Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Jake Bates

Friday, September 6, 9:32 PM

Cleveland Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins will kick off his 2024 season with a home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. The Cowboys were tough on fantasy kickers last year, allowing just the 29th-most fantasy points per game to the position. Hopkins was a reliable kicker for the Browns in 2023, hitting 33 of his 36 field-goal tries, including all eight of his tries from 50+ yards. It remains to be seen how efficient the Cleveland offense will be this season, which coupled with the tough matchup, leaves Hopkins outside of the top-12 fantasy kicker options this weekend.

Sunday, August 11, 9:14 AM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates "had a rotten day [on a Friday in early August], missing at least a half-dozen field goals," according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who attended training camp that day. (It bears mentioning that he converted his lone attempt in Week 1 of the preseason from 53 yards out.) Bates latched on with the Lions after an impressive run in the UFL, and while he's currently Detroit's only kicker, the team could look to bring in competition or a replacement. As Graziano writes, "It doesn't sound like this was a new problem, and you wonder if the Lions will end up looking elsewhere for their kicker before camp is out." Randy Bullock is the consensus top kicker available in free agency at the moment, but that could change as teams shake up their rosters over the next few weeks.