Jake Bates: Start or Sit?

K•vs NO•Fantasy Football verdict

Starting PK with a massive leg. Big-range field goal threat beyond 55.

This week’s verdict

Start· medium

K9 in a dome with a 27.8 implied total — 2.9 projected XPs plus 1.7 makes and 50-plus range give Bates a top-10 floor.

Projected

Same in standard, half-PPR and PPR

Consensus

position rank

Projected FGA

1.9

1.7 made projected

Implied total

27.8

team points

Weather

Dome

Indoors, no weather risk

Red-zone stalls

1.4

per game · 2025

FG%

79%

27/34 · 2025

Kicks indoors — no weather risk.
1.9 FG tries projected, just under the 2.0 league median this week.
DET's offense stalls in the red zone 1.4 times a game (2025) — that's where kicker points come from.
Vegas has DET at 27.8 points as 7-point favorites.

The call

The 27.8 implied team total as a 7-point favorite is the key number: that volume of scoring means 2.9 projected extra points on top of 1.7 made field goals, which is exactly how kickers hit 8-plus.
Dome game, no weather risk — one of the few variables that actually separates kickers is neutralized here.
Locked-in PK1 with no injury designation, 79% accuracy (27/34) and a 59-yard long with 50-plus makes in 4 games, so the long-range upside is live.
Only mild caution: 1.9 projected attempts and 1.4 red-zone stalls per game mean he needs the offense to keep stalling short of the goal line for field-goal volume, so the score leans XP-dependent.

Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Week	Verdict	Reason
2026 Week 1	Start· medium	K9 in a dome with a 27.8 implied total — 2.9 projected XPs plus 1.7 makes and 50-plus range give Bates a top-10 floor.

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