Who Should I Start? Cameron Dicker or Jake Bates

Friday, November 28, 6:24 PM

Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker went 2-for-2 on field goals in Week 11 despite the team's struggles on offense. The Chargers possessed the ball for only 22 minutes and reached the red zone once against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dicker now faces a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, whose middle-of-the-road defense has surprisingly allowed the tenth-fewest first downs this season. This creates a favorable situation for Dicker, as the Raiders' stout defense might lead to more field goal attempts than touchdowns. RotoBaller projects Dicker as K5 for the week. Fantasy managers should trust this ranking and consider Dicker a strong high-end K1, expecting more field-goal opportunities in this game.

Wednesday, November 26, 11:08 PM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates was one of the heroes of his team's Week 12 win over the New York Giants, bending in a 59-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. After a relatively shaky start to the season, Bates has now made six straight field goal attempts over his last three games. He'll have a second straight game in the friendly confines of Ford Field in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers. For his career, Bates is averaging 8.6 points per game at home, compared to 7.4 on the road. If there's one concern for Bates in Week 13, it's Green Bay's prowess as a scoring defense. The Packers have held three of their last four opponents to 16 points or fewer and held the Lions to 13 points in the first matchup between the two teams this season in Week 1. Still, Bates profiles as a solid starting kicker option for fantasy managers in Week 13.