Harrison Butker Injury Update: is the Chiefs kicker playing today vs. the Raiders in the Week 18 regular season finale? 

Kansas City Chiefs Harrison Butker is playing his sixth season in the NFL. The Chiefs will face the Las Vegas Raiders in their last game on January 7, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Butker is in the spotlight ahead of Saturday's matchup.

The kicker is questionable ahead of the game against the Raiders. Butker is dealing with back spasms and missed practice on Wednesday before returning on Thursday.

The Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos 27-24 in Week 17 and are currently 13-3 this season. They are placed first in the AFC West and are also leading the NFL with a No. 1 seed. The Raiders, on the other hand, have already been eliminated from the 2022 NFL playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs must win their Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC standings. The Chiefs are leading the league with a 13-3 record. If the Chiefs lose, then the Buffalo Bills should also lose if they want to lead their conference.

Harrison Butker has struggled this season. He missed four games this season due to an ankle injury in the Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals. He has been inconsistent this year, and in 12 games he has missed a career-high six field goal attempts with three extra points.

Last week, he had a 51-yard field goal attempt against the Broncos blocked, and while it wasn't his fault, it still counts against him. This season, he has attempted 23 field goals and scored 17 field goals.

If you're playing a fantasy football game this week, we would advise against starting Harrison Butker, even if he is playing on Saturday. In week 18, you can rely on a variety of more reliable kicking options.

Harrison Butker timeline

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Carolina Panthers drafted Harrison Butker as the 15th pick in the seventh round (233rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed a 4 year, $2.48 million contract with Carolina on May 5, 2017. He did not play any games for the Panthers and was waived off in September 2017.

Harrison Butker was added to the active roster by the Kansas City Chiefs right away and is currently playing his sixth season with the team. In 2019, he signed a 5-year, $20.27 million contract extension with the Chiefs. Butker converted $2.18 million of his salary into a signing bonus in 2022, clearing $1.45 million of Kansas City's salary cap.

In his six-year career so far, he has played in 89 games and scored 163 field goals in 185 attempts.