Who Should I Start? Michael Badgley or Anders Carlson

Saturday, July 27, 6:15 PM

Detroit Lions kicker Michael Badgley (hamstring) was officially placed on injured reserve. While the team has already acknowledged his injury was season-ending, the latest marks an official end to his 2024-25 campaign. The 26-year-old has played for the Chargers, Titans, Colts, Bears, and Lions since 2018. He's made 98 of his 119 kicks while also missing just seven of his 175 extra-point tries. Although Badgley isn't the best fantasy kicker, he's undoubtedly a better option than others. But now he's heading for surgery, with the Lions anticipated to quickly move to fill the position.

Saturday, October 19, 2:22 PM

San Francisco 49ers kicker Anders Carlson will kick off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in Santa Clara. The younger brother of Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson will be the third kicker used by the 49ers in as many games since Jake Moody (ankle) and Matthew Wright (shoulder, back) both suffered injuries attempting to make tackles. Last season, Carlson spent his rookie year as the Green Bay Packers starting kicker from beginning to end but was cut during this year's preseason. Carlson was the 23rd-most productive kicker in fantasy but led the league in misses with 13. Any decent kicker that San Francisco puts out there is likely a decent fantasy option, given the team's offensive prowess, as seen last week with journeyman Wright's three field goals and three extra points made. Anyone streaming kickers or looking for a replacement could do worse than Carlson in Week 7.