Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Riley Patterson

Friday, December 26, 9:20 AM

Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn continues to regularly deliver for the Texans and his fantasy owners, so he's a strong starting option kicking indoors on Saturday afternoon against the Chargers. The 31-year-old from Hawaii made all three of his field goals last week from 55, 50, and 49 yards and also knocked through all three of his extra points. He's 36-for-40 on field goal attempts this season and a perfect 24-for-24 on extra points. The Texans rely on their defense and usually take points whenever possible, leading to plenty of attempts for Fairbairn. He is the No. 6 K in RotoBaller's Week 17 rankings, so even though the game against the Chargers is expected to be lower-scoring, he remains a strong starter in standard-sized leagues this week.

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.