Who Should I Start? Justin Tucker or Rodrigo Blankenship

Monday, May 5, 5:32 PM

Baltimore Ravens executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta revealed the team's release of veteran kicker Justin Tucker in an official statement on X. Amid allegations of potential misconduct, the thirteen-year pro is out in Baltimore. The 35-year-old is currently still the league's most accurate kicker, though Kansas City's Harrison Butker is hot on his heels and could overtake him. Before 2024, Tucker was seemingly a shoo-in for best kicker in fantasy, but things took a turn with the news of allegations against him. Never falling under an 82.3% success rate in a given season, his production cratered last year -- setting career-lows in makes and attempts (22-for-30) while missing two extra-point attempts for the first time since 2019. It's unclear what the outcome will be regarding his legal issues, nor if he'll find a job with another NFL team. It's an unfortunate instance that tarnishes a fantastic career.

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.