Who Should I Start? Robbie Gould or Dustin Hopkins

Thursday, December 7, 12:25 PM

Veteran kicker Robbie Gould officially announced his retirement from professional football on Thursday after 18 years kicking in the NFL. Gould began his career as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State and was signed by the Chicago Bears in 2005. He spent the next 11 seasons with Chicago, making 85.4% of his 323 field-goal attempts and 99% of his extra points, earning a first-team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowl nod in his second year in 2006. Gould spent one year with the New York Giants before ending his career with six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. The 41-year-old finishes up an excellent NFL career with a field-goal percentage of 86.5 and extra-point conversion rate of 97.5%. Gould was one of the most reliable kickers of his generation.

Thursday, January 11, 3:00 PM

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for Saturday's wild-card playoff game against the Houston Texans after missing practice all week. Hopkins will miss his third straight game due to his hamstring injury. Riley Patterson, who has served as Cleveland's kicker the last two games with Hopkins out, will likely be elevated from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster for Saturday's playoff contest. The 24-year-old was the Detroit Lions' primary kicker for 13 games this year before getting cut and latching on with the Browns. In 15 total games between both teams this year, he's gone 16-for-18 on field-goal tries and has miss three of his 44 extra-point attempts. Fantasy managers should be looking for better options at the position on wild-card weekend.