Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Tyler Loop

Saturday, January 18, 7:32 PM

Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn had a rough day in the team's 23-14 defeat in the Divisional Round at Kansas City, making only two of his four field-goal attempts and missing his only extra point. The veteran converted from 30 and 48 yards, but badly missed on a 55-yarder in the first half, pushed an extra point wide on Houston's lone touchdown, and had a low kick blocked in the Texans' last-ditch attempt to get back into the game. It would have taken a special effort for Houston to unseat the defending champs, but between Fairbairn's bad day and the offensive line surrendering eight sacks, the Texans weren't able to do enough as their year ends in the Divisional Round for the second straight season.

Friday, August 29, 12:50 PM

Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop has a tall task of replacing seven-time Pro Bowler Justin Tucker, but NFL.com's Bucky Brooks writes that Loop "appears to be well on his way to becoming a household name as a long-distance scorer with unlimited range." Loop made 81.8 percent of his field-goal attempts during the regular season and also made a 61-yarder. He made all eight of his extra-point attempts and heads into his first NFL as a "model of consistency," which is what head coach John Harbaugh expects at the position. The 24-year-old sixth-rounder definitely has the leg to succeed at this level, and in one of the best offenses in the league, he could be on the fantasy radar in 12-team leagues before long, too. Right now, though, RotoBaller has Loop ranked as the No. 19 fantasy kicker with Week 1 just a week away.