Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Wil Lutz

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.

Monday, November 18, 10:37 AM

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz only attempted one field goal in Week 11 on Sunday against the visiting Atlanta Falcons but was able to stay busy with extra-point attempts in the 38-6 rout to finish as a top-12 fantasy kicker for the week. One week after missing both of his field-goal tries -- the potential game-winner was blocked at the end of regulation against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 -- Lutz made his only field-goal attempt (from 45 yards out) and was successful on all five of his extra points against the Falcons. The 30-year-old has been one of the most accurate kickers in the league in 2024 (86.4% success rate) and ranks eighth among all kickers in total fantasy points after 11 weeks. When you add a rising Broncos offense under impressive rookie QB Bo Nix, Lutz's fantasy stock as a reliable streamer will continue in Week 12 against the floundering Las Vegas Raiders.