Chase McLaughlin
McLaughlin is Tampa Bay's set starting kicker for the rest of the season. He has made every field goal he has attempted this year, and he came through a hip and groin scare without missing the Thursday game.
Role
He is the Bucs' only placekicker. NBC Sports and Yahoo reported on Oct. 6-7 that the team had no practice-squad kicker. Fox Sports lists him as the primary placekicker for a fourth straight season. Volume is the swing factor. He took one field-goal attempt and three extra points in the 24-16 win at Dallas, and in the Browns game he had four field goals and one extra point. No one is reported to be competing for the job. PFF's page shows he also handles kickoffs, but his kickoff grade is low at 35.0.
He is perfect on field goals this season, at 9-of-9 through Week 4 per PFF, with 3-of-3 from 50 or more yards and a long of 59. Reporting also has him making a 59-yarder in the Browns game. He has made 50-plus kicks for years, including a 65-yarder last season, so he can score from range when drives stall. His Week 5 attempt count was low but he stayed clean. RotoWire notes he has ranked 16th, 8th and 10th among kickers in fantasy points per game in his three Tampa seasons.
His workload depends on the offense. In the Dallas win he got only one field-goal try. The hip and groin injury (right side) was an addition to the report on Tuesday Oct. 6, and NBC called a non-participant listing on a short week "never a great sign." Coach Todd Bowles said he would play, and he did. No later practice report was found, so I can't say whether it still lingers. Last season he was 15-of-20 on 30-49 yard kicks, and a 9-for-9 start is a small sample. Two kicks were blocked late last season.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on the role. The only open question is whether the hip and groin issue recurs, and I found no reporting after the Dallas game that addresses it.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
Others at K
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