Who Should I Start? Wil Lutz or Jake Bates

Monday, September 16, 12:54 AM

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz was the team's offense in a 13-6 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver on Sunday. Lutz finished as a top-10 fantasy kicker in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks after going 3-for-3 on his field goals while making his only extra-point try. The 30-year-old veteran was only called on twice for field goals this Sunday, connecting on a long of 35. The Bo Nix-led Denver offense was stuck in the mud all day for the second straight week, and the only time they entered the red zone, Nix threw an ugly interception in the back of the end zone. Lutz has been one of the more reliable kickers over the years in terms of field-goal percentage, but he's going to be off the fantasy radar in most leagues on a weekly basis if the Broncos offense continues to look as bad as it has in Nix's first two career starts. Ignore him for a Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Friday, September 20, 9:44 AM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has hovered around the middle of the pack for kickers so far after two weeks. In the Lions' Week 2 loss, Bates converted on all three of his field goals and his lone extra point. So far, he hasn't missed a field goal or extra point through two games, but he hasn't attempted a field goal longer than 35 yards. The Lions' offense is good enough to move the ball down the field to get into Bates' range, but their aggressive play calling has seen more touchdown-or-bust type of plays rather than settling for field goals. Bates looks to be a mid-level option heading into Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals while having one of the higher-rated matchups according to RotoBaller's matchup tool.