Who Should I Start? Evan McPherson or Joshua Karty

Saturday, September 6, 2:31 PM

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson appeared to be on his way to becoming one of the league's best at the position. However, McPherson's production has gone in the wrong direction since his rookie year, and he finished the 2024 campaign by making only 72.7% of his attempts, a career-low. He was also limited to 12 games due to injury. The Bengals offense can move down the field quickly, which should give the 26-year-old chances to produce for fantasy managers. Still, until McPherson proves he can be trusted to capitalize on his opportunities, managers may want to consider other kickers for the Week 1 AFC North clash with the Browns.

Saturday, September 6, 3:16 PM

Los Angeles Rams kicker Joshua Karty is a fringe top-12 fantasy option heading into Sunday's season opener against the Houston Texans. With a strong offense in place, Los Angeles should be able to move the football quite well, even against an above-average Texans defense. This should lead to several field goal and extra point opportunities for Karty, who went 29-for-34 on field goals and 32-for-36 on extra points as a rookie last year. SoFi Stadium's ability to protect kicks from elements such as wind also benefits Karty, especially if he attempts any long-distance kicks on Sunday. RotoBaller's experts have the Stanford product ranked as the overall K11 this week, making him startable in leagues with at least 12 teams.