Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Jake Bates

Wednesday, December 31, 3:18 PM

Buffalo Bills kicker Matt Prater (quadriceps) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. The Bills only held a walkthrough practice on Wednesday, but Prater's full participation is a sign that he could return to action as the team's placekicker for the Week 18 regular-season finale this weekend against the division-rival New York Jets. The 41-year-old veteran has missed the last two games with a right-quad injury. Prater has been solid for fantasy football managers in 2025 in his first year with the Bills when he's been healthy, making 90% of his 20 field-goal attempts while going 43-for-46 on his extra-point tries in 14 games. However, with the Bills potentially resting key pieces on offense this weekend, Prater won't come highly recommended for starting lineups in Week 18 if he makes his return.

Wednesday, December 24, 10:39 PM

Across 15 games this season, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has converted on 22 of 28 field goal attempts and 52 out of 54 extra-point tries. Bates has the benefit of being tied to the Detroit offense, which enters Week 17 ranked second in the NFL in points per game (30.1). However, Bates and the Lions will face one of the league's top scoring defenses in Week 17 when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. Over the last three weeks, Minnesota has allowed opponents to score an average of just 13 points per game. In the first matchup between the two NFC North division rivals this season in Week 9, the Lions were held to 24 points, their fourth-lowest mark in a game in 2025. If there's one benefit for Bates, the game will be played indoors, which eliminates any weather concerns for the kicking game. Bates remains a viable starting kicker for fantasy managers in Week 17, but he profiles as a low-end option rather than a must-start player at the position against Minnesota.