Who Should I Start? Michael Badgley or Evan McPherson

Tuesday, March 4, 3:15 PM

The Detroit Lions recently cleared veteran kicker Michael Badgley (groin) from the torn groin that kept him out for all of last season, a source tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. While Badgley has made a full recovery, he's now set to become a free agent next week. With the 29-year-old out of commission all year, Jake Bates served as Detroit's regular kicker and was very reliable, missing only three of his 29 field-goal attempts in 17 regular-season games while missing three of his 67 extra-point attempts in his first year in the league. Because of how good Bates looked in 2024, it's likely that the Lions will let Badgley walk in free agency as he heads into his eighth year in the NFL. Badgley has a career 82.4 percent success rate on 119 field-goal attempts in 64 games played. In four games with Detroit in 2023, he made all four of his FGs and went 13-for-15 on extra points.

Wednesday, December 4, 3:42 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals placed kicker Evan McPherson (groin) on Injured Reserve on Wednesday. It was announced earlier on Wednesday that McPherson would miss some time due to his injury, and now he won't be eligible to return until the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. With fantasy championship matchups in most leagues coming in Week 17, managers with McPherson on their rosters in redraft leagues can let him go. The Browns worked out and signed former Washington Commanders and Cleveland Browns kicker Cade York on Wednesday, and he will be their kicker in Week 14 on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Like the Bengals in 2024, the 25-year-old McPherson was a fantasy disappointment in 12 game, going 16-for-22 on field-goal tries while missing just one of his 38 extra points.