Spencer Shrader Out for Season Hurts Fantasy Football Owners
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This one is a punch to the solar plexus err gut for fantasy football owners. Spencer Shrader is believed to have torn multiple ligaments in his right knee. The former Notre Dame kicker was the second best kicker in fantasy this season (was first for several weeks). He booted 13 of 14 field goals for Indianapolis along with 14 extra points.
Colts kicker Spencer Shrader suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday vs. the Raiders, as @PatMcAfeeShow reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 6, 2025
Currently, the Colts are probably in scramble mode somewhat as the Shrader injury forced Indianapolis to go for two several times after the second quarter injury.
I guess now we will see what Shane Steichen has planned next. Indianapolis is currently 4-1 and leading the AFC South. The coach has gone from the hot seat to hot coach of the year favorite.
What fantasy football impacts will this have? Those that owned Shrader are going to have to stream kickers from here on out. Let us quickly dig into the details.
Spencer Shrader Fantasy Football Fallout
One of the most vital things to looking into Week 6 for kickers will now be which matchups can a fantasy football owner feast upon. Again, the idea that Shrader tore multiple ligaments increases the possibility that even next season could be impacted. After all, the kicking leg was injured and the idea of tears that are not clean is scary. See Brandon Aiyuk.
The good news is that only the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans are on a bye this week. That means there are at least two more potential kickers available for Week 6 compared to Week 5. It is a small solace for Shrader owners.
Does one take a risk on Wil Lutz or Nick Folk? They are playing overseas in London on Sunday morning. It might be too chilly to look at kickers at MetLife this Thursday night. For this week, it will be intriguing to see what Indianapolis ultimately does. The Colts are home to the Cardinals which means ideal kicking conditions in the dome.
If it were me, I would try to find a stopgap for next few weeks and keep eyes on what Bills do with veteran Matt Prater, who's kicked really well for them in the interim filling in for their injured starter Tyler Bass--who's expected back fairly soon.https://t.co/HMW1WfF9c1
— Luke Schultheis (@LuckAtLuke) October 6, 2025
Keeping an eye on various kicking situations will be important in the wake of this injury.
A Final Word
Shrader was the September AFC Special Teams Player Of The Month. A lot of fantasy football owners looked like geniuses from getting that kind of production from a kicker. There will be lots more on this in our kicking columns during the week.
