Who Should I Start? Matthew Wright or Riley Patterson

Tuesday, January 6, 4:59 PM

The Buffalo Bills announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad. Veteran kicker Matt Prater (quadriceps) aggravated his quad injury in the Week 18 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, which means that Wright will most likely be promoted to the active 53-man roster for this weekend's Wild-Card matchup at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 29-year-old Wright kicked for three teams in 2025 -- the Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, and Houston Texans -- making all five of his field-goal tries and all four of his extra-point attempts in only four games played. Wright has kicked for eight teams in his six NFL seasons, making 88.2% of his 68 field-goal attempts. He's gone 45-for-47 on extra points. Given Prater's uncertain status for the weekend, fantasy managers would be wise to avoid Buffalo's kicking situation entering the playoffs.

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.