Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Jake Moody

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.

Tuesday, October 8, 6:33 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he's not sure how long kicker Jake Moody's right high-ankle sprain will take to heal but that it would be "about a month." Moody injured his right ankle in the Week 5 loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and could be a candidate to land on Injured Reserve, which would keep him sidelined for at least four games. In the meantime, the Niners signed veteran kicker Matthew Wright to handle the kicking, and he could be a decent streaming candidate in a strong 49ers offense. Fantasy managers using Moody through the first five weeks will obviously need to pivot moving forward. It's a tough blow for fantasy managers, as Moody was the No. 2 kicker in fantasy points through the first five weeks. If Moody were to go on IR, he wouldn't be eligible to return until Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks.