Who Should I Start? Jake Bates or Andy Borregales


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Jake Bates News

Lions Officially Re-Sign Jake Bates

Wednesday, March 25, 1:35 PM

The Detroit Lions officially announced on Wednesday that they re-signed kicker Jake Bates to an undisclosed deal. Bates was an exclusive-rights free agent. The 27-year-old will return for his third season with the Lions in 2026. The former undrafted free agent out of Arkansas has become one of the more reliable kickers in fantasy football over the last couple of seasons in a Lions offense that should remain formidable in 2026. Last year in 17 games, Bates made 27 of his 34 field-goal tries (4-for-9 from 50-plus yards) and a league-high 54 extra points on 56 tries. He has made 84.1% of his 63 field-goal attempts in his two years in the NFL while succeeding on 95.9% of his 123 extra-point attempts. Bates was the No. 6 fantasy kicker in 2025. It also helps that half of his games come indoors, mitigating his volatility.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
6.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Andy Borregales News

Andy Borregales a Riskier Option for Week 1 in Seattle

Tuesday, September 8, 9:30 PM

New England Patriots kicker Andy Borregales had a shaky start to the preseason, which has already impacted his fantasy football price tag. While he harnessed his accuracy in Weeks 2 and 3 of the preseason, he still finished 5-for-8 with just one made field goal from 50+ yards out. With that in mind, fantasy managers can likely find other, more dependable kicking options for the season opener. After all, it's Week 1, so nobody is dealing with bye weeks or kicker injuries yet. That means there should still be plenty of viable kicking options on the waiver wire, including several with higher projections than the Patriots' 23-year-old. Some kickers with similar price tags to Borregales but a higher Week 1 ranking from RotoBaller include Will Lutz, Chris Boswell, Jake Elliott, Tyler Bass, and Harrison Butker. Borregales ranks all the way down at K23 for Week 1, according to RotoBaller's fantasy experts.


Jake Bates vs. Andy Borregales

Still trying to decide between Bates and Borregales? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jake Bates is projected to score 8.6 points this week while Andy Borregales is projected to score 6.6 points.