Who Should I Start? Michael Badgley or Joey Slye

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.

Friday, October 18, 12:39 PM

New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye has not been a dependable fantasy option over the last two weeks, but he could generate some streaming appeal in deeper leagues for Week 7. This Sunday, Slye will kick against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Given that the Jaguars have allowed the second-most points per game this season, the Patriots should have plenty of scoring opportunities, opening the way for Slye to get involved. Furthermore, the New England offense has shown additional signs of life ever since benching Jacoby Brissett for Drake Maye. Brissett averaged just 0.4 passing touchdowns per game as the Patriots' starter while Maye threw for three touchdowns in his first career start last weekend. Between a favorable matchup and the Patriots offense's upward trajectory, Slye becomes a fringe top-12 fantasy option at the kicker position. He's worth considering if your primary kicker is injured or on a bye week.