Lutz swapped one premium kicking environment indoors in New Orleans for another when he was traded to the Broncos prior to the final cut deadline, reuniting with former coach Sean Payton in Denver. However, Lutz was one of the least effective kickers in 2022, averaging the 32nd-most Fantasy points per game in 2022. He could be a solid option early in the year with the Broncos playing at home the first two weeks, but he's unlikely to have long-term Fantasy value.
Lutz went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts while making all three of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 35-33 loss to Commanders.
After an underwhelming performance in Week 1, Lutz bounced back Sunday by making all five of his kicking tries. The veteran connected on field goals from 31 and 32 yards out in the second half of the contest. The Broncos' offense appears to be on the right track under head coach Sean Payton, so its possible Lutz could see more scoring opportunities going forward in 2023. The 29-year-old will look to continue his perfect streak when the Broncos visit the Dolphins in Week 3.
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Broncos' Wil Lutz: Makes one field goal in loss
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Lutz made one of two field-goal attempts while converting one of two extra-point tries in Sunday's 17-16 loss to the Raiders.
Lutz struggled in his first game with the Broncos, as his inaccuracies were devastating in a game that Denver lost by just one point. The veteran's missed field goal was a 55-yard attempt that went wide right, but he was able to later convert a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Lutz will look to bounce back in Week 2 when the Broncos host the Commanders.
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Broncos' Wil Lutz: Traded to Denver
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The Saints are trading Lutz to the Broncos on Tuesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Lutz will be reunited with coach Sean Payton and figures to replace Brett Maher as Denver's placekicker. Back in New Orleans, the Saints are set to enter Week 1 with undrafted rookie Blake Grupe as their kicker.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Leads kicking competition
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Lutz has demonstrated improved leg strength in training camp and is well ahead of Blake Grupe in the Saints' kicking competition, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports.
Lutz made a 62-yard field goal in practice and has been accurate throughout training camp. He made 23 of 31 field-goal attempts for the Saints in 2022 for a career-low success rate of 74.2 percent, but Lutz will be looking to rebound closer to his career conversion rate of 84.6 percent in 2023.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Takes pay cut
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Lutz restructured his contract with the Saints on Saturday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Networkreports.
The veteran kicker actually took a bit of a pay cut, as he'll have a chance to earn back only half of the $1.5 million via incentives this season. Perhaps more importantly, this moves essentially assures the 28-year-old will at least be on the team entering the 2023 season after finishing this season 23-of-31 on field-goal tries, including 8-of-14 from attempts from 40-plus yards out. Lutz missed the entire 2021 season with an abdomen injury that resulted in core-muscle surgery.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Ends season on sour note
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Lutz missed both field goal attempts and converted his only extra-point try during Sunday's 10-7 defeat to Carolina.
Lutz's streak of consistency over the second half of the season came to an end Week 18. The 28-year-old missed his first 44-yard field-goal attempt wide left early in the second quarter. Lutz also had a chance to put the Saints up 10-7 with under two minutes remaining, though this 55-yard attempt also went wide left after being tipped near the line of scrimmage. Lutz ends his career-worst 2022 campaign by converting 74 percent of his 31 field-goal tries while knocking through all 33 of his point-after tries over 17 games. He also had his shakiest season on long-distance tries, going 8-for-14 on attempts of 40 or more yards. Lutz could be in line for a make-or-break 2023 season as he enters the fifth and final year of his current contract with New Orleans.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Nails 54-yarder in win
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Lutz went 2-for-2 field-goal attempts and 2-for-2 on point-after tries during Sunday's 20-10 victory over Philadelphia.
Lutz split the uprights on a 54-yard attempt to put the Saints up 10-0 midway through the second quarter. This marked the 28-year-old's first attempt of 50 yards or more since Week 5, and he's now gone 4-for-5 on such attempts this season. Lutz will enter the final week of the 2022 campaign converting a career-low 79 percent of his 29 field-goal attempts, though he's been perfect on all 32 of his extra-point tries over 16 games.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Knocks in another short FG
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Lutz converted his lone field-goal attempt and was 2-for-2 on point-after tries during Saturday's 17-10 victory over the Browns.
Lutz continued to hit his layups, as his four made field goals over the last three games have come from within 39 yards. The sixth-year kicker has not attempted a field goal beyond 40 yards since Week 12, and all four of his 50-plus-yard tries came over the first five games of the year. Lutz is now 21-for-27 on field-goal attempts and has been perfect on all 30 of his point-after tries in 2022. The Saints should once again rely on Lutz to convert short field goals Week 17 versus Atlanta.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Kicker to Sit
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You can guess why Lutz is in this spot by now -- the weather in Cleveland. Windy and cold is not good for a kicker used to being indoors, and Lutz has just two games with multiple field goals since Week 9. He also was held without a field goal attempt in Week 15 against Atlanta, and the Browns held Justin Tucker to 1-of-3 on field goal attempts last week, including a blocked kick.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Few opportunities Week 15
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Lutz did not attempt a field goal, and nailed all three extra-point tries during Sunday's 21-18 win versus the Falcons.
Lutz was denied his best opportunities for field goals Week 15, as the Saints fumbled and turned the ball over on downs during two of their four trips within the Atlanta 30-yard line. Otherwise, New Orleans' offense came away with two touchdowns to tight end Juwan Johnson in the red zone. Lutz remained efficient, as he has now missed just one kicking attempt over the last six games. For the season, the 28-year-old has gone 20-for-26 on field-goal attempts while making all 28 of his point-after tries. Lutz will look to keep up this solid run of kicking against Cleveland in Week 16.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Back to full practice
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Lutz (illness) practiced fully Thursday.
After sitting out Wednesday's session due to an illness, Lutz was back operating on all cylinders one day later, all but clearing him Sunday's matchup with the Falcons. On the season, Lutz sits in a tie for 20th among kickers with at least 12 appearance with the Broncos' Brandon McManus at 6.5 points per game.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Sidelined with illness
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Lutz didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
The severity of the aliment remains unclear, but Lutz will have two more opportunities to practice before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's game against Atlanta. The Saints don't have another kicker on the 53-man roster or practice squad, so any signing heading into the weekend would be an indication that Lutz isn't on track to play.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Reliable performance in MNF
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Lutz converted all three field goal attempts and his only extra-point try during Monday's 17-16 defeat to Tampa Bay.
Lutz's production benefited from the Saints' struggles to come away with touchdowns in the red zone, as he converted field goals of 38, 21 and 29 yards. The sixth-year kicker has now made 20 of his 26 field goals while converting all 25 of his point-after tries this season. Lutz has also failed to connect on just two kicking attempts since Week 4. The Saints are on bye Week 14, but he should see a healthy number of opportunities when the team takes on an Atlanta defense that ranks 29th in total yards Week 15.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: One kicking attempt in shutout
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Lutz missed his only field goal attempt during Sunday's 13-0 loss versus the 49ers.
Lutz pushed a 48-yard field-goal attempt wide left with the Saints down 13-0 late in the third quarter. New Orleans' offense then failed to convert on either of their two red-zone trips in the fourth quarter, thus denying the 28-year-old any point-after tries. Lutz's one kicking attempt marks his season low, as the Saints were shut out for the first time in 2022 by the 49ers' aggressive defense. He will look to recover from this performance next week against the division-rival Buccaneers, which held the kicker to just two combined kicking attempts during their previous Week 2 matchup.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Nails all five kicking tries
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Lutz converted both of his field goal attempts and went 3-for-3 on extra-point tries during Sunday's 27-20 win against the Rams.
Lutz matched his total number of kicking attempts across his two previous outings, as the Saints' offense bounced back after scoring just two touchdowns in as many weeks. The 28-year-old also logged more than four total kicking attempts for the fifth time through 11 games, and he's now gone 15-for-20 on field-goal attempts while converting all 21 of his extra-point tries this season. New Orleans may trot out Lutz for more field goals if the team's offensive struggles pop back up against San Francisco's stout defense Week 12.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Knocks through lone FG attempt
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Lutz converted his lone field-goal attempt from 44 yards and his only point-after try during Sunday's 20-10 defeat to Pittsburgh.
Lutz tied his season low in total kicking attempts as the Saints gained just 186 total offensive yards Sunday. The 28-year-old has now gone 15-for-20 on field-goal tries and made all 21 of his extra-point attempts this season, and he has converted all but one of his 12 field-goal attempts over the past six games.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Kicker to Sit
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Lutz has done a nice job lately with at least 10 Fantasy points in two of his past four games. But I don't like this matchup for him outdoors in Pittsburgh. The Steelers defense should improve this week with the return of standout pass rusher T.J. Watt (pectoral), and Lutz struggled in his only outdoor game this year in Week 2 at Carolina with two missed field goals. If the scoring chances are limited, and the elements aren't in his favor, you should expect another subpar performance from Lutz in Week 10.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Hits all three kicks
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Lutz made both of his field-goal attempts as well as his only extra-point try in Monday night's 27-13 loss to the Ravens.
Lutz converted from 33 and 37 yards on his field goals. The veteran now sports 62 points on the campaign, tying for the 10th-most at his position league-wide.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Busy in blowout win
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Lutz made one of two field-goal attempts while converting all three of his extra-point tries during the Saints' 24-0 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Lutz made a 37-yard field-goal attempt early in the second quarter Sunday but missed a 38-yard attempt wide right in the closing seconds of the first half. The missed field-goal try didn't have a significant impact in the blowout win, and it was his first missed field-goal attempt since Week 4. Over the last four games, Lutz has converted eight of nine field-goal attempts while making all 13 of his extra-point tries.
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Saints' Wil Lutz: Kicker to Start
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Lutz has been one of the hottest kickers in Fantasy over the past two games, scoring at least 10 points in matchups with the Bengals and Cardinals. He has six field goals over that span, as well as six PATs, and he should stay hot this week against the Raiders, who have yet to hold any opponents to less than 23 points this season. With the Saints giving Lutz plenty of chances to produce, he's worth starting as a No. 1 kicker in all leagues.
