Who Should I Start? Jake Moody or Jake Bates

Tuesday, May 27, 1:33 PM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody struggled last year after returning from a high-ankle sprain. The former third-rounder changed his approach this offseason from taking three steps before a kick to just two, according to The Athletic's Vic Tafur. Because Moody missed nine of 20 field-goal attempts in the last nine games, forcing the Niners to bring in veteran kicker Greg Joseph to give Moody competition this year. Before getting injured last year, the 25-year-old made 13 of his first 14 field-goal tries before spraining his ankle in a Week 5 loss to the Arizona Cardinals when he tried to make a tackle on a kickoff. He missed the next three games and wasn't the same when he returned. Moody is now fully healthy and likes the way he's kicking the ball this offseason, so he'll be a bounce-back candidate as a starting fantasy kicker in 2025.

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.