Who Should I Start? Matt Gay or Riley Patterson

Saturday, November 29, 4:55 AM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Matt Gay filled in reasonably well for the injured Eddy Pineiro (hamstring) in Week 12. In San Francisco's 20-9 win over the Panthers, Gay converted both of his extra point tries and nailed field goals from 29 and 47 yards out. Pineiro is listed as out on the 49ers' final injury report before their Week 13 showdown with the Cleveland Browns, so Gay will stay on as the team's kicker for at least one more week. Unfortunately, he won't be working in favorable conditions. Sunday's forecast calls for 25 to 35 MPH winds, rain, and snow in Cleveland. Gay will have to be at the top of his game to be of service to San Francisco. Fantasy football managers may want to look elsewhere to fill the kicker slot in their starting lineups for Week 13.

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.