Who Should I Start? Nick Folk or Jake Bates
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Nick Folk News
Sunday, August 23, 7:37 AM
Atlanta Falcons kicker Nick Folk brought some stability to Atlanta's kicking game in Saturday's 34-6 win over the Colts, making both of his field goal attempts and all four extra points. The field goals were from 50 and 51 yards out, so there is still some length left in the 41-year-old's leg. The veteran kicker is coming off a solid 2025 campaign in which he converted 28 of 29 field goal attempts (career-long of 58) and all 22 of his extra points while kicking for the Jets, though that effort still landed him well outside the top 12 for fantasy (K21). The Falcons should be a slight upgrade over the Jets offense, and not having to deal with the elements inside the dome in Atlanta should be a benefit as well. Folk ranks No. 24 in RotoBaller's kicker rankings, but there is potential to outproduce that projection. Still, he's more of a streaming option than a kicker to draft for the entire season.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Jake Bates News
Wednesday, March 25, 1:35 PM
The Detroit Lions officially announced on Wednesday that they re-signed kicker Jake Bates to an undisclosed deal. Bates was an exclusive-rights free agent. The 27-year-old will return for his third season with the Lions in 2026. The former undrafted free agent out of Arkansas has become one of the more reliable kickers in fantasy football over the last couple of seasons in a Lions offense that should remain formidable in 2026. Last year in 17 games, Bates made 27 of his 34 field-goal tries (4-for-9 from 50-plus yards) and a league-high 54 extra points on 56 tries. He has made 84.1% of his 63 field-goal attempts in his two years in the NFL while succeeding on 95.9% of his 123 extra-point attempts. Bates was the No. 6 fantasy kicker in 2025. It also helps that half of his games come indoors, mitigating his volatility.
Nick Folk vs. Jake Bates
Still trying to decide between Folk and Bates? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Nick Folk is projected to score 6.9 points this week while Jake Bates is projected to score 8.6 points.
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