Detroit Lions kicker Michael Badgley (hamstring) reportedly suffered a torn hamstring getting ready for practice on Thursday. According to Ian Rapoport, the injury will force Badgley to miss the entire season and the Lions will now try out new kickers to take his place. The 28-year-old joined the Lions in 2022 and appeared in 12 games while playing four games for them in 2023. Riley Patterson played in 12 games for the Lions last season, so he may be one of the kickers trying out for the spot this season. For now, fantasy managers will have to wait and see who wins the position in Detroit.
Free-agent kicker Michael Badgley has returned to the Detroit Lions by signing an undisclosed one-year deal with them on Thursday, according to his agent. Badgley only appeared in four games for the Lions in 2023, going 4-for-4 on his field-goal tries while making 13 of his 15 extra-point attempts. The 28-year-old spent most of the season on the practice squad before he replaced Riley Patterson for the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs. In total, he made all seven of his field goals and went 24-for-26 on his extra points last year. Badgley isn't just going to be handed the starting kicker job in 2024, most likely having to compete with another kicker that Detroit brings in this offseason.
Michael Badgley Not A Strong DFS Option On Wild Card Weekend
Detroit Lions kicker Michael Badgley began kicking for the team in Week 15, and he's averaged just 6.5 fantasy points per game in four starts. The veteran has made all four of his field goal attempts and connected on 13 of his 15 extra-point tries. Since Dan Campbell took over the team in 2021, Detroit has led the NFL in fourth down attempts, meaning their placekickers have often been given limited opportunities to score field goals. Needless to say, Badgley has limited upside against the Rams on Wild Card weekend, so he can be avoided in DFS contests.
The Detroit Lions signed kicker Michael Badgley from their practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Friday. In corresponding moves, the team waived fullback Jason Cabinda, signed offensive lineman Michael Schofield to the practice squad and released defensive lineman Chris Smith from the practice squad. It solidifies Badgley's role as the Lions' primary field-goal kicker for the final two regular season games and the playoffs. The 28-year-old has made his only field-goal attempt and nine of his 10 extra-point tries in two games since taking over for Riley Patterson. The Dallas Cowboys, the Lions' Week 17 opponent, have been pretty generous to opposing kickers in the last five weeks, but overall in 2023 they've been a bad matchup for the position. Fantasy managers should have better options than rolling out Badgley in championship matchups.
The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with free-agent kicker Michael Badgley on Tuesday and waived kickers Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff in corresponding moves. Shudak and Wolff had been competing for the kicking job in training camp and the preseason, but the Titans will now go with Badgley, at least to start the year. Badgley was released by the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders this summer. The 28-year-old made 20 of 24 field-goal attempts as the Detroit Lions' primary kicker last year. He's also spent time with the Colts, Chargers and Bears in his career and has an 81.7% success rate on his 115 kicking attempts over five NFL seasons. Badgley should be left to the waiver wire in 12-team fantasy leagues to begin the year.
Washington Commanders kicker Michael Badgley was released by the team on Sunday, meaning veteran kicker Joey Slye will handle the kicking duties for the third consecutive season. Slye finished outside the top 20 in total fantasy scoring among kickers in each of the last two seasons, so he won't be on the fantasy radar until further notice.
Free-agent kicker Michael Badgley is signing with the Washington Commanders. The 27-year-old has bounced around the league since entering it in 2018, suiting up for the Chargers, Titans, Colts, Bears, and most recently, the Lions, who cut him only a few days ago. He missed four of his 24 field goal attempts last season while connecting on all 33 extra-point tries. However, the veteran wasn't much of an asset for fantasy managers in 2022-23. That may not change, even if Badgley earns the position over Joey Slye heading into Week 1.
The Detroit Lions surprisingly released kicker Michael Badgley on Thursday, according to a source. Badgley will hit the open market after the Lions traded for Riley Patterson this offseason. The 27-year-old Badgley played in 12 games with Detroit last year and went 20-for-24 on his field-goal attempts while making all 33 of his extra-point tries. He went 4-for-4 on field goals and didn't attempt an extra point in one game with the Chicago Bears. Behind Patterson, the Lions have a backup field-goal-kicking option in kicker John Parker Romo. Badgley will now look for work elsewhere with training camps set to begin around the league.
Is Riley Patterson A Good Fit With the Lions? Fantasy Football Kickers
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded Riley Patterson to the Detroit Lions last week for a 2026 conditional seven-round draft pick. Patterson rejoins the Lions after kicking for them in 2021, hitting 13-of-14 field goals in seven games. He lost the starting job in Detroit the following season to Austin Seibert before landing with the Jaguars. He will now compete with Michael Badgley and John Parker Romo this offseason for the kicker spot in Detroit. Will he win the job? Is he a good fit with the Lions? Let's dive in. Will Riley Patterson Win the Starting Kicker Job? Patterson likely has the best shot to be the Lions' Week 1 kicker of the three kickers on the roster. Not only did Detroit trade a future draft pick for him, but the 23-year-old kicker has been a reliable kicker in his first two seasons. He's converted on 87.8% of his field goals (43-for-49) and 98.1% rate (52-for-53) on extra points in his career. Last season in Jacksonville, Patterson went 30-for-35 on field goals in the regular season and went 3-for-3 in the playoffs, including a game-winner against the Chargers in the Wild Card round. https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1614480033648906240?s=20 Badgley, though, has a great shot to be the Lions' starting kicker as well. He appeared in 12 games for Detroit last season and went 20-for-24 on field goals and 33-for-33 on extra points. In his career, Money Badger is 59-for-94 (81.7%) on field goal attempts. Romo, on the other hand, has no NFL experience but went 17-for-19 with the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL in 2023. It will likely come down to Patterson and Badley for the starting kicker job in Detroit. Both have an equal shot at winning the job and will depend on their performances in camp this summer. Is Riley Patterson A Good Fit With The Lions? The fit for Patterson in Detroit is a favorable one, considering the Lions' high-level offense. If he wins the starting kicker job, he can be a streamable fantasy kicker with the potential to be a weekly kicker option. Last season, the Lions averaged the fifth most points per game in the NFL (26.6), and that boosted Badgley's fantasy value in 2022. He averaged 8.4 fantasy points per game with three double-digit performances in the final six weeks. He was also the number two overall kicker in total points between Week 10 and Week 15. If Detroit continues to score points in 2023, that will help Patterson's fantasy outlook in 2023. The Lions only attempted 1.8 field goals per game -; which ranked toward the bottom of the league -; but if that number trends up this season, that would be a big boost for Patterson in fantasy.
Detroit Lions kicker Michael Badgley made both of his extra points but missed one of his three field goal attempts in the 20-16 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 18. Badgley impressed this season, so there's a chance he could be back for the Lions in 2023. If so, he'll be high on the fantasy radar, since Detroit will once again be expected to be a top offense in the NFL.
