Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Chase McLaughlin

Thursday, January 15, 3:53 PM

Buffalo Bills kicker Matt Prater (quadriceps, calf) has been cleared to kick in the Divisional Round this Saturday against his former team, the Denver Broncos. Prater was held out of Tuesday's practice, was a full-go on Wednesday, and was limited on Thursday. The 41-year-old veteran aggravated a quad injury in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the New York Jets, but he was active last weekend and handled field goals and extra points in the Wild-Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Prater made both of his field goals (one from 50-plus yards) and all three of his extra points against the Jags. He'll have the thin air in Denver to his advantage on Saturday, but at less than 100% in a tough matchup, Prater is on the lower end of kicking options this weekend. The Broncos allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to placekickers in 2025.

Saturday, January 3, 7:27 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin has been a solid fantasy option for managers this season, but he will look to rebound in Saturday's game against the Carolina Panthers. He was limited to five points last Sunday, as he made one of two field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Dolphins. Before last Sunday's game against Miami, McLaughlin hadn't missed a field goal attempt since Week 6. The 29-year-old has been a consistent option and has recorded at least eight points per game in six out of the last eight weeks. Overall, he's converted 29-for-34 on field goals and 31-for-32 on PATs through 16 contests. McLaughlin can be used as a streamer for the regular season finale and comes in as the ninth-ranked kicker in the latest RotoBaller rankings for Week 18.