Who Should I Start? Jake Bates or Will Reichard

Wednesday, November 26, 11:08 PM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates was one of the heroes of his team's Week 12 win over the New York Giants, bending in a 59-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. After a relatively shaky start to the season, Bates has now made six straight field goal attempts over his last three games. He'll have a second straight game in the friendly confines of Ford Field in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers. For his career, Bates is averaging 8.6 points per game at home, compared to 7.4 on the road. If there's one concern for Bates in Week 13, it's Green Bay's prowess as a scoring defense. The Packers have held three of their last four opponents to 16 points or fewer and held the Lions to 13 points in the first matchup between the two teams this season in Week 1. Still, Bates profiles as a solid starting kicker option for fantasy managers in Week 13.

Friday, November 21, 3:13 PM

Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard should be regarded as a No. 2 kicker option in Week 12, which should keep him off the starting radar in most formats. The former Alabama standout has put together an excellent second season in Minnesota by making 19 of 21 field goal attempts and all 19 extra points, but the Vikings' offense has sputtered in the past two weeks. Starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy is completing just more than half of his passes and has thrown five interceptions in the past three games, which has naturally limited the offense. While tied to a struggling offense facing a road game against one of the NFL's better defenses, Reichard can be stashed in Week 12 with more favorable matchups on the horizon.