Who Should I Start? Brandon McManus or Michael Badgley

Thursday, December 18, 5:01 PM

Green Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus has been perfect over his last four weeks since returning to the Packers' lineup, and looks to keep that hot stretch going when the Packers head to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears. McManus hasn't missed a kick in the last four weeks, culminating in last week's effort against the Denver Broncos, where he booted home all four of his field goal attempts plus both of his extra point attempts. The Packers have been getting into the opponent's side of the field with regularity, but the fact that they can't turn some of those possessions into touchdowns leads to quite a few attempts for McManus, who has averaged two field goals and three extra points in these last four games. Against Chicago, the weather calls for wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour, so McManus is a low-end starting option for fantasy in Week 16.

Tuesday, December 16, 5:52 PM

The Buffalo Bills announced on Tuesday that they have signed free-agent kicker Michael Badgley to their practice squad. Tyler Bass (hip) will miss the entire 2025 season, and the Bills already ruled out replacement Matt Prater (quadriceps) for their Week 16 game this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Badgley beat out Matthew Wright during a tryout on Tuesday and is expected to eventually be promoted to the active 53-man roster to kick this weekend in Cleveland. The 30-year-old resurfaced in the NFL this year after not kicking at all in 2024. In seven games with the Indianapolis Colts, Badgley made 10 of his 11 field-goal attempts and 18 of his 21 extra-point opportunities. In likely frigid temperatures in Cleveland this weekend, Badgley will be a deep-league streaming option at the position, at best, in Week 16.