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Returner Recap and Latest News

Footballguys Staff's Returner Recap and Latest News
By Footballguys Staff, November 6, 2013

Returner Recap and Latest News
Photo: USA Today Sports

Updates

Jeff Demps season in Tampa Bay has ended as he was placed on Injured Reserve.

Darren Sproles was just as fast going through the NFL concussion protocol as he is cutting through a hole in the defense. The Saints running back is already practicing again.

 

 

Week 9 Recap

Top Performers

No return touchdowns were scored Week 9.

Josh Cribbs continued his comeback by leading the Week 9 returners in total return yards as Cribbs had 5 kickoff returns for 134 yards for the New York Jets. Lavelle Hawkins has watched Chargers opponents return many kickoffs thanks to his team's low touchback percentage. Hawkins exacted a measure of revenge as his 5 kickoff returns for 114 yards were second best for the week, a yard ahead of Devin Hester's 113 combined yards.

Seattle's Golden Tate led the way for punt returners with 3 returns for 92 yards. In Baltimore, Tandon Doss continued to hold the punt returner job with 4 punt returns for 71 yards.

All Week 9 Returners

Here are the top returners for Week 9 sorted by total return yards:

RankPlayerTeamKick RetKR YdsKR TDPunt RetPR YdsPR TDTotal YdsTotal TDs
1 Josh Cribbs NYJ 5 134 0       134 0
2 Lavelle Hawkins SDG 5 114 0       114 0
3 Devin Hester CHI 4 90 0 1 23 0 113 0
4 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 4 105 0       105 0
5 Keshawn Martin HOU 3 83 0 2 15 0 98 0
6 David Reed IND 3 96 0       96 0
7 Golden Tate SEA       3 92 0 92 0
8 Felix Jones PIT 3 72 0       72 0
9 LeGarrette Blount NWE 3 72 0       72 0
10 Tandon Doss BAL       4 71 0 71 0
11 Josh Morgan WAS 3 63 0 1 6 0 69 0
12 Damian Williams TEN 2 59 0 2 8 0 67 0
13 Dwayne Harris DAL 2 60 0 1 5 0 65 0
14 Micah Hyde GNB 2 50 0 2 12 0 62 0
15 Travaris Cadet NOR 3 61 0       61 0
16 Quintin Demps KAN 3 60 0       60 0
17 Jacquizz Rodgers ATL 2 59 0       59 0
18 Tavon Austin STL 1 25 0 3 33 0 58 0
19 Jermaine Kearse SEA 3 56 0       56 0
20 Brandon Boykin PHI 2 50 0       50 0
21 Jacoby Jones BAL 2 45 0       45 0
24 Julian Edelman NWE       2 43 0 43 0
22 Eric Page TAM 2 43 0       43 0
23 Jeremy Stewart OAK 2 43 0       43 0
25 DeSean Jackson PHI       3 39 0 39 0
26 Jonathan Dwyer PIT 2 38 0       38 0
27 Marcus Sherels MIN       2 35 0 35 0
28 T.Y. Hilton IND       1 34 0 34 0
29 Leodis McKelvin BUF       3 27 0 27 0
30 Jackie Battle TEN 1 26 0       26 0
31 Antonio Brown PIT       1 24 0 24 0
35 Ted Ginn Jr CAR       1 24 0 24 0
32 Knile Davis KAN 1 24 0       24 0
33 Marquise Goodwin BUF 1 24 0       24 0
34 Niles Paul WAS 1 24 0       24 0
36 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 1 22 0       22 0
37 Dennis Johnson HOU 1 21 0       21 0
38 Taiwan Jones OAK 1 20 0       20 0
39 Toby Gerhart MIN 1 20 0       20 0
40 Emmanuel Sanders PIT 1 19 0       19 0
41 Robert McClain ATL       1 16 0 16 0
42 Santana Moss WAS 1 15 0       15 0
43 Armanti Edwards CLE       2 14 0 14 0
44 Brandon Graham PHI 1 14 0       14 0
45 Chris Banjo GNB 1 12 0       12 0
46 Matt Slater NWE 1 10 0       10 0
47 Devin McCourty NWE 1 7 0       7 0
48 Leon McFadden CLE 1 5 0       5 0

Top THIRTY to Date

 

Here are the top thirty returners for the year based on total return yards. 

RankPlayerTeamKick RetKR YdsKR TDPunt RetPR YdsPR TDTotal YdsTotal TDs
1 Devin Hester CHI 25 705 0 10 143 1 848 1
2 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 22 808 2       808 2
3 Dwayne Harris DAL 15 524 0 16 242 1 766 1
4 Keshawn Martin HTX 24 631 0 16 81 0 712 0
5 Trindon Holliday DEN 11 379 1 20 227 1 606 2
6 Damaris Johnson PHI 17 441 0 11 95 0 536 0
7 Darius Reynaud TEN 15 355 0 18 135 0 490 0
8 Brandon Tate CIN 15 365 0 14 121 0 486 0
9 Marcus Thigpen MIA 15 373 0 12 62 0 435 0
10 Quintin Demps KAN 14 411 0       411 0
11 Travis Benjamin CLE 3 146 0 22 257 1 403 1
12 Eric Page TAM 10 254 0 16 147 0 401 0
13 Dexter McCluster KAN 1 3 0 37 387 1 390 1
14 David Reed CLT 14 372 0       372 0
15 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 11 272 0 12 100 0 372 0
16 Golden Tate SEA 2 42 0 24 329 0 371 0
17 LeGarrette Blount NWE 15 349 0       349 0
18 Tandon Doss RAV       19 338 1 338 1
19 Josh Cribbs NYJ 11 283 0 5 54 0 337 0
20 Darren Sproles NOR 10 212 0 16 124 0 336 0
21 Felix Jones PIT 13 331 0       331 0
22 Micheal Spurlock DET 8 175 0 18 128 0 303 0
23 Benny Cunningham RAM 12 299 0       299 0
24 Julian Edelman NWE       26 299 0 299 0
25 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 11 297 0       297 0
26 Jordan Todman JAX 12 294 0       294 0
27 Jacoby Ford RAI 11 253 0 3 29 0 282 0
28 Tavon Austin RAM 7 159 0 26 123 0 282 0
29 Micah Hyde GNB 2 50 0 12 198 1 248 1
30 Jermaine Kearse SEA 11 243 0       243 0

Job Changes

The Green Bay Packers let Micah Hyde try to build on his Week 8 success as a punt returner by also giving him kickoffs in Week 9.  Hyde ran back two kickoffs for 50 yards, likely good enough to earn another week handling both types of returns.

Cleveland was using Davone Bess on punt returns that were likely to be pinned deep and result in a fair catch, while the less sure handed but more explosive Travis Benjamin handled the rest. With Benjamin out for the season, the team used receiver Armanti Edward in Benjamin's role.

Fears that the increased role on offense for T.Y. Hilton might lead the Colts to turn to someone else on punt returns were alleviated by the coaching staff. Indianapolis plans to stick with Hilton as the speedy receiver tries to fill the shoes of Reggie Wayne.

Houston re-signed running back Dennis Johnson primarily to serve as the third running back with Arian Foster and Ben Tate banged up, and Cierre Wood released by the team. Johnson was given opportunities in preseason as a returner, but ball control issues led to his release. Now that he is back, Keshawn Martin may need to be watching over his shoulder. Martin has himself had a number of fumbles on returns, and Johnson was given an opportunity to return a kick after one such fumble by Martin in their Week 9 game.

INJURIES OF NOTE

Darren Sproles left the game in Week 9 with a concussion, so his progress through the NFL's concussion protocol will need to be watched closely to see if he can return in time for Week 10.

Marquise Goodwin had only recently returned from a hand injury before straining a hamstring in Buffalo's game this week. If he is not practicing fully by the end of the week, he will be a risky play.

David Wilson's MRI showed "significant improvement", but last season's league leader in kickoff return yards has not yet been cleared to resume football with the Giants.

The Jets have Josh Cribbs to handle returns now, which is fortunate as backup Jeremy Kerley injured an elbow and might miss a few weeks.

Benny Cunningham is back from injury, but was eased back into the game by St. Louis in Week 9. He may take back over kick returns from Tavon Austin, or the team may stick with Austin in an attempt to get the ball in Austin's hands more. So far Austin, who was expected to be a weapon and playmaker for the Rams, has been kept in check both on offense and as a returner.

Week 10 Team Return Projections

Receiving TeamKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal YardsTotal TDs
Denver Broncos 115 0.06 16 0.04 131 0.09
Buffalo Bills 96 0.02 34 0.08 129 0.11
Baltimore Ravens 81 0.04 23 0.03 103 0.07
Minnesota Vikings 92 0.04 11 0.01 102 0.06
Carolina Panthers 73 0.02 21 0.05 95 0.07
Chicago Bears 68 0.03 24 0.06 92 0.09
Philadelphia Eagles 76 0.02 14 0.02 90 0.04
Jacksonville Jaguars 65 0.02 22 0.03 87 0.04
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 58 0.01 28 0.03 86 0.05
Washington Redskins 64 0.02 22 0.03 85 0.04
Pittsburgh Steelers 60 0.02 25 0.03 85 0.05
St. Louis Rams 63 0.02 13 0.03 76 0.05
Houston Texans 54 0.01 20 0.03 75 0.04
Dallas Cowboys 58 0.01 16 0.02 74 0.03
Detroit Lions 61 0.02 11 0.01 72 0.03
Green Bay Packers 55 0.01 17 0.02 72 0.04
New Orleans Saints 48 0.01 24 0.03 72 0.04
Atlanta Falcons 60 0.02 10 0.01 71 0.03
Arizona Cardinals 50 0.01 19 0.04 69 0.06
Tennessee Titans 39 0.01 29 0.04 68 0.05
Cincinnati Bengals 37 0.01 30 0.05 67 0.06
Oakland Raiders 49 0.01 17 0.02 67 0.03
Miami Dolphins 46 0.01 17 0.02 63 0.03
New York Giants 38 0.01 25 0.03 63 0.04
San Diego Chargers 50 0.01 11 0.01 60 0.03
Indianapolis Colts 35 0.01 24 0.03 59 0.04
Seattle Seahawks 29 0.01 23 0.03 52 0.04
San Francisco 49ers 24 0.01 27 0.03 51 0.04

Week 10 Player Return Projections

PlayerTeamPositionKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal Ret YardsTotal TDs
Trindon Holliday Denver Broncos WR 106 0.05 13 0.03 119 0.09
Ted Ginn Jr Carolina Panthers WR 66 0.02 20 0.05 86 0.07
Devin Hester Chicago Bears DB 63 0.03 22 0.06 85 0.09
Jacoby Jones Baltimore Ravens WR 73 0.04 5 0.01 78 0.04
Eric Page Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 52 0.01 25 0.03 77 0.04
Josh Morgan Washington Redskins WR 58 0.01 19 0.02 77 0.04
Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings WR 75 0.04 0 0.00 75 0.04
Dwayne Harris Dallas Cowboys WR 53 0.01 15 0.02 68 0.03
Micah Hyde Green Bay Packers CB 50 0.01 15 0.02 65 0.03
Damian Williams Tennessee Titans WR 35 0.01 26 0.03 61 0.04
Micheal Spurlock Detroit Lions WR 49 0.01 10 0.01 58 0.02
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills WR 58 0.01 0 0.00 58 0.01
Marcus Thigpen Miami Dolphins RB 42 0.01 16 0.02 57 0.03
Damaris Johnson Philadelphia Eagles WR 46 0.01 9 0.01 54 0.02
Felix Jones Pittsburgh Steelers RB 54 0.01 0 0.00 54 0.01
Brandon Tate Cincinnati Bengals WR 33 0.01 18 0.02 52 0.03
Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta Falcons RB 52 0.01 0 0.00 52 0.01
Tavon Austin St. Louis Rams WR 38 0.01 12 0.03 50 0.04
Keshawn Martin Houston Texans WR 36 0.01 13 0.02 49 0.03
Jordan Todman Jacksonville Jaguars RB 45 0.01 0 0.00 45 0.01
Javier Arenas Arizona Cardinals DB 45 0.01 0 0.00 45 0.01
Kyle Williams San Francisco 49ers WR 19 0.00 24 0.03 44 0.04
Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints RB 29 0.01 14 0.02 43 0.02
Lavelle Hawkins San Diego Chargers WR 41 0.01 0 0.00 41 0.01
Marcus Easley Buffalo Bills WR 38 0.01 0 0.00 38 0.01
Jerrel Jernigan New York Giants WR 31 0.01 3 0.00 33 0.01
Leodis McKelvin Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 32 0.08 32 0.08
Brandon Boykin Philadelphia Eagles DB 30 0.01 0 0.00 30 0.01
Taiwan Jones Oakland Raiders RB 30 0.01 0 0.00 30 0.01
Travaris Cadet New Orleans Saints RB 19 0.00 10 0.01 29 0.02
Jacoby Ford Oakland Raiders WR 17 0.00 10 0.01 28 0.02
Marcus Sherels Minnesota Vikings DB 17 0.00 9 0.01 25 0.02
Jermaine Kearse Seattle Seahawks WR 23 0.01 0 0.00 23 0.01
Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 22 0.03 22 0.03
Golden Tate Seattle Seahawks WR 1 0.00 21 0.03 22 0.03
T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 21 0.03 21 0.03
Rueben Randle New York Giants WR 0 0.00 19 0.02 19 0.02
Benny Cunningham St. Louis Rams RB 19 0.00 0 0.00 19 0.00
David Reed Indianapolis Colts WR 18 0.00 0 0.00 18 0.00
Tandon Doss Baltimore Ravens WR 0 0.00 18 0.02 18 0.02
Cassius Vaughn Indianapolis Colts DB 17 0.00 0 0.00 17 0.00
Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 17 0.04 17 0.04
Dennis Johnson Houston Texans RB 11 0.00 6 0.01 16 0.01
Ace Sanders Jacksonville Jaguars WR 0 0.00 15 0.02 15 0.02
Adam Jones Cincinnati Bengals DB 4 0.00 11 0.03 15 0.03
Denard Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars RB 13 0.00 0 0.00 13 0.00
Eddie Royal San Diego Chargers WR 5 0.00 8 0.01 12 0.01
Jeremy Ross Detroit Lions WR 9 0.00 2 0.00 11 0.00
Shiloh Keo Houston Texans DB 8 0.00 2 0.00 10 0.00
Omar Bolden Denver Broncos DB 9 0.00 0 0.00 9 0.00
Bobby Rainey Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 6 0.00 3 0.00 8 0.00
Michael Cox New York Giants RB 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
Austin Pettis St. Louis Rams WR 6 0.00 1 0.00 7 0.00
Deonte Thompson Baltimore Ravens WR 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Johnathan Franklin Green Bay Packers RB 6 0.00 2 0.00 7 0.00
Phillip Adams Oakland Raiders DB 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Jackie Battle Tennessee Titans RB 4 0.00 3 0.00 7 0.00
William Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars DB 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Stephen Burton Jacksonville Jaguars WR 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Robert McClain Atlanta Falcons CB 0 0.00 6 0.01 6 0.01
Robert Alford Atlanta Falcons DB 6 0.00 1 0.00 6 0.00
Jonathan Dwyer Pittsburgh Steelers RB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Niles Paul Washington Redskins TE 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Dominique Franks Atlanta Falcons DB 3 0.00 3 0.00 6 0.00
Mike Gillislee Miami Dolphins RB 4 0.00 1 0.00 6 0.00
Alfonso Smith Arizona Cardinals RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
DeSean Jackson Philadelphia Eagles WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Eric Weems Chicago Bears DB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Lance Dunbar Dallas Cowboys RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Perrish Cox San Francisco 49ers DB 2 0.00 3 0.00 5 0.00
Kenjon Barner Carolina Panthers RB 4 0.00 1 0.00 5 0.00
Danny Woodhead San Diego Chargers WR 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Jeremy Lane Seattle Seahawks DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Armond Smith Carolina Panthers RB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
LaVon Brazill Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Wes Welker Denver Broncos WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Joique Bell Detroit Lions RB 3 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00
Markus Wheaton Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Jayron Hosley New York Giants DB 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Keenan Allen San Diego Chargers WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Mike Jenkins Oakland Raiders DB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Walter Thurmond Seattle Seahawks DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Anthony Dixon San Francisco 49ers RB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Jarius Wright Minnesota Vikings WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Santana Moss Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Earl Bennett Chicago Bears WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Tyrann Mathieu Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Jim Leonhard Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Cole Beasley Dallas Cowboys WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Harry Douglas Atlanta Falcons WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Photos provided by USA TODAY Sports
Tags Projections Returners Robert Alford Keenan Allen Tavon Austin Chris Banjo Kenjon Barner Cole Beasley Travis Benjamin Antonio Brown Marquise Goodwin Brandon Graham T.Y. Hilton Micah Hyde DeSean Jackson Taiwan Jones Tyrann Mathieu Devin McCourty Cordarrelle Patterson Patrick Peterson Emmanuel Sanders Matthew Slater

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