Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Greg Zuerlein

Tuesday, October 15, 7:55 PM

The Arizona Cardinals placed kicker Matt Prater (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (neck) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, meaning both players will have to miss at least the next four games. Nichols will miss the rest of the season. To replace Prater on the active 53-man roster, the Cardinals elevated Chad Ryland from the practice squad. In the last two games with Prater out, Ryland has gone 5-for-6 on field goals and made both of his extra points. Prater made all six of his field goals and went 10-for-10 on extra points in his four games, surpassing the career 1,800-point plateau. The earliest Prater will be eligible to return from IR will be after the team's Week 11 bye for a Week 12 contest against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. Ryland will be a poor streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.

Wednesday, October 30, 1:04 PM

Per Adam Schefter, the New York Jets have placed kicker Greg Zuerlein (knee) on injured reserve. In response, they've signed kickers Spencer Shrader and Riley Patterson to their practice squad. Zuerlein popped up on the team's report Monday with a knee issue after another poor showing in Sunday's 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots. The 36-year-old missed another two kicks in Week 8 (one field goal, one extra point), and he'll now miss at least the team's next four outings. The long-time LA Ram has failed to connect on six field goal tries this season (9-of-15) and has mainly been unreliable for a reeling Jets squad. With New York set to host the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football, expect a decision to be made between Shrader and Patterson in short order.