Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Daniel Carlson

Thursday, November 13, 3:06 PM

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Thursday that kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn (quadriceps) has been ruled out for the Week 11 divisional game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. Fairbairn injured his quad in the Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos and will now miss a second straight game. The Texans have a quick turnaround next week with a game on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills, so it's possible the 31-year-old veteran won't be ready for that one, either. Matthew Wright filled in for Fairbairn in the Week 10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and made his only field-goal attempt and his only extra-point try in the 36-29 victory. The 29-year-old should be in store for a better day in a cushy matchup against the Titans this weekend, but at best, he's a deep-league streaming option at the kicking position in fantasy.

Saturday, November 15, 6:08 PM

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson hasn't been able to offer fantasy managers much value over the last few weeks. Over the last three games, Carlson is 1-for-2 on field goal attempts, while making 3-of-4 extra point attempts. The 30-year-old hasn't been great this season, but he also doesn't get a ton of chances. The promising news is that Carlson is heading into a favorable matchup in Week 11. The Raiders will face off against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. The Cowboys have struggled to contain anyone this season, so the Raiders should be able to get into scoring position. Carlson isn't an ideal fantasy option, but he should offer better value than he has the past few weeks.