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Returner Recap and Latest News

Footballguys Staff's Returner Recap and Latest News
By Footballguys Staff, November 27, 2013

Returner Recap and Latest News
Photo: USA Today Sports

Week 12 Recap

 

Top Performers

Quintin Demps took advantage of a high scoring game against the Chargers as he returned 8 kickoffs for 199 yards for Kansas City and made himself the top overall returner for the week as well as the top kick returner. Danny Woodhead of the Chargers came in second with 5 returns for 137 yards, while Cordarrelle Patterson was third with 126 yards on 4 returns. No player managed a return touchdown in Week 12.

Jacoby Jones made the most of Baltimore putting him back on punt returns by picking up 108 yards on 5 returns. Those were enough when combined with 38 kick return yards that Jones was the number two overall returner in Week 12. LaMichael James had 72 punt return yards and 125 total yards for the 49ers, while Miami's Marcus Thigpen was close behind with 71 punt returns yards, but ahead of James in total return yards with 130.

Devin Hester of the Bears managed 90 kickoff return yards to up his total return yards for the season to 1096.  It was enough to maintain a slim 8 yard lead on Cordarrelle Patterson.  Third and fourth place belong to a pair of players in Texas, namely Keshawn Martin in Houston and Dwayne Harris in Dallas.

All Week 12 Returners

Here are all returners for Week 12 sorted by total return yards:

RankPlayerTeamKick RetKR YdsKR TDPunt RetPR YdsPR TDTotal YdsTotal TDs
1 Quintin Demps KAN 8 199 0       199 0
2 Jacoby Jones BAL 2 38 0 5 108 0 146 0
3 Danny Woodhead SDG 5 137 0       137 0
4 Marcus Thigpen MIA 3 59 0 7 71 0 130 0
5 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 4 126 0       126 0
6 LaMichael James SFO 2 53 0 5 72 0 125 0
7 Josh Cribbs NYJ 4 92 0 2 26 0 118 0
8 David Reed IND 4 115 0       115 0
9 Niles Paul WAS 6 102 0       102 0
10 Eric Page TAM 2 83 0 2 19 0 102 0
11 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 5 91 0       91 0
12 Jeremy Ross DET 2 49 0 2 42 0 91 0
13 Devin Hester CHI 4 90 0       90 0
14 Taiwan Jones OAK 3 80 0       80 0
15 Keshawn Martin HOU 3 60 0 3 19 0 79 0
16 Michael Cox NYG 3 70 0       70 0
17 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 1 17 0 1 41 0 58 0
18 Devin McCourty NWE 3 51 0       51 0
19 Micah Hyde GNB 2 41 0 3 8 0 49 0
20 Felix Jones PIT 2 47 0       47 0
21 Dwayne Harris DAL 2 44 0       44 0
22 Julian Edelman NWE       3 39 0 39 0
23 Trindon Holliday DEN 3 36 0       36 0
24 Dexter McCluster KAN       4 34 0 34 0
25 Devon Wylie TEN 2 31 0       31 0
26 Jeremy Stewart OAK 2 28 0       28 0
27 Jordan Todman JAX 1 27 0       27 0
28 Tavon Austin STL 1 24 0 1 1 0 25 0
29 Patrick Peterson ARI       3 23 0 23 0
30 Johnathan Franklin GNB 1 22 0       22 0
31 Terrance Williams DAL 1 21 0       21 0
32 Travaris Cadet NOR 1 20 0       20 0
33 Cole Beasley DAL       3 19 0 19 0
34 Antonio Brown PIT       2 19 0 19 0
35 Jacoby Ford OAK       2 18 0 18 0
36 Toby Gerhart MIN 1 17 0       17 0
37 Rueben Randle NYG       1 16 0 16 0
38 Jerrel Jernigan NYG 1 15 0       15 0
39 Ace Sanders JAX       3 14 0 14 0
40 Santana Moss WAS       1 13 0 13 0
41 Wes Welker DEN       2 13 0 13 0
42 Leger Douzable NYJ 1 10 0       10 0
43 Robert McClain ATL       1 10 0 10 0
44 Jordan Poyer CLE       1 6 0 6 0
45 Keenan Allen SDG       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 34 937 0 13 159 1 1096 1
2 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 32 1088 2       1088 2
3 Keshawn Martin HTX 29 753 0 28 237 1 990 1
4 Dwayne Harris DAL 22 689 0 17 238 1 927 1
5 Trindon Holliday DEN 19 546 1 26 250 1 796 2
6 Marcus Thigpen MIA 25 589 0 20 167 0 756 0
7 Brandon Tate CIN 21 548 0 24 199 0 747 0
8 Quintin Demps KAN 22 610 0       610 0
9 Eric Page TAM 14 373 0 20 221 0 594 0
10 David Reed CLT 24 590 0       590 0
11 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 17 384 0 16 206 0 590 0
12 Josh Cribbs NYJ 20 490 0 8 96 0 586 0
13 Jordan Todman JAX 20 564 0       564 0
14 Damaris Johnson PHI 17 441 0 11 95 0 536 0
15 Tavon Austin RAM 10 236 0 31 269 1 505 1
16 Darius Reynaud TEN 15 355 0 18 135 0 490 0
17 Micheal Spurlock DET 15 338 0 22 145 0 483 0
18 Micah Hyde GNB 11 229 0 19 242 1 471 1
19 Jacoby Jones RAV 15 346 0 7 111 0 457 0
20 Dexter McCluster KAN 1 3 0 46 454 1 457 1
21 Golden Tate SEA 2 42 0 31 401 0 443 0
22 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 17 405 0       405 0
23 Travis Benjamin CLE 3 146 0 22 257 1 403 1
24 Felix Jones PIT 17 400 0       400 0
25 Tandon Doss RAV       23 359 1 359 1
26 Darren Sproles NOR 10 212 0 21 147 0 359 0
27 LeGarrette Blount NWE 15 349 0       349 0
28 Julian Edelman NWE       29 338 0 338 0
29 Jacoby Ford RAI 11 253 0 9 77 0 330 0
30 Taiwan Jones RAI 12 300 0       300 0

Week 13 Outlook

Job Changes

Tandon Doss was doing a fine job as a punt returner for Baltimore and managed to hold onto the job for several weeks since Jacoby Jones returned from injury. In Week 12, however, Jones took back the punt returner job and laid a solid claim to it going forward with 5 returns for 108 yards.

Sunday was a case of deja vu as Detroit left Micheal Spurlock inactive and used Jeremy Ross as the primary returner for both punts and kickoffs. The Lions had previously done this Weke 9, then turned back to Spurlock for two weeks until this most recent stint for Ross. Ross performed well in both return roles this week. Anyone depending on either player as a returner should check the Inactive list closely before games begin.

With Cleveland's Armanti Edwards going onto the Injured Reserve list, defensive back Jordan Poyer has taken over as the punt returner. Like Edwards and Travis Benjamin, Poyer split time with Davone Bess. The Browns view Bess as sure-handed and use him primarily on punts that will back the team up near their goal line and on other plays where they put an extra premium on ball security over the length of a punt return.

Watch for a potential change in Tennessee, where backup Devon Wylie has been filling in for injured Damian Williams (quad). Wylie had 1 punt return for 0 yards and only averaged 15.5 yards on his two kickoff returns. The team is considering signing Leon Washington who before this season had been regarded as a standout returner.

Seattle has had several players suspended in the last year, and Walter Thurmond has now joined them. The backup punt returner received a four game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The team is likely to sign Perrish Cox, who could take over the backup role behind Golden Tate, or they might turn to Percy Harvin though Harvin is best on kick returns.

INJURIES OF NOTE

Dwayne Harris missed the second half of the Cowboy's game with a pulled hamstring. He has not practiced early this week so his status should be watched closely.

Darren Sproles (ankle, knee) was inactive in Week 12, leaving Travaris Cadet as the returner for the Saints. Cadet only managed a single kickoff return for 20 yards. If Sproles is healthy enough to play Week 13, expect him to take back over as the returner.

Niles Paul was injured in Washington's game Monday night. His status should be watched as the week progresses. The team could go several directions at kick returner if Paul doesn't play, with Josh Morgan and Nick Williams being the most likely to see returns.

Week 13 Team Return Projections

Receiving TeamKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal YardsTotal TDs
Cincinnati Bengals 105 0.03 18 0.03 124 0.06
Baltimore Ravens 83 0.04 32 0.04 115 0.08
Chicago Bears 78 0.04 26 0.06 104 0.10
St. Louis Rams 77 0.04 24 0.06 101 0.10
New York Giants 80 0.02 16 0.02 96 0.04
Atlanta Falcons 76 0.02 19 0.02 96 0.04
Houston Texans 74 0.02 22 0.03 95 0.05
Indianapolis Colts 62 0.02 27 0.03 89 0.05
Detroit Lions 74 0.02 12 0.02 87 0.03
New York Jets 51 0.01 36 0.04 86 0.06
Minnesota Vikings 76 0.03 9 0.01 85 0.05
San Diego Chargers 73 0.02 11 0.01 84 0.03
Philadelphia Eagles 61 0.02 23 0.05 84 0.06
Miami Dolphins 52 0.01 29 0.04 81 0.05
Green Bay Packers 64 0.02 15 0.02 80 0.04
Oakland Raiders 58 0.01 22 0.03 80 0.04
Dallas Cowboys 43 0.01 36 0.04 79 0.06
Denver Broncos 51 0.02 27 0.06 78 0.09
Washington Redskins 58 0.01 20 0.03 78 0.04
New Orleans Saints 68 0.02 10 0.02 78 0.04
New England Patriots 53 0.01 25 0.03 78 0.04
Cleveland Browns 46 0.01 28 0.04 74 0.05
Jacksonville Jaguars 51 0.01 23 0.03 74 0.04
Arizona Cardinals 58 0.01 15 0.04 73 0.05
Tennessee Titans 58 0.01 13 0.02 71 0.03
Kansas City Chiefs 48 0.01 23 0.06 71 0.07
Buffalo Bills 39 0.01 32 0.08 71 0.09
Pittsburgh Steelers 45 0.01 25 0.03 70 0.04
San Francisco 49ers 42 0.01 25 0.03 67 0.04
Seattle Seahawks 47 0.02 17 0.02 64 0.04
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32 0.01 26 0.03 58 0.04
Carolina Panthers 33 0.01 15 0.04 48 0.04

Week 13 Player Return Projections

PlayerTeamPositionKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal Ret YardsTotal TDs
Brandon Tate Cincinnati Bengals WR 95 0.02 11 0.01 106 0.04
Jacoby Jones Baltimore Ravens WR 75 0.04 24 0.03 99 0.07
Devin Hester Chicago Bears DB 72 0.04 23 0.06 96 0.10
Tavon Austin St. Louis Rams WR 69 0.03 24 0.06 93 0.10
Josh Cribbs New York Jets WR 46 0.01 36 0.04 81 0.06
Keshawn Martin Houston Texans WR 59 0.01 20 0.03 79 0.04
Marcus Thigpen Miami Dolphins RB 47 0.01 26 0.03 74 0.04
Dwayne Harris Dallas Cowboys WR 40 0.01 33 0.04 72 0.05
Micah Hyde Green Bay Packers CB 58 0.01 14 0.02 72 0.03
Trindon Holliday Denver Broncos WR 47 0.02 22 0.06 69 0.08
Jeremy Ross Detroit Lions WR 60 0.01 9 0.01 69 0.03
Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta Falcons RB 65 0.02 0 0.00 65 0.02
Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings WR 62 0.03 0 0.00 62 0.03
Javier Arenas Arizona Cardinals DB 52 0.01 0 0.00 52 0.01
David Reed Indianapolis Colts WR 50 0.01 0 0.00 50 0.01
Devon Wylie Tennessee Titans WR 40 0.01 9 0.01 49 0.02
Michael Cox New York Giants RB 48 0.01 0 0.00 48 0.01
Quintin Demps Kansas City Chiefs DB 43 0.01 2 0.00 46 0.01
LaMichael James San Francisco 49ers RB 22 0.01 23 0.03 45 0.03
Ted Ginn Jr Carolina Panthers WR 30 0.01 14 0.03 44 0.04
Fozzy Whittaker Cleveland Browns RB 41 0.01 0 0.00 41 0.01
Jordan Todman Jacksonville Jaguars RB 41 0.01 0 0.00 41 0.01
Taiwan Jones Oakland Raiders RB 40 0.01 0 0.00 40 0.01
Felix Jones Pittsburgh Steelers RB 40 0.01 0 0.00 40 0.01
Travaris Cadet New Orleans Saints RB 34 0.01 5 0.01 39 0.01
Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints RB 34 0.01 5 0.01 39 0.02
Devin McCourty New England Patriots DB 37 0.01 0 0.00 37 0.01
Brandon Boykin Philadelphia Eagles DB 37 0.01 0 0.00 37 0.01
Eric Page Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 13 0.00 24 0.03 36 0.03
Josh Morgan Washington Redskins WR 29 0.01 6 0.01 36 0.02
Lavelle Hawkins San Diego Chargers WR 35 0.01 0 0.00 35 0.01
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills WR 35 0.01 0 0.00 35 0.01
Damaris Johnson Philadelphia Eagles WR 25 0.01 10 0.01 34 0.02
Percy Harvin Seattle Seahawks WR 31 0.02 2 0.00 33 0.02
Jacoby Ford Oakland Raiders WR 14 0.00 17 0.02 32 0.03
Danny Woodhead San Diego Chargers WR 31 0.01 0 0.00 31 0.01
Leodis McKelvin Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 31 0.08 31 0.08
Niles Paul Washington Redskins TE 28 0.01 0 0.00 28 0.01
Julian Edelman New England Patriots WR 5 0.00 20 0.03 26 0.03
Jerrel Jernigan New York Giants WR 24 0.01 2 0.00 26 0.01
Dexter McCluster Kansas City Chiefs WR 2 0.00 21 0.05 23 0.05
Damian Williams Tennessee Titans WR 18 0.00 5 0.01 23 0.01
Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 23 0.03 23 0.03
Anthony Dixon San Francisco 49ers RB 20 0.00 3 0.00 22 0.01
Marcus Sherels Minnesota Vikings DB 14 0.00 7 0.01 21 0.01
Rueben Randle New York Giants WR 8 0.00 12 0.02 20 0.02
T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 20 0.02 20 0.02
Jordan Poyer Cleveland Browns DB 0 0.00 19 0.02 19 0.02
Ace Sanders Jacksonville Jaguars WR 0 0.00 18 0.02 18 0.02
Adam Jones Cincinnati Bengals DB 10 0.00 7 0.02 17 0.02
Eddie Royal San Diego Chargers WR 7 0.00 8 0.01 15 0.01
Golden Tate Seattle Seahawks WR 0 0.00 15 0.02 15 0.02
Skye Dawson Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 13 0.00 2 0.00 15 0.01
Micheal Spurlock Detroit Lions WR 11 0.00 3 0.00 14 0.01
Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 13 0.03 13 0.03
DeSean Jackson Philadelphia Eagles WR 0 0.00 13 0.03 13 0.03
Jermaine Kearse Seattle Seahawks WR 12 0.00 0 0.00 12 0.00
Cassius Vaughn Indianapolis Colts DB 12 0.00 0 0.00 12 0.00
Robert McClain Atlanta Falcons CB 0 0.00 12 0.01 12 0.01
Davone Bess Cleveland Browns WR 0 0.00 10 0.01 10 0.01
Josh Boyce New England Patriots WR 5 0.00 5 0.01 10 0.01
Dominique Franks Atlanta Falcons DB 4 0.00 5 0.01 9 0.01
Dennis Johnson Houston Texans RB 7 0.00 2 0.00 9 0.00
Tandon Doss Baltimore Ravens WR 0 0.00 9 0.01 9 0.01
Robert Alford Atlanta Falcons DB 7 0.00 1 0.00 8 0.00
Santana Moss Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 8 0.01 8 0.01
Johnathan Franklin Green Bay Packers RB 6 0.00 2 0.00 8 0.00
Benny Cunningham St. Louis Rams RB 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
Deji Karim Houston Texans RB 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
Deonte Thompson Baltimore Ravens WR 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
LaVon Brazill Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Mike Gillislee Miami Dolphins RB 5 0.00 3 0.00 7 0.00
Bobby Rainey Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Alfonso Smith Arizona Cardinals RB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Nick Williams Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 6 0.01 6 0.01
Eric Weems Chicago Bears DB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Wes Welker Denver Broncos WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
LeGarrette Blount New England Patriots RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Stephen Burton Jacksonville Jaguars WR 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Denard Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Kyle Wilson New York Jets DB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Jonathan Dwyer Pittsburgh Steelers RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
William Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars DB 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Greg Little Cleveland Browns WR 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Phillip Adams Oakland Raiders DB 0 0.00 4 0.01 4 0.01
Omar Bolden Denver Broncos DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Jeremy Lane Seattle Seahawks DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Marcus Easley Buffalo Bills WR 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Lance Dunbar Dallas Cowboys RB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Joique Bell Detroit Lions RB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Mike Jenkins Oakland Raiders DB 3 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00
Markus Wheaton Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Keenan Allen San Diego Chargers WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Cole Beasley Dallas Cowboys WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Knile Davis Kansas City Chiefs RB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Kenjon Barner Carolina Panthers RB 2 0.00 1 0.00 2 0.00
Earl Bennett Chicago Bears WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Jim Leonhard Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Jarius Wright Minnesota Vikings WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Jayron Hosley New York Giants DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Armond Smith Carolina Panthers RB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Tyrann Mathieu Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Harry Douglas Atlanta Falcons WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Andre Ellington Arizona Cardinals RB 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
T.J. Graham Buffalo Bills WR 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Photos provided by USA TODAY Sports
Tags Projections Returners Robert Alford Keenan Allen Tavon Austin Kenjon Barner Cole Beasley Travis Benjamin Antonio Brown Marquise Goodwin T.Y. Hilton Micah Hyde DeSean Jackson Taiwan Jones Tyrann Mathieu Devin McCourty Cordarrelle Patterson Patrick Peterson Jordan Poyer

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