RADIO
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.
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.
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