Riley

Patterson

Riley Patterson has been kicking in Sanders’ stead all year, converting 24-of-26 field goals and 31-of-32 extra points. Although the conversion rates are good, he lacks the requisite kick volume for K1 treatment. We do not know which player will be active on game day, but Sanders remained limited in practice all week.

If you’re thinking “haven’t thought of him for a minute,” well, Sanders has missed the entire season to this point with the hip ailment. Dolphins ST coordinator Craig Aukerman was asked Thursday about whether Sanders or Riley Patterson would kick this weekend and said he didn’t want to speculate. Dolphins long-time beat Barry Jackson noted that Aukerman was asked if he views it as “A). Sanders is Dolphins kicker moving forward period or B). This is a decision above my pay grade that must be made by whoever is in charge in next 8 months,” and Aukerman politely declined to answer. So, yeah. We don’t know who will kick for the Dolphins yet against the Bengals. Someone, probably.

Patterson also made all four of his extra point attempts as the Dolphins trounced the Jets. He saw a lot of scoring opportunities and gave fantasy managers a productive day with two field goal kicks of 43 and 53 yards. Patterson will have fewer scoring opportunities against the Steelers in Week 15, but is productive enough for fantasy managers to keep him in lineups.

After elevating Patterson from the practice squad the previous three weeks, the Dolphins had no choice but to sign him if they hoped to elevate him again for Week 4 against the Jets. The veteran kicker is 2-for-2 on field goal attempts this season and has made all six of his extra point attempts. He seems like a safe bet to remain the Dolphins’ kicker as long as Jason Sanders (hip) remains sidelined. It’s worth noting that Sanders will be eligible to come off injured reserve after this week, so Patterson’s stay on the 53-man roster could be short-lived.

Wilson gets the game day elevation in the wake of Jaylen Wright’s injury while the Dolphins entered Week 1 preparations without a kicker on the active roster. De’Von Achane remains the unquestioned top back while rookie Ollie Gordon appears set to step into the primary change of pace role, leaving Wilson as a likely emergency back. The team also did not elevate a tight end, meaning they will take on the Colts with only Julian Hill and Tanner Conner with Darren Waller set to miss.

He’s expected to be elevated and kick for the Dolphins in Week 1 against the Colts. As long as Patterson doesn’t leave points off the field, he should have a chance to replace Jason Sanders throughout his entire IR stint. Sanders is expected back in 4-5 weeks.

Koo, who has battled through a lingering hip injury, reportedly re-injured himself on a 42-yard field goal attempt in Week 15 against the Raiders. It’s not clear if he aggravated the existing hip issue. In any case, Koo’s disappointing 2024 campaign is over. Koo missed nine of his 34 field goal attempts this season, making him one of the league’s most inaccurate kickers. It was a down year for a veteran who had been one of the game’s most reliable kickers since joining the Falcons in 2019. Riley Patterson is in line to kick for Atlanta in Week 16 and beyond.

Hopkins has missed three field goals in the past two weeks, but the Browns evidently are not ready to release the 34-year-old veteran. Fantasy managers should obviously move on. Patterson is probably a fine option, but you should be able to do better on the waiver wire.

Incumbent Dustin Hopkins’ problems had become too big to ignore. Hopkins missed two field goals in Week 14 and has missed at least one field-goal attempt in four of his last five games. On the season Hopkins is just 16-of-25. Hopkins is still on the roster and has no injury that we’ve heard of, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of those things changed in the near future.

With the signing of Carlson comes the release of veteran Riley Patterson, who kicked for the Jets in their Week 9 win over the Texans. Carlson, who has kicked in two games for the 49ers this season, has gone 5-for-5 on his fields goals and 3-for-4 on his extra points, with three of his field goals coming from 40-plus yards out. The Jets are still hoping to have Greg Zuerlein (knee) back at some point in the season, but it looks like it will be Carlson kicking in Week 10 against the Cardinals.