Bass sidelined Week 1 with hip/groin issues, placed on IR to start 2025, creating a kicker vacancy in Buffalo. His four-game absence means the Bills lean on a veteran replacement to open the season while managing a potentially longer-term impact on their kicking game and fantasy rosters.

Bass is placed on IR, forcing Prater to start Week 1. This four-game absence reshapes Bills’ kicking plans and short-term fantasy value for the Bills, with a potential chart-topping Week 1 for Prater and volatile kicker dynamics until Bass returns.

Bass’ groin/hip injuries land him on IR for four games, triggering Buffalo’s unusual Week 1 elevation of Prater. With limited elevations available before activation, Bass’s absence looms large in Week 1 planning and fantasy lineups as Bills navigate a 52-man game-day roster for the Ravens tilt.

Bass’s injury clears the path for Prater and heightens the Bills’ FG-centric upside, shaping a high-stakes kickoff-to-kickoff dynamic where every FG matters in a potentially tight game against Baltimore.

Bass is out Week 1 due to hip/groin injuries, with Matt Prater stepping in. This change heightens the Bills’ reliance on Prater’s experience and accuracy, especially in an environment with a shifted secondary and potential short-field opportunities.