Fairbairn averaged the 24th-most Fantasy points per game and there's no reason to expect a major jump (even if we can assume a modest jump) for the Texans offense in 2023. Fairbairn is best left undrafted.
Fairbairn is making significant progress in his recovery from a right quadriceps strain and appears on track to return from injured reserve when first eligible for activation in Week 14, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
While Fairbairn has missed the Texans' last three games, Matt Ammendola filled in as the team's kicker but converted only three of six field-goal tries, although he was perfect on nine extra-point attempts. The Texans waived Ammendola on Monday after he missed on two of his three field-goal tries in the team's Week 12 loss to the Jaguars, including a misfire on a 58-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game. While Houston could still re-sign Ammendola to its practice squad and elevate him for this Sunday's game against the Broncos, the team will also work out Brett Maher on Tuesday. Houston looks like it will have to get by with a replacement kicker for just one more game with Fairbairn tracking toward a return when first eligible.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Placed on injured reserve
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Fairbairn (quadricep) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Fairbairn will miss at least four games after straining his right quad in Sunday's 39-37 win over the Buccaneers. Matt Ammendola was elevated from the practice squad Saturday and will take over as the Texans' kicker beginning with Sunday's game in Cincinnati.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Out for Week 10
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Fairbairn (quad) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bengals.
The veteran kicker will miss his first game of the season after going 18 for 19 on field goals and nailing all 14 of his extra points through Week 9. Matt Ammendola is on the Texans' practice squad and is expected to be elevated Saturday to handle kicking duties in Sunday's contest.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Still not practicing Friday
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Fairbairn (quadriceps) did not participate at practice Friday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Fairbairn did not practice at all during the week, which means he's likely on track to miss his first game of the season in Week 10. Houston will likely elevate Matt Ammendola from its practice squad to fill in for Fairbairn prior to Sunday's game at Cincinnati.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Sidelined for another practice
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Fairbairn (quadricep) didn't take part in Thursday's practice, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Fairbairn has now missed the Texans' first two Week 10 practices after suffering a right quad strain in this past Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. At this stage, Fairbairn appears to be trending toward sitting out this weekend's game in Cincinnati, but the Texans will probably wait until after Friday's practice before formally ruling the kicker out. Houston is likely to elevate Matt Ammendola from the practice squad to handle kicking duties Week 10.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Not practicing
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Fairbairn (quadriceps) didn't practice Wednesday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
Fairbairn wasn't able to finish out Sunday's win over Tampa Bay and now is expected to miss multiple weeks. Though the Texans haven't officially ruled Fairbairn out for this Sunday's game at Cincinnati, he doesn't appear likely to practice this week. The Texans signed Matt Ammendola to their practice squad earlier this week, presumably with the intent to elevate him Sunday to handle kicking duties in Fairbairn's stead.
Fairbairn is expected to miss about three weeks due to a strained quadriceps suffered in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Fairbairn was unable to return to the contest after suffering the injury, and kicking duties were turned over to running back Dare Ogunbowale for the remainder of the game. With no bye week ahead and a multi-week absence expected, Matt Ammendola was signed to the Texans' practice squad after a successful workout. Assuming Fairbairn misses Week 10 against the Bengals, Ammendola will likely be elevated from the practice squad ahead of the contest.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Getting MRI, could miss time
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Fairbairn (quadricep) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, and the Texans believe he could miss multiple games, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.
Fairbairn converted his lone extra-point try as well as a 50-yard field-goal attempt before he was ruled out for the entire second half after injuring his right quad on a kickoff. Running back Dare Ogunbowale stepped in as the Texans' emergency kicker beginning in the third quarter and delivered three touchbacks on six kickoffs in addition to making a 29-yard field goal. Though Ogunbowale performed admirably, the Texans are still likely to sign a kicker to their practice squad this week and then elevate him to the 53-man roster for next Sunday's game in Cincinnati if Fairbairn is unable to play.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Done for day with quad injury
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Fairbairn has been ruled out for the second half of Sunday's game against the Buccaneers due to a right quadricep injury. He converted his lone extra-point attempt and nailed a 50-yard field-goal attempt prior to his departure.
Coming out of the halftime break, Fairbairn was out on the sideline testing his ability to kick, but the Texans ultimately opted to shut him down for the day. Running back Dare Ogunbowale ended up kicking off for the Texans to start the third quarter, so he looks like he'll operate as the team's emergency kicker for the rest of the day. The Texans could look to work out kickers early next week if there's any concern of Fairbairn's quad injury jeopardizing his availability for the team's next game Nov. 12 in Cincinnati.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Perfection again
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Fairbairn converted two of two field-goal attempts and both extra-point kicks in Sunday's 20-13 win over New Orleans in Week 6.
Fairbairn made a couple of chip shots -- 24 and 22 yards -- and has not missed a kick since Week 2. While Houston's offense did a better job of converted its red-zone trips into touchdowns Sunday, the team ranks 26th with a 38.1 percent touchdown rate on its drives that reach the 20-yard line and in. That has helped Fairbairn rise to the top of kicker scoring. His 17 makes lead all kickers and 18 attempts rank second.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Kicker to Start
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The Texans offense has been spectacular over the past three weeks, and Fairbairn has attempted three field goals in every game this season. He has one missed field goal in 12 attempts, and he has scored at least eight Fantasy points in every outing. In the past two games against Jacksonville and Pittsburgh, Fairbairn has six field goals and seven PATs, and he's averaging 12.5 Fantasy points over that span. The Falcons have allowed five field goals and four PATs in the past two games against Riley Patterson and Brandon McManus, and Fairbairn should be considered a top-10 Fantasy kicker in Week 5.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Another double-digit week
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Fairbairn converted all three field-goal attempts and all three extra-point kicks in Sunday's 30-6 win over Pittsburgh in Week 4.
That makes two consecutive weeks of double-digit scoring for Fairbairn, who scored 13 points in Week 3's win over the Jaguars. Houston's offense has showed spunk the last two weeks, scoring 67 points, which has made Fairbairn a legitimate fantasy asset. The 29-year-old has connected on 11 of 12 field-goal attempts and all nine extra-point kicks, and Fairbairn's 42 points rank fourth among kickers.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Produces handsomely in win
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Fairbairn converted all three field-goal attempts and all four extra-point kicks in Sunday's 37-17 win over Jacksonville in Week 3.
After a couple of serviceable weeks, Fairbairn broke out in Week 3 with 13 points, his first double-digit effort of the season. He ranks third among kickers in scoring with 30 points and is tied for third with nine field-goal attempts over the first three weeks.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Misses field goal in loss
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Fairbairn converted two of three field-goal attempts and both extra-point kicks in Sunday's 31-20 loss to the Colts in Week 2.
Fairbairn made a couple of chip shots from 29 and 36 yards but was wide left from 51 yards with just over two minutes left in the game. Had he made the kick, Houston would have been down by one score with a chance to tie the game late. Still, it's hard to lay any blame on Fairbairn's leg. The defense was carved up by Gardner Minshew after Anthony Richardson ran for two touchdowns, before he was removed from the game due to a concussion. And the offense didn't get in gear until the fourth quarter. Fairbairn has three field-goal attempts in each of the first two contests.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: No more competition
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After the Texans waived kicker Jake Bates, Fairbairn has no competition for the job.
The decision to bring Bates into the mix looks like it was done to give Fairbairn some rest early in camp and for some good PR, as Bates is a local product from the Houston suburbs (Tomball). Fairbairn, who did not play in lat week's preseason opener against the Patriots, is expected to be the lone kicker Saturday against the Dolphins.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Logs lone points in loss
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Fairbairn converted his lone field-goal attempt in Sunday's 31-3 loss to Jacksonville in Week 17.
Fairbairn's 56-yard field goal in the third quarter prevented Houston from being shut out. The veteran placekicker has bounced back from an injury-marred 2021 to make 93 percent (28 of 30) of his FGAs, including all six from 50 and beyond.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Scores seven points in win
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Fairbairn converted two of two field-goal attempts and his lone extra-point kick in Saturday's 19-14 win over the Titans in Week 16.
Fairbairn finished off a couple of red-zone trips with chip shots and is a perfect 15-of-15 over the last nine games. He's also made all 21 of his extra-point kicks this season. If Houston can ever fix its offense, Fairbairn could be an elite kicker for fantasy teams.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Double-digit points in loss
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Fairbairn converted all three field-goal attempts and both extra-point kicks in Sunday's 27-23 loss to Dallas in Week 14.
Fairbairn connected on two kicks from long distance -- 50 and 54 yards -- and another from 43 yards. The 10-point effort was his second double-digit output of the season and came after a week of practice during which he dealt with a groin injury. The six-year veteran is enjoying a bounce-back season, having made 92 percent (24 of 26) of his FGAs.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Cleared for Week 14
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Fairbairn (groin) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's matchup against Dallas.
Fairbairn logged two straight limited practice sessions to start the week, but he was upgraded to a full participant Friday. The sixth-year kicker has yet to miss a game this season, connecting on 21 of 23 field-goal attempts across 12 appearances.
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Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: No misses in loss
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Fairbairn converted his lone field-goal attempt and extra-point try in Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Commanders in Week 11.
Fairbairn hasn't missed a kick of any kind since Week 7 and has just two errant kicks for the season. The issue is that Houston's offense doesn't afford him many opportunities. Typically, the Texans stall out and present field-goal chances, but the Commanders stifled the offense, which amassed just 148 yards (five in the first half).
