Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Anders Carlson

Wednesday, January 7, 3:42 PM

Buffalo Bills kicker Matt Prater (quadriceps) was unable to practice on Wednesday. Prater aggravated a quad injury in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets on Sunday and is now questionable to be able to kick in the first round of the playoffs this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Head coach Sean McDermott said that the team is planning to have Prater return to practice on Thursday, which will give him a chance to play on Wild-Card weekend. As insurance, the Bills added journeyman kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad on Tuesday. If Prater doesn't get cleared to play against the Jags, Wright will fill in as the team's placekicker on Sunday. Given the 41-year-old Prater's injury going into the postseason, fantasy managers should consider him a weak option for lineups this week.

Wednesday, June 18, 12:31 PM

The New York Jets released kicker Anders Carlson on Wednesday and signed kicker Harrison Mevis in a corresponding move, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Mevis made 20 of his 21 field-goal attempts (95.2%) this year while playing for the UFL's Birmingham Stallions. Carlson, 27, is the younger brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. The Auburn product hasn't been as good as his older brother in the NFL, though, making 83.3% of his 48 field-goal tries since entering the league in 2023 with the Green Bay Packers. He went 13-for-15 on his field goals and 12-for-15 on extra points in seven games in 2024 with the San Francisco 49ers and the Jets. Carlson will now look for another team to sign with before training camp. Mevis will be competing with Caden Davis for the starting kicking job this summer.