Jake Bates or Tyler Loop: Who Should You Start?
Preliminary board2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.
Too close to call — the edges cancel out.
Jake Bates and Tyler Loop grade out even this week. Bates's best edge is the consensus rank (K9 to K10), Loop's best edge is red-zone opportunity (1.9 to 1.4 stalls per game) — and they cancel out. Start whichever player's game you trust more this week.
Jake Bates
8.78.78.7 Projected Points
Tyler Loop
8.58.58.5 Projected Points
Why Jake Bates
Toss-UpStarting placekicker. Strong-legged kicker with deep range on field-goal attempts.
Toss-up — K9 consensus, projects K8 this week: kicks indoors, 1.4 red-zone stalls per game in 2025.
- Indoors, no weather risk.
- Projected for 1.9 FG attempts, below the 2.0 league median this week.
- DET's offense stalled in the red zone 1.4 times per game in 2025, which is where kicker points come from.
- Vegas implies 27.8 team points as 7.0-point favorites.
Why Tyler Loop
StartStarting placekicker. Full-season kicking role.
Start — K10 consensus, projects K13 this week: 1.9 red-zone stalls per game in 2025, 8.5 PPR projected vs IND.
- Projected for 2.0 FG attempts, right at the 2.0 league median this week.
- BAL's offense stalled in the red zone 1.9 times per game in 2025, which is where kicker points come from.
- Vegas implies 26.5 team points as 3.5-point favorites.
- 88% on field goals in 2025 and recorded a 50-plus-yard make in 1 game.
Latest on Loop
Baltimore signed Jake Moody to the practice squad three days after Tyler Loop missed two kicks in the preseason finale.
ESPN · Aug 31, 2026
Jamison Hensley breaks down the kicking situation for the Ravens.
ESPN · Aug 31, 2026
Jamison Hensley discusses whether Tyler Loop's job is in jeopardy after a lackluster preseason.
ESPN · Aug 29, 2026
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Jake Bates | Tyler Loop |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 8.78.78.7 | 8.58.58.5 |
| Consensus rank | K9 | K10 |
| Projected FG attempts | 1.9 | 2.0 |
| Red-zone stalls / game | 1.4(2025) | 1.9(2025) |
| Kicking conditions | Indoors, no weather risk | — |
| Implied total · spread | 27.8-7.0 | 26.5-3.5 |
| Field-goal % | 79.4%(2025) | 88.2%(2025) |
| Depth chart | K1 | K1 |
| Start/Sit record | 0–0+1 toss-up | — |
Signal breakdown
- 8.7 vs 8.5 projected PPR pointsJake Bates +
- Rank 9 vs 10Jake Bates +
- 1.9 vs 2.0 projected attemptsTyler Loop +
- 1.4 vs 1.9 red-zone stalls per gameTyler Loop +
- Kicking weathereven
- Implied 27.8 vs 26.5 team pointsJake Bates +
- No injury designationseven
Compare different players
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