Who Should I Start? Evan McPherson or Ramiz Ahmed

Sunday, July 27, 8:59 PM

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson converted all six of his field-goal attempts on Sunday to continue a spotless training camp. McPherson is off to an 18-for-18 start this summer as he looks to leave an underwhelming 2024 season behind him. After beginning his career with a productive three-year run, McPherson went backward last season in making just 16 of 22 field goals (72.7%), though he did knock in all but one of his 38 extra-point tries. The 26-year-old missed the Bengals' final five games because of a groin injury, but he has bounced back nicely from it so far. As part of a team with a high-powered offense, McPherson should get plenty of opportunities this year. He's RotoBaller's eighth-ranked kicker heading into the 2025 campaign.

Saturday, August 10, 7:37 PM

Washington Commanders kicker Ramiz Ahmed went 1-for-1 on his field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on his extra-point attempts on Saturday afternoon. His field goal attempt came from 40 yards out. This is important to note because Riley Patterson missed his lone field goal try from 39 yards out. Brandon McManus was originally brought in during free agency to serve as the starting kicker in D.C. but was let go in June due to being involved with a civil lawsuit. As a result, this opened up a competition between Ahmed and Patterson, and after the team's first preseason game, Ahmed may be in the lead. Patterson does have more experience in the NFL and has gone 59-for-67 throughout the first four seasons of his career. Ahmed made only one NFL appearance back in 2022 with the Green Bay Packers and moved on to play for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL last spring. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this competition as the winner could be fantasy-relevant, especially if rookie Jayden Daniels is able to adjust to the NFL fairly quickly and move the Washington offense downfield on a consistent basis.