Riley Patterson

Zane Gonzalez is also on the roster, meaning there will be a kicking competition this summer. Gonzalez went 19-of-22 on his field goal tries with the Falcons last year. Patterson connected on 27-of-29 with Miami. We don’t expect the winner of this competition to have much fantasy relevance in 2026.

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.

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.

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.