Who Should I Start? Jake Bates or Jude McAtamney

Wednesday, December 24, 10:39 PM

Across 15 games this season, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has converted on 22 of 28 field goal attempts and 52 out of 54 extra-point tries. Bates has the benefit of being tied to the Detroit offense, which enters Week 17 ranked second in the NFL in points per game (30.1). However, Bates and the Lions will face one of the league's top scoring defenses in Week 17 when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Over the last three weeks, Minnesota has allowed opponents to score an average of just 13 points per game. In the first matchup between the two NFC North division rivals this season in Week 9, the Lions were held to 24 points, their fourth-lowest mark in a game in 2025. If there's one benefit for Bates, the game will be played indoors, which eliminates any weather concerns for the kicking game. Bates remains a viable starting kicker for fantasy managers in Week 17, but he profiles as a low-end option rather than a must-start player at the position against Minnesota.

Thursday, October 23, 12:37 PM

Kicker Jude McAtamney has returned to the New York Giants' practice squad on Thursday on an International Player Program exemption after the team released him earlier in the week, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. With regular kicker Graham Gano (groin) on Injured Reserve, McAtamney was the team's fill-in placekicker from Weeks 4-7, but he was cut this week after his two crucial missed extra points proved to be the difference in the team's 33-32 loss at the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Gano has returned to practice this week and could make his return from IR this Sunday against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles, but if he doesn't, they have the option of elevating former Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo from the practice squad. The 25-year-old McAtamney, who is from Northern Ireland, made both of his field-goal attempts but missed three of his 12 extra points in his four games with New York.