Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.
Jan 3, 2025 12:10 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (left knee) has been ruled out for Saturday's Week 17 contest against the Los Angeles Rams. The veteran kicker is currently on injured reserve. While there was some optimism about his status when the Cardinals recently opened his 21-day practice window, the team shut down any speculation about a potential Week 17 return by ruling him out on Thursday. With Prater set to remain sidelined following a week of limited practices, the Cardinals will deploy Chad Ryland as their primary kicker once again this weekend. The 25-year-old has exceeded expectations so far, going 25-for-29 on field goals and 21-for-21 on extra points.
Dec 28, 2024 9:11 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) was limited in practice all week but was ruled out on Friday for the team's Week 17 divisional contest against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night. Prater had his 21-day practice window opened to return from Injured Reserve last weekend and has been limited in six practices. However, the 40-year-old will not be activated from IR, and with the regular-season finale being next weekend with the Cardinals eliminated from the playoff picture, we have a suspicion that he will not play again this year. With Prater out again this weekend against the Rams, Chad Ryland will once again fill in as the starting placekicker. In an inconsistent Arizona offense now with nothing left to play for but pride, Ryland won't be a recommended fantasy starter in Week 17. The 25-year-old has made 25 of his 29 field-goal tries and all 21 of his extra points in 11 games with Arizona in 2024.
Dec 26, 2024 7:36 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (left knee) was limited in practice on Tuesday. Prater was recently designated to return from injured reserve and has been practicing in his 21-day window for the past week. Prater has not played since Week 4, so it is no surprise that the Cardinals are easing the 40-year-old back into action. Prater is one of the better kickers in NFL history. Before his injury, he had not missed a kick this season. However, if he were to be activated ahead of Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams, he would be a risky play in fantasy. The Cardinals offense can be inconsistent at times, and Prater may need to shake off some rust. Even so, it is good to see Prater progressing from his injury.
Dec 24, 2024 6:30 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) has been ruled out for Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran kicker had his 21-day practice window opened earlier this week, but the Cardinals have determined he's not quite ready to return from injured reserve yet. In the meantime, Chad Ryland will continue to handle kicking duties for Arizona. Through 10 games this year, he has gone 18-for-18 on extra points and 22-for-26 on field goals.
Dec 21, 2024 9:04 AM EST
The Arizona Cardinals are opening kicker Matt Prater's (knee) 21-day practice window to return from Injured Reserve on Wednesday, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon. Prater had surgery in October to fix the meniscus in his left knee and will be back on the practice field for the first time since Week 6. Given the 40-year-old veteran's long absence, there's no guarantee that he will return to game action this Sunday in Carolina versus the Panthers. If the Cardinals like what they see from Prater in practice this week, though, they'll have to activate him from IR by Saturday if they want him as their placekicker this weekend. Chad Ryland has filled in for Prater the last 10 games and has made 22 of his 26 field-goal attempts and all 18 of his extra-point tries. Prater will be a risky fantasy play if he returns, while Ryland should be considered a streaming option in deeper leagues if Prater is held out.
Dec 18, 2024 1:09 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon still is holding out hope that kicker Matt Prater (knee) can return from Injured Reserve this season. Prater has been on IR since undergoing surgery to fix the meniscus in his left knee back in October, missing the team's last nine games. The 40-year-old veteran placekicker hasn't had his 21-day practice window opened yet, though, to return from IR, but there are still four games remaining in the regular season. He's unlikely to be available this weekend when the team takes on the New England Patriots, but Prater's return could come in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers. Until/if Prater is able to return down the stretch, Chad Ryland will continue to kick for the Cardinals. Before his knee injury, Prater hit all six of his field-goal tries and all 10 of his extra points in four games.
Dec 11, 2024 12:19 PM EST
The Arizona Cardinals placed kicker Matt Prater (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (neck) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, meaning both players will have to miss at least the next four games. Nichols will miss the rest of the season. To replace Prater on the active 53-man roster, the Cardinals elevated Chad Ryland from the practice squad. In the last two games with Prater out, Ryland has gone 5-for-6 on field goals and made both of his extra points. Prater made all six of his field goals and went 10-for-10 on extra points in his four games, surpassing the career 1,800-point plateau. The earliest Prater will be eligible to return from IR will be after the team's Week 11 bye for a Week 12 contest against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. Ryland will be a poor streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
Oct 15, 2024 7:55 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) is officially inactive for Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Prater came into this one unlikely to play despite putting in limited practices this week, but now it's official that he won't kick for the Cards. Arizona added Chad Ryland to the active 53-man roster on Saturday, and he will serve as the team's kicker against the Packers. Prater's next chance to suit up for the Cardinals will come during a Week 7 Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Ryland, 24, will make his second straight start for the Cardinals after Prater also missed the Week 6 win over the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Ryland made three of his four field-goal tries last week and was successful on his only extra-point attempt. At best, he'll be a deep-league streaming option against Green Bay.
Oct 13, 2024 11:37 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) is expected to be inactive for Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. If confirmed, it will be the veteran kicker's second consecutive absence. He had been perfect through four games, converting all 10 of his extra point attempts and all six of his field goal tries. The Cardinals have once again elevated Chad Ryland to kick in Prater's place. In his season debut last week, Ryland went 3-for-4 on field goals and also made his lone extra point attempt.
Oct 13, 2024 8:15 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers. Prater was kept sidelined during last weekend's game with a knee injury. However, he was able to log three consecutive limited practice sessions this week which is a promising sign for his status as he was only able to log one heading into Week 5. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status ahead of kickoff. If Prater is able to suit he should be started in all formats given his offensive situation. If Prater is unable to play, Chad Ryland will likely be activated from the practice squad and is a worth a look as a deep league streamer.
Oct 12, 2024 9:03 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) was unable to suit up during Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers. The veteran kicker has been dealing with a left knee issue and was only able to get through one limited practice last week. That being said, the Cardinals held out Prater in Week 5 and elevated Chad Ryland to serve as the kicker. Ryland connected on 3-of-4 field goal attempts with his only miss being blocked. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Monday that the team will wait and see how Prater does in practice before making a decision for Week 6. Fantasy managers who have Prater rostered should get another kicker in line just in case he misses another game.
Oct 7, 2024 9:11 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) has officially been tagged as inactive for the team's Week 5 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. Chad Ryland will step in and take on the place-kicking duties. Kickers haven't had a great time against the 49ers so far this season as they rank 22nd in fantasy points allowed to the position. Kickers are averaging just 8.0 fantasy points per game against them. While the offense has been sputtering, it's probably better to go a different direction for a kicker this week.
Oct 6, 2024 3:14 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (left knee) returned to practice in a limited capacity on Friday. This was an improvement after he missed two consecutive practices, but it still leaves some uncertainty about his availability. The Cardinals are officially listing him as questionable for Week 5 versus the San Francisco 49ers. Prater has remained quite effective in his age-40 season, converting all 10 of his extra points attempts and all six of his field goal attempts. Fantasy managers can continue to start Prater in leagues with 12 teams or fewer.
Oct 5, 2024 9:10 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) is dealing with a left-knee injury that kept him out of his second straight practice this week on Thursday. Prater is now firmly in danger of missing the Week 5 divisional tilt on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals signed Chad Ryland to their practice squad on Wednesday, further signaling that they are worried about Prater's ability to kick this weekend. Prater is the No. 19 fantasy kicker through the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL campaign, so it's not like he was coming into this week really on the fantasy radar of managers in standard 12-team leagues. The 40-year-old has made all six of his field-goal attempts and all 10 of his extra-point tries, but the Cardinals offense so far has been too inconsistent to make Prater a viable fantasy kicking option on a weekly basis.
Oct 3, 2024 7:08 PM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) was listed as a non-participant for the team's first practice of the week on Wednesday. Evidently the 40-year-old veteran came out of Sunday's 42-14 loss to the Washington Commanders a bit dinged up. Interestingly enough, Arizona held tryouts last Friday for kickers Anders Carlson and Chad Ryland, while Prater did not garner a designation. The Cardinals signed Ryland to their practice squad on Wednesday. Prater will need to get in at least one limited session over the next few days to boost his chances of suiting up in Week 5. However, if he can't, it would seem that Ryland would appear in his stead. The journeyman kicker has yet to miss a field goal or extra point attempt this season. Arizona will hit the road to take on their division-rival San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Oct 2, 2024 9:08 PM EST
Week 1 of the 2024 season saw several kickers put up extraordinary amounts of points. Five kickers had multiple field goals from 50+ yards out, three of them also hitting two tries from the 40-49-yard range. Nine other kickers also made good from 50 yards or more. Unfortunately, Matt Prater was not one of them. The 40-year-old veteran did convert all of his attempts though, netting field goals from 29 and 31 yards out and banging home two extra points. In Week 2, the Cardinals host the Rams in their home opener in what is expected to be one of the highest-scoring games of the week. Prater may not have had a chance to kick from distance in the season opener but he has a strong leg and the benefit of playing in a dome in Week 2. Fantasy managers looking for a solution at kicker can fire up Prater on Sunday without worry.
Sep 14, 2024 4:20 AM EST
Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater will begin his 18th NFL season when the team takes on the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Prater is the active leader in career field goals with 401 and is second on the list in career extra points. Last season Prater was 28-for-33 on field goal attempts and made all but one of his 23 extra point tries. With a healthy Kyler Murray leading the way, Arizona's offense should be more effective out of the gate than it was in 2023 which will lead to more opportunities for Prater to put points on the board. Buffalo is expected to score at will against Arizona's defense on Sunday. If the Cardinals can stay competitive it will be because they engage in a shootout which, again, means more chances to score for Prater. The veteran kicker is not the best option out there but he is widely available, has a strong leg (nine FGs of 50+ yards in 2023), and will be featured in a high-scoring matchup.
Sep 7, 2024 6:13 AM EST
As the regular season concludes with Week 18, fantasy managers can confidently rely on Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater. In the recent victory against the Eagles, Prater showcased his consistency by converting 2-of-2 field goals and 3-of-3 extra points. Impressively, he has not missed a kick in his last four games and has only four total misses on the year, solidifying his status as one of the most reliable kickers in the league. Prater's performance against the Eagles, including successful attempts from 28 and 34 yards, underlines his ability to contribute fantasy points regularly despite Arizona's offensive inconsistencies. As the Cardinals gear up for the final game of the year, fantasy managers should feel comfortable starting Prater, knowing they have a dependable kicker to round out their lineups.
Jan 6, 2024 3:04 AM EST
As the Arizona Cardinals prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, veteran kicker Matt Prater emerges as a reliable fantasy option. In the recent matchup against the Bears, Prater showcased his long-range prowess by converting a 55-yard field goal, setting an NFL record with six such makes this season. Despite a relatively quiet game, Prater's ability to contribute from deep distances has been a crucial asset for the Cardinals. With two more makes from 50-plus yards, he could tie another league record. As the Cardinals gear up for a crucial clash with the Eagles, fantasy managers can anticipate Prater to be a valuable asset, potentially capitalizing on additional opportunities to add to his impressive long-range record. In addition, there is a real possibility Arizona may have difficulty moving the football consistently, potentially giving Prater more opportunities. For those in need of help at the kicking position, Prater is worth the start.
Dec 30, 2023 3:15 AM EST
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