Who Should I Start? Cairo Santos or Jake Bates

Tuesday, December 24, 2:19 PM

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos should not be viewed as a viable streaming option on Thursday evening when the Bears host the Seattle Seahawks. Last weekend, Santos went 1-for-1 on attempts and 2-for-2 on extra points during their loss to the Detroit Lions. Over the past four weeks, Santos has only attempted two or more field goals in a single game on one occasion. During this span he attempted zero field goals in two of the games. Even though he holds a strong 84.6 FG% since Week 9, Santos has not been given enough volume to provide a solid fantasy output. During the fantasy playoffs, it is critical to target kickers on high-scoring offensive units and the Chicago Bears do not fit that criteria. Facing a Seattle Seahawks defense that has allowed the tenth-fewest fantasy points to opposing kickers, fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option.

Friday, January 17, 1:49 AM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has never appeared in an NFL playoff game before, but he already ranks as the No. 1 overall kicker in RotoBaller's Divisional Round fantasy rankings. His highly anticipated performance against the Washington Commanders on Saturday is the result of an impressive regular season in which he scored the seventh-most fantasy points among kickers. He missed just three field-goal attempts, and the Lions' incredibly potent offense put him in position to make a whopping 64 extra points. Also working in his favor is a somewhat favorable matchup against the Commanders, who surrendered two field goals to Chase McLaughlin last week, including one from 50 yards out. All in all, Bates is this week's top fantasy kicker thanks to his accuracy, power, and role on a dominant Lions team.