Who Should I Start? Blake Grupe or Jake Bates

Tuesday, December 2, 5:53 PM

The Indianapolis Colts signed former New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe to their practice squad on Tuesday, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Grupe was recently cut by the Saints, but he'll latch on with another team quickly after impressing the Colts during a workout on Tuesday. The 27-year-old will be replacing Michael Badgley, who was waived on Tuesday after missing his third extra point of the season in Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans. In addition to Grupe, the Colts also worked out kickers Justin Tucker and Maddux Trujillo. Grupe, 27, will be Indy's placekicker this weekend for a crucial divisional battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Before getting cut by the Saints, he went 18-for-26 on field goals and 15-for-15 on his extra-point tries in 11 games. Fantasy managers should be looking elsewhere for a more reliable kicking option in Week 14.

Wednesday, December 24, 10:39 PM

Across 15 games this season, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has converted on 22 of 28 field goal attempts and 52 out of 54 extra-point tries. Bates has the benefit of being tied to the Detroit offense, which enters Week 17 ranked second in the NFL in points per game (30.1). However, Bates and the Lions will face one of the league's top scoring defenses in Week 17 when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Over the last three weeks, Minnesota has allowed opponents to score an average of just 13 points per game. In the first matchup between the two NFC North division rivals this season in Week 9, the Lions were held to 24 points, their fourth-lowest mark in a game in 2025. If there's one benefit for Bates, the game will be played indoors, which eliminates any weather concerns for the kicking game. Bates remains a viable starting kicker for fantasy managers in Week 17, but he profiles as a low-end option rather than a must-start player at the position against Minnesota.