Justin Tucker: Chiefs reportedly add kicker to practice squad
THE FACT. Kansas City is signing kicker Justin Tucker to its practice squad, a move first reported Wednesday by the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell and confirmed by CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz, with NFL Network reporting the Chiefs also worked out Harrison Mevis. Kansas City had not announced the signing. Tucker has not kicked in a regular-season game since the 2024 season and did not play in 2025.
THE VERDICT. This is about Harrison Butker, who has six misses on the year, including two field goals in Sunday night's 20-3 loss to Seattle, and who is 2-of-6 from 50 or more. Redraft: drop Butker if a streaming kicker is on your wire, because Kansas City now has a replacement one elevation away. Do not add Tucker yet; practice-squad kickers need an elevation or a roster move before they score anything. DFS: fade Kansas City's kicking spot against Denver on Sunday until the job is settled.
Not dropping him, and I've chased enough kicker streams over the years to know why. Butker is 11 of 16 overall but 9 of 10 inside 50, and the only short miss all year was Sunday's 45. It's the 2 of 6 from 50-plus wrecking the percentage, which is attempt distance more than a dead leg. Tucker is a practice-squad body who hasn't kicked in a regular-season game since January 2025, so read that as pressure, not a replacement. And a Denver defense that stalls drives in field goal range is exactly how a kicker eats. I'm playing the Kansas City spot, not fading it.