Who Should I Start? Ramiz Ahmed or Jake Bates

Saturday, August 10, 7:37 PM

Washington Commanders kicker Ramiz Ahmed went 1-for-1 on his field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on his extra-point attempts on Saturday afternoon. His field goal attempt came from 40 yards out. This is important to note because Riley Patterson missed his lone field goal try from 39 yards out. Brandon McManus was originally brought in during free agency to serve as the starting kicker in D.C. but was let go in June due to being involved with a civil lawsuit. As a result, this opened up a competition between Ahmed and Patterson, and after the team's first preseason game, Ahmed may be in the lead. Patterson does have more experience in the NFL and has gone 59-for-67 throughout the first four seasons of his career. Ahmed made only one NFL appearance back in 2022 with the Green Bay Packers and moved on to play for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL last spring. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this competition as the winner could be fantasy-relevant, especially if rookie Jayden Daniels is able to adjust to the NFL fairly quickly and move the Washington offense downfield on a consistent basis.

Sunday, September 8, 1:07 AM

Detroit Lions Kicker Jake Bates will face the Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 1. Bates had a good season in the UFL earlier this year, kicking a 64-yard field goal and two other field goals of 60 or more yards. The 25-year-old had never attempted a field goal in his football career until earlier this year, but he proved during his time in the UFL that he could hang with the best. He signed a two-year deal with the Lions this offseason and could be considered to start just because of how high-scoring this matchup is expected to be. Bates is listed as K18 on RotoBaller's Week 1 Rankings.