Who Should I Start? Evan McPherson or Spencer Shrader

Thursday, October 16, 11:01 AM

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson has struggled to find fantasy relevance to start the 2025 season. Through six games, McPherson has converted six of eight field goal attempts and 11 extra points, averaging just 5.5 fantasy points per game, which ranks 36th among all kickers. The injury to quarterback Joe Burrow has limited scoring opportunities across the Bengals' offense, directly impacting McPherson's production. Even with a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been shaky defensively, McPherson remains a risky fantasy option due to his limited opportunities in the struggling Cincinnati offense. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a more reliable kicker in Week 7.

Monday, October 6, 11:21 PM

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that kicker Spencer Shrader (knee) tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee in the Week 5 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and will miss the rest of the season, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Shrader was injured when a defender crashed into his knee following a kick on Sunday. It's a tough break for the 26-year-old and the 4-1 Colts, as Shrader had missed just one of his 14 field-goal tries while making all 14 of his extra-point attempts in five games before his season-ending injury. With no current kicker other than Shrader on the active roster or practice squad, the Colts will be working out free-agent kickers this week as they head into a Week 6 meeting with the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Fantasy managers who had been using Shrader at the position will have to hit the waiver wire for a replacement.