Should I Start Jake Bates?

Friday, October 9, 7:51 PM

Across four games in 2026, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has connected on all seven of his field goal attempts and all 14 of his extra point tries. Bates had his best game of the young season in Week 4, converting four field goal attempts in Detroit's loss to the Carolina Panthers. In Week 5, Bates and the Lions will take on the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has struggled to keep its opponents off the scoreboard in recent weeks, allowing at least 31 points in each of its last three games. Detroit has also been one of the NFL's highest-scoring offenses so far, averaging 29.8 points per game. In a potentially high-scoring Week 5 affair against the Cardinals, Bates profiles as a steady top-12 kicker for fantasy managers.