Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Tyler Bass

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.

Saturday, January 25, 12:00 AM

Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass remains a strong fantasy option for Sunday's AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. While the kicker position is somewhat of a crapshoot with just four teams remaining in the playoffs, Bass has a good chance to finish near or at the top of the final rankings when this week's games are complete. The 27-year-old has fared well in the playoffs so far, going 5-for-5 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points. His matchup against the Chiefs isn't ideal Kansas City allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to kickers during the regular season but Bass did make one field goal and three extra points when he faced them back in Week 11. Conditions are expected to work in Bass' favor, too, with minimal winds and no precipitation expected in Kansas City on Sunday.