Who Should I Start? Anders Carlson or Spencer Shrader

Saturday, October 19, 2:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Anders Carlson will kick off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Santa Clara. The younger brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson will be the third kicker used by the 49ers in as many games since Jake Moody (ankle) and Matthew Wright (shoulder, back) both suffered injuries attempting to make tackles. Last season, Carlson spent his rookie year as the Green Bay Packers starting kicker from beginning to end but was cut during this year's preseason. Carlson was the 23rd-most productive kicker in fantasy but led the league in misses with 13. Any decent kicker that San Francisco puts out there is likely a decent fantasy option, given the team's offensive prowess, as seen last week with journeyman Wright's three field goals and three extra points made. Anyone streaming kickers or looking for a replacement could do worse than Carlson in Week 7.

Saturday, September 7, 1:25 PM

The Indianapolis Colts elevated rookie kicker Spencer Shrader and cornerback Chris Lammons from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on Saturday in advance of the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival Houston Texans. This is a clear sign that starting kicker Matt Gay (hernia), who is listed as questionable for Week 1, will end up being inactive on Sunday morning after he recently underwent surgery for a sports hernia. Gay is questionable to kick on Sunday, but he missed practice all week and is probably more doubtful than anything. Fantasy managers that were planning to use Gay in Week 1 should have already been looking for other options this weekend. Rolling with Shrader in his first NFL game would be unwise given all the other options available on the waiver wire.