Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Riley Patterson

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.

Friday, November 8, 12:50 PM

The New York Jets have signed free-agent kicker Anders Carlson to the practice squad and waived kicker Riley Patterson, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Patterson made his New York Jets debut last Thursday against the Houston Texans as No. 1 option Greg Zuerlein (knee) was on Injured Reserve. In that game, Patterson went a perfect 3-for-3 on extra points and did not attempt any field goals. The Jets will now likely turn to Carlson to serve as the starting kicker this weekend when they face the Arizona Cardinals. Carlson spent time in San Francisco earlier this season and went 5-for-5 on field-goal attempts and 3-for-4 on extra points. Fantasy managers in deeper formats could consider Carlson as a streaming option, as the Jets may have ample scoring opportunities this weekend against the Cardinals.