Who Should I Start? Riley Patterson or Jake Bates

Saturday, December 13, 6:51 PM

Miami Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson has been solid but not spectacular this season, while filling in for Jason Sanders (hip), who remains on IR. Patterson has made 23 of his 25 field goal attempts and 28 of his 29 extra point attempts. He didn't have any issues on the road in the cold against the Jets last week, making all four of his kicks. This week, he'll be on the road for a night game in Pittsburgh with very cold temperatures again in the forecast. While it won't be ideal conditions for long field goals, Patterson has been consistent enough from short range to not be a total "must avoid" option, especially since the Steelers have been a top-10 matchup for kickers. Patterson is the No. 19 kicker in RotoBaller's Week 15 rankings, so there are potentially kickers with more upside on the waiver wire in most standard-sized leagues this week.

Saturday, December 13, 12:31 AM

Although Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates saw his streak of four straight games without a missed field goal come to an end in Week 14, he still knocked in three out of four field goal attempts and all five of his extra point tries in Detroit's win over the Dallas Cowboys. Bates remains the current NFL leader in both extra-point attempts (47) and makes (45) through 14 weeks. In Week 15, the Lions will travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams. The Lions and Rams enter the week as two of the NFL's top teams in points per game, so this game could have shootout potential. Additionally, playing indoors at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium eliminates any potential issues Bates might have with the weather. Fantasy managers can view Bates as a must-start fantasy kicker in Week 15.