The 28-year-old finished as a top-24 fantasy kicker this season, demonstrating impressive power but dealing with accuracy issues and handling reduced opportunities on a Patriots team that struggled to score points. All in all, he finished the 2024 campaign with 95.8 percent accuracy on extra points and 78.8 percent accuracy on field goals. This season was far from a disaster, and Slye did provide more stability in 2024 than Chad Ryland did as a rookie with the Patriots in 2023. Still, the Patriots may look to bring in a different kicker as they head into the 2025 campaign. Slye is slated to hit free agency in March.

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.