Who Should I Start? Jake Bates or Tyler Loop

Friday, January 17, 1:49 AM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has never appeared in an NFL playoff game before, but he already ranks as the No. 1 overall kicker in RotoBaller's Divisional Round fantasy rankings. His highly anticipated performance against the Washington Commanders on Saturday is the result of an impressive regular season in which he scored the seventh-most fantasy points among kickers. He missed just three field-goal attempts, and the Lions' incredibly potent offense put him in position to make a whopping 64 extra points. Also working in his favor is a somewhat favorable matchup against the Commanders, who surrendered two field goals to Chase McLaughlin last week, including one from 50 yards out. All in all, Bates is this week's top fantasy kicker thanks to his accuracy, power, and role on a dominant Lions team.

Sunday, August 17, 9:21 AM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh officially named rookie Tyler Loop the team's starting kicker after he nailed five field goals in preseason action against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. Loop has been the only kicker on the roster since the Ravens released John Hoyland earlier this month, but Harbaugh's statement indicates that Baltimore does not plan to bring in another veteran. A sixth-round pick out of Arizona, Loop made 83.8% of his field goals and 98.4% of his extra-point attempts in 50 career college games. He's made six out of his eight preseason field goal attempts so far.