Matt

Prater

He’ll miss at least the first four weeks of the season. Friendship ended with Tyler Bass, now Matt Prater is your best friend in fantasy leagues where you want kicker points from the Bills.

Tyler Bass is dealing with a groin injury and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Prater will be called up from the practice squad if Bass can’t suit up for Week 1. Prater went 6-of-6 on his field goal tries with the Cardinals in 2024 before missing the remainder of the season with a torn meniscus.

Prater will end the year on injured reserve because of the knee issue. He went 6-for-6 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs in the first month of the year before the knee issue ended his season. The 40-year-old is still kicking at a high level, but this knee injury could have Prater thinking about life after football as the season comes to a close.

Prater, 40, remains on injured reserve, and the Cardinals will need to activate him shortly if he has any chance in playing in Week 18 against the 49ers. If Prater can’t go, the Cardinals will have Chad Ryland handle the kicking duties.

Prater will remain on injured reserve for at least one more week. Chad Ryland will continue to kick for the Cardinals. Facing a Carolina defense that should allow Arizona to move the ball with ease, Ryland is a solid streaming option this week.

A Wednesday LP would typically bode positively for a player’s availability but with Prater coming off of injured reserve, this places him more so in the “truly questionable” category. His Thursday and Friday participation levels are worth monitoring.

Prater will practice with the Cardinals this week and has a chance to suit up in Week 16 against the Panthers. Chad Ryland would continue kicking for Arizona if Prater, who suffered a knee injury in October, needs another week of practice before returning to action. The Panthers are allowing the fourth most field goal tries this season.

Prater has been on injured reserve since October 15th. He’s not eligible to return until Week 12, meaning there’s still plenty of time for him to recover from his injury before the team can even consider activating him. Prater’s replacement, Chad Ryland, has converted on 10-of-11 field goal attempts this season and has two field goals of 50-plus yards to his name. His emergence could put the Cardinals in a tough decision once Prater is healthy enough to be activated.

Chad Ryland kicked for Arizona in Weeks 5 and 6 and should continue to be the team’s main kicker until Prater is healthy again. Prater will miss at least four more games with an injury that has already sidelined him the previous two weeks.

Chad Ryland will kick for Arizona in Week 6 with Prater dealing with a knee injury. Arizona’s spate of defensive injuries could make things even tougher against Jordan Love and the Packers’ high-powered offense.