Daniel Carlson or Spencer Shrader: Who Should You Start?

Carlson vs. Shrader: same rank, same volume, a true split decision

Both kickers sit at K21 consensus with identical projected attempts, so the numbers on the table don't actually separate them the way a bigger rank gap would. Carlson kicks in a fully enclosed dome, wiping out weather as a variable, and New Orleans' offense stalls in the red zone just often enough to turn a few more drives into field-goal tries instead of touchdowns. Shrader's Colts carry the higher implied total and a tighter spread, which usually means more scoring possessions to kick on, but his gaudy accuracy this year comes from a tiny sample as a backup-turned-starter (ESPN 2026-08-24) rather than a proven workload. Neither has an injury cloud or a depth threat, so this really is a matter of which small edge you trust more.

What flips it: A firm bad-weather forecast for Indianapolis' retractable roof, or a shift in either offense's red-zone efficiency.

Sources: ESPN · Aug 24, 2026

AI editor

Head-to-head stats

Signal breakdown

• 7.7 vs 8.2 projected PPR pointsSpencer Shrader +
• Rank 21 vs 21Spencer Shrader +
• 2.1 vs 2.1 projected attemptsDaniel Carlson +
• 1.5 vs 1.4 red-zone stalls per gameDaniel Carlson +
• Kicking weathereven
• Implied 20.8 vs 23.0 team pointsSpencer Shrader +
• No injury designationseven

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Week 1228 players

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K · Daniel Carlson

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K · Spencer Shrader

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