Sit Jake Bates in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 5.8 projected points lands 1.7 under the K starter line.
- Projection
- 5.8 pts
- K rank
- #8
- Matchup
- vs MIN
Jake Bates's fantasy role in Week 8
Jake Bates goes into Week 8 of the 2026 season as a deep-league K flyer for the DET. He is rostered in 41% of leagues and actually started in 29% of them, and we rank him K8 on our own weekly board at 5.8 projected points.
Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.
No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.
Week 8 matchup breakdown
The matchup: vs MIN. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 1 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.
Against a typical starting K baseline of 7.5 points, his 5.8-point projection is 1.7 points short. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.
How to play it
Sit Jake Bates in Week 8 if you have a real alternative — 5.8 projected points lands 1.7 under the K starter line.
If you are deciding between him and another K, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.
Sally's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Jake Bates (DET K), our K8 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 5.8 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Sally's honest about it: 1.7 points under the starter line isn't the ceiling she chases. At home against MIN, I expect the game to stay competitive enough that his usage holds. Only 41% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Mild heat, high rank: reliable points without the fireworks.
Tina's take
Peppers & Picks ranks Jake Bates (DET K), our K8 this week for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season vs MIN, projecting 5.8 projected points with a mild Pepper Meter rating. Tina would rather take the cheaper, steadier option than 1.7 points of shortfall. Only 41% of leagues roster him, so this is cheap production before the price goes up. Nothing in the projection defends him — 23% below positional par is a bench line for me. Mild on the Pepper Meter reflects a steady weekly floor rather than a boom week — that's still a start.