Who Should I Start? Zane Gonzalez or Rodrigo Blankenship

Thursday, March 6, 1:30 PM

The Washington Commanders re-signed kicker Zane Gonzalez to an undisclosed deal on Thursday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Gonzalez took over for an injured Austin Seibert (hip) before Week 13 last season and finished the year (including three playoff games) by making 12 of his 15 field-goal attempts and all 27 of his extra-point tries in nine games. That was enough to convince the Commanders that the 29-year-old deserves a shot to open the 2025 season as their primary placekicker. Gonzalez was returning to the NFL in 2024 for the first time since he kicked in 12 games for the Carolina Panthers back in 2021. Washington is one of the better up-and-coming offenses in the NFL after quarterback Jayden Daniels led them to the NFC Championship in his rookie season, so at the very least, Gonzalez will be a fantasy streaming option to open next season.

Monday, August 21, 6:14 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on Monday. Blankenship lost the kicking battle to Chase McLaughlin in training camp this summer and will now look to latch on with another team before the start of the 2023 regular season. The 26-year-old spent last year with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, going 4-for-5 on his field-goal tries and 4-for-5 on extra points in just three total games. As long as Tampa doesn't bring in more competition for McLaughlin to close out the preseason, he should enter Week 1 as the team's starting kicker. McLaughlin, 27, made 83.3 percent of his 36 field-goal attempts and made all 21 of his extra-point tries in 16 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. The kicking position in Tampa won't be as exciting in fantasy now that Tom Brady isn't running the offense in 2023.