Who Should I Start? Justin Tucker or Riley Patterson

Monday, November 24, 11:01 AM

The New Orleans Saints are hosting kicker tryouts, and free agent Justin Tucker is among the players invited, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Tucker served a 10-game suspension to start the 2025 season for violating the NFL's conduct policy after being the target of multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The 35-year-old is now free to sign with any team, and New Orleans is apparently interested in giving him a look after kicker Blake Grupe missed two field goal attempts in the team's Week 12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The 35-year-old Tucker is a five-time All-Pro who made 89.1% of his 468 career field goal attempts over 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens from 2012 to 2024. However, he had his worst NFL season by far in 2024, making just 22 of 30 field goal attempts and just 11 out of 19 from 40-plus yards out. Even if he gets a second chance in the NFL with New Orleans, Tucker should likely remain off fantasy radars.

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.