Is Chad Ryland The Patriots' Starting Kicker? Fantasy Football Kickers

In a bit of a surprise, there were several kickers traded on Tuesday before the 53-man roster cut deadline in the NFL. There were three trades involving kickers to begin the week. One of the said trades involved the New England Patriots trading Nick Folk to the Tennessee Titans.

• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings
• Kicker fantasy football rankings
• FLEX fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

The Folk trade opens up the door for 2023 fourth-round draft pick Chad Ryland to open the season as the Pats' starting kicker

That being said, will he be a viable fantasy option? Let's dive in. 

Is Chad Ryland The Patriots' Starting Kicker?

When the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Ryland, it appeared that Folk's days as their kicker were numbered. Folk was solid over his four years as the Pats' kicker, hitting 108 of 121 (89.2%) field-goal attempts, including 32 of 37 in 2022.

While the Patriots held a competition between Folk and Ryland during training camp, it would have been a surprise to see them retain Folk after burning high draft capital on the rookie out of Maryland and admitting they made a mistake in the draft. 

The Patriots' final practice squad, as shown above, displays that New England did not opt to carry an extra kicker on their practice squad heading into the season, indicating that Ryland is locked in as the team's starter with Folk no longer on the team.

Chad Ryland 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook

The New England offense was tough to watch in 2022. When established play-caller Josh McDaniels left before the season to become head coach of the Raiders, the Pats opted to turn play-calling duties over to Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.

Neither had much experience calling an offense at the NFL level before, with Patricia serving as defensive coordinator for six years before becoming Detroit's head coach and Judge spending most of his time working with special teams.

That being said, the team's inability to move the ball led to plenty of field-goal opportunities as the Patriots attempted 37 FGs, tied for fourth-most in the NFL.

Ryland is young and unproven, but he could see plenty of field goals this season, especially if the Pats' offense resembles the unit they put on the field last year. They didn't make many notable upgrades on offense, although bringing in established play-caller Bill O'Brien as OC will help.

That being said, there are plenty of better fantasy options ahead of Ryland, leaving him as a player who drafters can safely ignore come draft day.

More Fantasy Football Analysis