Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Jake Bates
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
Sunday, August 9, 11:53 AM
Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was nearly automatic last season. He made 44 of 48 field goals in 15 games, tying the NFL single-season record, and didn't miss once from inside 50 yards. Fairbairn was plenty dangerous from farther out, too, hitting nine of 13 attempts from 50-plus and finishing with 25 made field goals from at least 40 yards. That workload helped him average a position-best 12.9 standard fantasy points per game. Asking for another 44 field goals would be aggressive, especially if Houston does a better job turning red-zone trips into touchdowns this year. Fairbairn doesn't need that kind of volume to stay near the top of the position, though. He has converted better than 91% of his field goals in three of the last four seasons, and RotoBaller has him 165th overall and K2 in its August 8 half-PPR rankings. Aubrey is the first kicker off the board, but Fairbairn belongs right behind him.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Jake Bates News
Wednesday, March 25, 1:35 PM
The Detroit Lions officially announced on Wednesday that they re-signed kicker Jake Bates to an undisclosed deal. Bates was an exclusive-rights free agent. The 27-year-old will return for his third season with the Lions in 2026. The former undrafted free agent out of Arkansas has become one of the more reliable kickers in fantasy football over the last couple of seasons in a Lions offense that should remain formidable in 2026. Last year in 17 games, Bates made 27 of his 34 field-goal tries (4-for-9 from 50-plus yards) and a league-high 54 extra points on 56 tries. He has made 84.1% of his 63 field-goal attempts in his two years in the NFL while succeeding on 95.9% of his 123 extra-point attempts. Bates was the No. 6 fantasy kicker in 2025. It also helps that half of his games come indoors, mitigating his volatility.
Ka'imi Fairbairn vs. Jake Bates
Still trying to decide between Fairbairn and Bates? 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 Jake Bates is projected to score 7.8 points.
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