Loses job, but sticks on roster

Tavecchio will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Cowboys but will remain on the Falcons' 53-man roster for the time being, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: Matt Bryant (hamstring) has been cleared to return from a three-game absence and will reprise his usual duties as the Falcons' kicker, but the team apparently wants to see the veteran in a game setting again before moving on from Tavecchio. Should Bryant suffer a setback Sunday, Tavecchio would represent a good insurance policy after converting all five of his field-goal attempts and all eight of his extra-point tries while Bryant was sidelined.

Stays perfect in substitute duties

Tavecchio connected on a 40-yard field-goal attempt and succeeded on his lone point-after try during Sunday's 28-16 loss to Cleveland.

Analysis: The Milan-born Tavecchio has been flawless since taking over for the injured Matt Bryant (hamstring) in Week 7, converting on all 13 of his combined attempts (5-for-5 on FGA, 8-for-8 on PATs). He's proven capable of connecting from long range -- four of his five field goals are from 40-plus yards, and two of the five from more than 50 yards out. The issue is his lack of volume, as Tavecchio's 1.7 attempts per game prohibit him from providing assured starting value on a weekly basis (Atlanta's…read more

Set for another week of kicking

Tavecchio is in line to serve as Atlanta's kicker Sunday at Cleveland, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: Matt Bryant is still recovering from a hamstring injury and doesn't seem to have shown enough progress at Thursday's practice. Tavecchio is attached to a high-powered offense and has yet to miss a kick this season, but a game in Cleveland isn't the best environment for success.

Yet to miss kick in 2018

Tavecchio was five-for-five on PATs, while converting on his lone field-goal try from 27 yards out during Sunday's 38-14 win against Washington.

Analysis: Tavecchio remains perfect through two games as a Falcon, sinking all four of his field-goal attempts (three of which came from 40-plus yards out), while hitting on seven-of-seven extra-point tries. If Matt Bryant (hamstring) is ruled out for a third straight game in Week 10, Tavecchio will retain his kicking duties against Cleveland, a team that allowed the fifth-most field-goal attempts coming into the weekend (19). If nothing more comes of it, the "Italian Stallion" has performed well enough…read more

Handling Week 9 kicking duties

Tavecchio will remain the Falcons' kicker for Sunday's game in Washington with Matt Bryant (hamstring) ruled out for the contest, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis: After sitting out the Falcons' Week 7 win over the Giants with the injury, Bryant failed to show enough improvement coming out of the team's Week 8 bye to gain clearance for Sunday. As a result, Tavecchio will get a chance to build on his strong Atlanta debut versus the Giants, during which he converted both extra-point tries and all three of his field-goal attempts, including two from 50-plus yards. Though he'll be buoyed by an offense that ranks seventh in the NFL with 401 yards per game this…read more

Goes 3-for-3 in Falcons debut

Tavecchio connected on field-goal tries from 40, 50 and 56 yards out during Monday's 23-20 win against the Giants.

Analysis: Just as he did last week, head coach Dan Quinn put his kicker in a high-pressure situation in the waning moments of a one-possession game. And once again, his kicker delivered in spades. In Week 6, it was Matt Bryant who connected on a 57-yard attempt with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta put a much-needed interdivisional win on ice against Tampa Bay (Bryant injured his hamstring on the play). In another tight game against the Giants, the recently signed Tavecchio nailed a…read more

Will replace Matt Bryant on Monday night

Tavecchio will handle the Falcons' kicking duties in Week 7 against the Giants, Vaughn McClure of ESPN reports.

Analysis: Coach Dan Quinn relayed an injury report on the radio Thursday morning, where he ruled out Matt Bryant (hamstring) in favor of the recently-signed Tavecchio. The 28-year-old converted 76.2 percent of his field goals last year with Oakland, and should see plenty of opportunities in what's expected to be a high-scoring affair indoors Monday night.

To sign with Atlanta

Tavecchio is expected to sign with the Falcons, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Analysis: With starter Matt Bryant unlikely to play this week due to a hamstring injury, the Falcons will bring in Tavecchio, whom they waived Sept. 1 after he spent several days with them in training camp. The 28-year-old played his first NFL season in 2017 with the Raiders, where he converted 76.2 percent of his kicks.

Cut loose by Atlanta

Tavecchio was waived by the Falcons on Saturday, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.

Analysis: Tavecchio had little more than a cup of coffee in Atlanta, as he's headed out of town just five days after originally signing. The journeyman kicker will now look to catch on with another franchise after posting a 76.2 field-goal rate in 2017 with Oakland.

Heading to Atlanta

Tavecchio signed with the Falcons on Monday.

Analysis: Tavecchio, who was waived by Oakland earlier this preseason, seems an odd fit for a Falcons team which recently signed Matt Bryant to a three-year contract extension. While Tavecchio performed decently as an incumbent starter for the Raiders in 2017, Bryant is one of the league's top options at the position and has finished in the top five among kickers during each of the last two campaigns. The addition of Tavecchio may indicate that the Falcons remain concerned about the lingering undisclosed…read more

Loses kicking battle, hits waivers

Tavecchio was waived by the Raiders on Friday, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Analysis: Tavecchio was battling rookie Eddy Pineiro for the starting job, and considering the latter received an atypically high $25,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent, the decision isn't entirely surprising. Tavecchio also struggled with the Raiders last season, completing just 16 of 21 field goal attempts (76.0 percent). Luckily for the 28-year-old, he'll have an entire preseason to find a new landing spot.

Tavecchio faces steep competition to remain the Raiders' kicker in 2018, Scott Bair of NBC Sports reports.

Analysis: Tavecchio bounced around the NFL for a few seasons prior to finally earning a roster spot with the Raiders in 2017 while Sebastian Janikowski was sidelined with a back injury. Though Tavecchio did a decent job (16-for-21 on field goals), the team brought in undrafted free agent Eddy Pineiro to compete for the job. Early reports are that Pineiro has impressed, meaning that Tavecchio will need to regain some ground in training camp if he wants to earn the job in 2018.

Tavecchio signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Raiders on Monday.

Analysis: In his first shot as an NFL kicker last season, Tavecchio fared well in place of Sebastian Janikowski, who missed every game due to a disc injury in his back. En route to 16 successes on 21 field-goal attempts, Tavecchio went a combined 6-for-9 on tries of 40-plus yards. Additionally, he made all but one of his 34 extra-point attempts, finishing 23rd overall in total points among kickers. The performance was enough to give Tavecchio another shot as the Raiders' placekicker of the future.

Tavecchio was given a contract tender from the Raiders on Monday, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Analysis: This move by Oakland was to be expected as Tavecchio is an exclusive rights free agent. The 27-year-old kicker converted 76.2 percent of his kicks in 2017 with the Raiders, and missed one extra point attempt. Tavecchio is expected to keep hold of the kicking duties for next year, although he figures to face some competition leading up to the regular season.

The Raiders are expected to offer a one-year tender this offseason to Tavecchio, an exclusive rights free agent, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Analysis: With the Raiders informing veteran Sebastian Janikowski (back), who spent the entire 2017 season on injured reserve, that he wouldn't be re-signed in free agency, Tavecchio should retain kicking duties for Oakland despite a somewhat uneven first full season in the league. Though he displayed a strong leg on kickoffs throughout and nailed all nine of his field-goal tries in Oakland's first six games last season, Tavecchio regressed down the stretch, missing five kicks over the subsequent 10…read more

Tavecchio converted 16 of 21 field-goal attempts and 33 of 34 extra-point tries in 16 games during his 2017 rookie campaign with the Raiders.

Analysis: Tavecchio's fantasy value was held in check throughout his rookie year as he posted just 81 total points, including a dismal four total field goals made in the Raiders' last seven games of the season. He'll be an exclusive-rights free agent in 2018, so Tavecchio will hope the Raiders elect to re-sign him.

Tavecchio converted an extra point and made a 25-yard field goal, but missed from 48 yards in Monday's 19-10 loss to the Eagles.

Analysis: Tavecchio still hasn't reached double figures since Week 1, leaving him with just 77 points this season.

Tavecchio both made a 39-yard field goal and missed a 39-yard field goal in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Cowboys, when he also converted both of his extra-point tries.

Analysis: Tavecchio's miss came as the first-half clock expired. Considering the Raiders lost by three, that wide-left effort proved rather costly. Through 14 games, Tavecchio sports just 73 points.

Tavecchio did not attempt a field goal but made his lone extra-point try in Sunday's 26-15 loss to the Chiefs.

Analysis: Tavecchio has made just one of two field-goal attempts over the past four games, severely restricting his fantasy utility.

Tavecchio made a 39-yard field goal and all three of his extra-point tries en route to six points in Sunday's 24-17 win over the Giants.

Analysis: Tavecchio was perfect in Sunday's victory, which brought him to 67 points on the season.

Tavecchio is expected to serve as the Raiders' kicker the rest of the season with Sebastian Janikowski (back) not slated to be activated from injured reserve, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Analysis: The Raiders opted to use their two designations for return from IR on defensive backs Obi Melifonwu and Antonio Hamilton (knee), with Tavecchio's strong showing this season likely influencing the team's decision not to activate Janikowski, who is slated to become a free agent this offseason. Tavecchio, who has converted 12 of 15 field goals this season, including three makes from 50-plus yards, will be an exclusive rights free agent after the season, but he should be cheaper for the Raiders to…read more

Tavecchio converted all three of his extra-point tries during Sunday's 21-14 win over the Broncos, but he also missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt.

Analysis: Tavecchio has remained reliable on extra-point attempts for the Raiders this season, but he's now missed three of his last six field-goal tries dating back to Week 7. Oakland's offense might be without its top two receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper (ankle, concussion) against the Giants this week, which could ultimately limit the team's overall scoring chances. Either way, Tavecchio has not been a very consistent source of fantasy production.

Tavecchio did not attempt a kick in Sunday's 33-8 loss to the Patriots.

Analysis: Tavecchio's stock figured to benefit from playing at high altitude in Mexico City, but unfortunately he didn't get a chance to show his stuff. Through 10 appearances, he sports 58 points.