Who Should I Start? Evan McPherson or Jake Bates

Wednesday, December 4, 3:42 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals placed kicker Evan McPherson (groin) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday. It was announced earlier on Wednesday that McPherson would miss some time due to his injury, and now he won't be eligible to return until the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. With fantasy championship matchups in most leagues coming in Week 17, managers with McPherson on their rosters in redraft leagues can let him go. The Browns worked out and signed former Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York on Wednesday, and he will be their kicker in Week 14 on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Like the Bengals in 2024, the 25-year-old McPherson was a fantasy disappointment in 12 game, going 16-for-22 on field-goal tries while missing just one of his 38 extra points.

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.