Who Should I Start? Younghoe Koo or Tyler Loop

Wednesday, December 18, 1:04 PM

The Atlanta Falcons are placing kicker Younghoe Koo (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to a source. In a corresponding move, the Falcons have signed kicker Riley Patterson off the Cleveland Browns practice squad and onto their 53-man active roster. Koo is now out for the rest of the season and would be unavailable to kick in the wild-card round of the playoffs if the Falcons get into the postseason. The 30-year-old suffered an undisclosed injury in the Monday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders and will now go on the shelf. Normally a very reliable kicker, Koo struggled with accuracy in 2024, making 25 of his 34 field-goal attempts, although he made all 26 of his extra points. Patterson will now fill in heading into a Week 16 contest against the New York Giants. With rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. making his first career start, fantasy managers will want to steer clear of Patterson.

Monday, August 4, 9:34 AM

The Baltimore Ravens released kicker John Hoyland on Saturday, leaving rookie Tyler Loop as the lone kicker on the roster. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Loop is "kicking well enough to win the job." A sixth-round pick out of Arizona, Loop made 83.8% of his field goals and 98.4% of his extra-point attempts in 50 career college games. The 24-year-old is poised to fill the shoes of longtime Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who was released this offseason amidst multiple allegations of sexual misconduct after 13 years with the team. Baltimore could always bring in a veteran kicker later in the summer, so Loop will still need to perform throughout the preseason to hold the job.