Who Should I Start? Cameron Dicker or Spencer Shrader

Friday, December 26, 10:11 AM

Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker has been the definition of reliable, remaining perfect last week with two field goals and four extra points. However, his Week 17 outlook is tempered by a projected low-scoring affair against the Houston Texans. Both the Chargers and the Texans have ridden elite defenses to recent success, with Houston limiting opponents to just 18 points per game during their seven-game win streak. This matchup has the hallmarks of a defensive slog, which could severely limit the Chargers' ability to move the ball into scoring range. While Dicker's accuracy is never in question, the lack of projected offensive volume caps his ceiling in a week where every point matters. He is a mid-range K1 and ranks K13 in the weekly rankings.

Monday, October 6, 11:21 PM

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that kicker Spencer Shrader (knee) tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee in the Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and will miss the rest of the season, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Shrader was injured when a defender crashed into his knee following a kick on Sunday. It's a tough break for the 26-year-old and the 4-1 Colts, as Shrader had missed just one of his 14 field-goal tries while making all 14 of his extra-point attempts in five games before his season-ending injury. With no current kicker other than Shrader on the active roster or practice squad, the Colts will be working out free-agent kickers this week as they head into a Week 6 meeting with the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Fantasy managers who had been using Shrader at the position will have to hit the waiver wire for a replacement.