Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Evan McPherson

Friday, January 3, 12:10 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.

Sunday, July 27, 8:59 PM

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson converted all six of his field-goal attempts on Sunday to continue a spotless training camp. McPherson is off to an 18-for-18 start this summer as he looks to leave an underwhelming 2024 season behind him. After beginning his career with a productive three-year run, McPherson went backward last season in making just 16 of 22 field goals (72.7%), though he did knock in all but one of his 38 extra-point tries. The 26-year-old missed the Bengals' final five games because of a groin injury, but he has bounced back nicely from it so far. As part of a team with a high-powered offense, McPherson should get plenty of opportunities this year. He's RotoBaller's eighth-ranked kicker heading into the 2025 campaign.