Who Should I Start? Chad Ryland or Jake Bates

Sunday, December 29, 8:58 AM

Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland converted his lone field goal attempt but missed an extra point during Saturday's Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The second-year kicker wasn't able to build on last week's dominant showing against the Carolina Panthers. Ryland's missed kick brought him to 21-for-22 on extra points and 26-for-30 on field goals in 2024. He'll look to bounce back as a decent streamer next week, assuming Matt Prater (knee) doesn't return from injured reserve for the Cardinals' season finale.

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.