Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Blake Grupe


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
8.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Ka'imi Fairbairn News

Improved Offensive Efficiency Could Hurt Ka'imi Fairbairn's Fantasy Prospects

Sunday, July 26, 5:38 AM

Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn led the NFL with 44 made field goals in 2025 despite missing two games with a quad injury, and his 12.9 standard fantasy points per game led the position, but changes to the Texans offense could hurt his value in 2026. The Texans scored touchdowns on only 45.9% of their red zone trips last season, better than only the Saints, Jets, and Chargers, but in trading for running back David Montgomery, they have acquired one of the league's most efficient red zone runners of the past three seasons. Since 2023, Montgomery has scored 29 rushing touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line, and his presence could drastically cut down on Fairbairn's scoring opportunities. With a field goal conversion percentage above 91% in three of the past four seasons, Fairbairn is still as reliable as they come, but with fewer projected chip shots, he could struggle to deliver upon his current ADP of K2.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Blake Grupe News

Spencer Shrader, Blake Grupe Competing for Colts Kicking Job

Tuesday, July 21, 8:08 PM

Indianapolis Colts kickers Spencer Shrader (knee) and Blake Grupe will compete for the place-kicking job in Indy in training camp this summer, per Paul Bretl of Colts Wire. Shrader was 13-for-14 on field goals and a perfect 14-for-14 on extra points in five games last year before suffering an ACL injury in his knee. He was replaced by Grupe in Week 14, and he went a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals and 11-for-11 on his extra-point tries to close out the year before being re-signed in the offseason. Bretl thinks that Grupe should have the advantage going into the 2026 season because he has 105 career attempts under his belt compared to Shrader's 19, and he's also not coming off a significant knee injury. The 27-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame has made 81.9% of his 105 field-goal attempts (19-for-27 from 50-plus yards) and 98% of his extra points in his three years in the NFL. Fantasy managers in 12-team leagues can avoid the Colts' kicking situation to begin the year.


Ka'imi Fairbairn vs. Blake Grupe

Still trying to decide between Fairbairn and Grupe? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ka'imi Fairbairn is projected to score 8.3 points this week while Blake Grupe is projected to score 5.0 points.