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Returner Recap and Latest News

Footballguys Staff's Returner Recap and Latest News
By Footballguys Staff, December 11, 2013

Returner Recap and Latest News
Photo: USA Today Sports

Week 14 Recap

 

Top Performers

Despite inclement weather across large parts of the nation, Week 14 set NFL records for most points (857) and touchdowns (104) scored in a single week. Not only did this lead to a jump in return yards, but the return game contributed five touchdowns to the scoring.

Jeremy Ross laid out an argument that Green Bay should not have released him as he scored two return touchdowns on the way to leading the league with 243 return yards for the Lions as they played in blizzard conditions in Philadelphia. Joining Ross in scoring touchdowns were Jacoby Jones of Baltimore and Quintin Demps of Kansas City who added kickoff return touchdowns, while Dexter McCluster added a punt return touchdown.

The 209 kick return yards that Leon Washington picked up for the Titans would normally have been enough to lead the league in any given week, but fell second to Ross. Jacoby Jones added 44 yards returning punts to his 152 kickoff return yards to total the third most return yards for the week. Also notable for their volume if not average were the 179 yards that Niles Paul picked up in 8 kickoff returns for Washington.

Brandon Tate returned 4 punts for 73 yards, good enough for second place in punt return yardage behind McCluster's 177 punt return yards.

All Week 14 Returners

Here are all returners for Week 14 sorted by total return yards:

RankPlayerTeamKick RetKR YdsKR TDPunt RetPR YdsPR TDTotal YdsTotal TDs
1 Jeremy Ross DET 4 172 1 2 71 1 243 2
2 Leon Washington TEN 5 209 0       209 0
3 Jacoby Jones BAL 4 152 1 4 44 0 196 1
4 Niles Paul WAS 8 179 0       179 0
5 Dexter McCluster KAN       7 177 1 177 1
6 Brandon Tate CIN 3 86 0 4 73 0 159 0
7 Jacquizz Rodgers ATL 6 126 0       126 0
8 Quintin Demps KAN 2 123 1       123 1
9 Michael Cox NYG 6 113 0       113 0
10 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 4 111 0       111 0
11 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 2 73 0 1 32 0 105 0
12 Marcus Thigpen MIA 4 82 0 2 22 0 104 0
13 Dwayne Harris DAL 4 103 0       103 0
14 Emmanuel Sanders PIT 5 103 0       103 0
15 Tavon Austin STL 4 95 0 1 1 0 96 0
16 Micah Hyde GNB 3 76 0 1 12 0 88 0
17 Chris Rainey IND 4 86 0       86 0
18 Andre Caldwell DEN 3 82 0       82 0
19 LaMichael James SFO 3 81 0       81 0
20 Darius Reynaud NYJ 3 75 0       75 0
21 Taiwan Jones OAK 4 71 0       71 0
22 Devin Hester CHI 2 52 0 1 19 0 71 0
23 Golden Tate SEA 1 15 0 3 49 0 64 0
24 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 3 62 0       62 0
25 Keshawn Martin HOU 2 40 0 3 21 0 61 0
26 Greg Jenkins OAK 3 58 0       58 0
27 Cassius Vaughn IND 2 54 0       54 0
28 Robert Turbin SEA 2 49 0       49 0
29 Jordan Todman JAX 2 48 0       48 0
30 Marquise Goodwin BUF 3 47 0       47 0
31 Josh Boyce NWE 2 46 0       46 0
32 Omar Bolden DEN 2 44 0       44 0
33 Brandon Boykin PHI 2 41 0       41 0
34 Eric Page TAM 1 20 0 2 21 0 41 0
35 Leodis McKelvin BUF       5 36 0 36 0
36 Ronnie Brown SDG 2 34 0       34 0
37 Isaiah Pead STL 1 31 0       31 0
38 Javier Arenas ARI 1 26 0       26 0
39 Ace Sanders JAX       2 25 0 25 0
40 Wes Welker DEN       3 25 0 25 0
41 Travaris Cadet NOR 1 22 0       22 0
42 Alex Green NYJ 1 22 0       22 0
43 John Kuhn GNB 1 21 0       21 0
44 Matt Asiata MIN 1 20 0       20 0
45 Dorin Dickerson DET 1 18 0       18 0
46 Darren Sproles NOR       2 17 0 17 0
47 Luke Willson SEA 1 15 0       15 0
48 Terrance Williams DAL 1 14 0       14 0
49 Antonio Brown PIT       5 14 0 14 0
50 Marcus Sherels MIN       1 14 0 14 0
51 Markus Kuhn NYG 1 13 0       13 0
52 Tyler Clutts DAL 1 12 0       12 0
53 Theo Riddick DET 1 12 0       12 0
54 Michael Ford CHI 1 10 0       10 0
55 Robert Woods BUF 1 9 0       9 0
56 Robert McClain ATL       1 8 0 8 0
57 Joseph Randle DAL 1 7 0       7 0
58 Julian Edelman NWE       2 7 0 7 0
59 Jamize Olawale OAK 1 6 0       6 0
60 Patrick Peterson ARI       2 3 0 3 0
61 Keenan Allen SDG       2 2 0 2 0
62 Eric Decker DEN       1 2 0 2 0
63 Jason Trusnik MIA       1 1 0 1 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 38 1067 0 16 186 1 1253 1
2 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 36 1199 2       1199 2
3 Keshawn Martin HTX 33 864 0 32 264 1 1128 1
4 Dwayne Harris DAL 26 792 0 17 238 1 1030 1
5 Brandon Tate CIN 27 701 0 29 274 0 975 0
6 Marcus Thigpen MIA 31 740 0 26 228 0 968 0
7 Trindon Holliday DEN 20 568 1 26 250 1 818 2
8 Jacoby Jones RAV 21 602 1 13 174 0 776 1
9 Quintin Demps KAN 25 764 1       764 1
10 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 21 491 0 20 263 0 754 0
11 Tavon Austin RAM 18 398 0 33 280 1 678 1
12 Jordan Todman JAX 24 662 0       662 0
13 Eric Page TAM 16 419 0 22 242 0 661 0
14 Dexter McCluster KAN 1 3 0 54 631 2 634 2
15 Micah Hyde GNB 16 346 0 20 254 1 600 1
16 David Reed CLT 24 590 0       590 0
17 Jeremy Ross DET 16 410 1 10 179 1 589 2
18 Josh Cribbs NYJ 20 490 0 8 96 0 586 0
19 Darius Reynaud NYJ 18 430 0 18 135 0 565 0
20 Damaris Johnson PHI 17 441 0 11 95 0 536 0
21 Golden Tate SEA 3 57 0 39 467 0 524 0
22 Fozzy Whittaker TOT 22 502 0       502 0
23 Micheal Spurlock DET 15 338 0 22 145 0 483 0
24 Taiwan Jones RAI 20 465 0       465 0
25 Jacquizz Rodgers ATL 20 447 0       447 0
26 Felix Jones PIT 18 427 0       427 0
27 Niles Paul WAS 20 411 0       411 0
28 Travis Benjamin CLE 3 146 0 22 257 1 403 1
29 Darren Sproles NOR 10 212 0 24 164 0 376 0
30 Tandon Doss RAV       23 359 1 359 1

Week 15 Outlook

Job Changes

Chris Rainey had just recently taken over the return jobs for the Colts before fracturing his fibula. With Rainey on Injured Reserve, the team will likely turn back to Cassius Vaughn for kickoff returns. Though T.Y. Hilton is a possibility for punt returns, the team went away from Hilton as his importance to the offense increased. LaVon Brazill is a more likely option to handle punts.

Travaris Cadet had previously handled kickoff return duties when Darren Sproles left one of New Orleans' games a few weeks ago. Cadet appears to be hanging onto the return duties for the time being, though Sproles continues to return punts.

The Steelers have turned to receiver Emmanuel Sanders for their kick returns, resulting in 5 returns for 103 yards in Week 14. Sanders is an option as a flex player or even as a starting wide receiver in deeper leagues due to his receiving alone. If he can hold off Felix Jones, his value will climb in leagues that award return yardage.

The Jets recently signed Darius Reynaud in the wake of Josh Cribbs going on Injured Reserve. The former Titans returner took over both return jobs, with 3 kickoff returns for 75 yards and though he tallied no punt returns, it was Reynaud who took the field each time Oakland sent their punter out.

Lavelle Hawkins was left inactive by San Diego as the team turned to running back Ronnie Brown to handle kickoff duties. The mere 34 yards that Brown gained on his two kickoff returns leaves the door open for Hawkins to retake the job.

Niles Paul returned from injury to play for Washington and took the kickoff returns back from Josh Morgan. Paul handled 8 returns but only averaged 20 yards per return. He is a good bet to retain the job for now, but needs to improve to assure the starting role.

INJURIES OF NOTE

Denver's return situation is uncertain this week due to Trindon Holliday being Questionable after missing the team's Week 14 game. Wes Welker and Eric Decker handled punts while Holliday was out, and Welker himself being Questionable due to a concussion could be a boon for Decker owners. Andre Caldwell and Omar Bolden combined to handle kickoff returns. Though the Broncos play at home where the thinner air leads to an increase in touchbacks, the San Diego team they face has been worst in the league on kickoffs for most of the season, with touchbacks on only 19% of their kickoffs.

Tavon Austin is considered day to day after suffering an ankle injury in Week 14 for the Rams.

Percy Harvin remains day to day for Seattle and probably should not be started until he begins practicing.

Damian Williams missed another game for Tennessee and again starts the week as Questionable. With Leon Washington returning 5 kickoffs for 209 yards last week, Williams may not get his starting job back when he returns.

Week 15 Team Return Projections

Receiving TeamKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal YardsTotal TDs
Cincinnati Bengals 76 0.02 29 0.05 105 0.07
Houston Texans 83 0.02 21 0.03 105 0.05
Dallas Cowboys 84 0.02 18 0.02 102 0.04
Minnesota Vikings 87 0.04 14 0.02 101 0.06
Denver Broncos 82 0.03 19 0.03 101 0.06
Atlanta Falcons 83 0.02 18 0.02 101 0.04
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 73 0.02 27 0.03 100 0.05
Buffalo Bills 52 0.01 41 0.10 93 0.11
Tennessee Titans 74 0.02 19 0.02 93 0.04
Jacksonville Jaguars 68 0.02 25 0.03 93 0.05
Philadelphia Eagles 67 0.02 25 0.06 92 0.08
New England Patriots 60 0.02 31 0.04 91 0.05
Baltimore Ravens 72 0.03 18 0.02 90 0.06
Green Bay Packers 68 0.02 20 0.03 89 0.04
Arizona Cardinals 60 0.02 28 0.07 88 0.08
Pittsburgh Steelers 71 0.02 14 0.02 86 0.04
Chicago Bears 60 0.03 24 0.06 84 0.09
Oakland Raiders 58 0.01 25 0.03 83 0.05
Detroit Lions 53 0.01 28 0.04 81 0.05
Cleveland Browns 68 0.02 11 0.01 79 0.03
Indianapolis Colts 55 0.01 21 0.03 76 0.04
Kansas City Chiefs 45 0.01 30 0.07 75 0.08
Carolina Panthers 46 0.01 25 0.06 71 0.07
New York Giants 59 0.01 11 0.01 70 0.03
Miami Dolphins 48 0.01 21 0.03 69 0.04
Seattle Seahawks 44 0.01 24 0.03 69 0.04
New Orleans Saints 49 0.01 19 0.04 68 0.06
Washington Redskins 54 0.01 13 0.02 67 0.03
San Diego Chargers 54 0.01 11 0.01 66 0.03
San Francisco 49ers 45 0.01 20 0.03 65 0.04
St. Louis Rams 48 0.02 14 0.03 62 0.05
New York Jets 34 0.01 28 0.03 62 0.04

Week 15 Player Return Projections

PlayerTeamPositionKR yardsKR TDsPR yardsPR TDsTotal Ret YardsTotal TDs
Dwayne Harris Dallas Cowboys WR 77 0.02 17 0.02 94 0.04
Micah Hyde Green Bay Packers CB 68 0.02 20 0.03 89 0.04
Brandon Tate Cincinnati Bengals WR 69 0.02 18 0.02 87 0.04
Keshawn Martin Houston Texans WR 67 0.02 19 0.02 86 0.04
Leon Washington Tennessee Titans RB 67 0.02 17 0.02 84 0.04
Jacoby Jones Baltimore Ravens WR 65 0.03 13 0.02 79 0.05
Devin Hester Chicago Bears DB 55 0.03 22 0.05 77 0.08
Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta Falcons RB 71 0.02 0 0.00 71 0.02
Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings WR 71 0.04 0 0.00 71 0.04
Ted Ginn Jr Carolina Panthers WR 42 0.01 24 0.06 65 0.07
Emmanuel Sanders Pittsburgh Steelers WR 65 0.02 0 0.00 65 0.02
Jeremy Ross Detroit Lions WR 43 0.01 21 0.03 64 0.04
Marcus Thigpen Miami Dolphins RB 43 0.01 19 0.02 63 0.04
Fozzy Whittaker Cleveland Browns RB 61 0.02 0 0.00 61 0.02
Jordan Todman Jacksonville Jaguars RB 61 0.02 0 0.00 61 0.02
Javier Arenas Arizona Cardinals DB 54 0.01 3 0.00 57 0.02
LaMichael James San Francisco 49ers RB 37 0.01 18 0.02 55 0.03
Eric Page Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 29 0.01 25 0.03 54 0.04
Brandon Boykin Philadelphia Eagles DB 53 0.01 0 0.00 53 0.01
Trindon Holliday Denver Broncos WR 44 0.02 8 0.02 52 0.04
Darius Reynaud New York Jets RB 27 0.01 23 0.03 50 0.04
Marquise Goodwin Buffalo Bills WR 47 0.01 0 0.00 47 0.01
Cassius Vaughn Indianapolis Colts DB 44 0.01 0 0.00 44 0.01
Niles Paul Washington Redskins TE 43 0.01 0 0.00 43 0.01
Travaris Cadet New Orleans Saints RB 39 0.01 2 0.00 41 0.01
Taiwan Jones Oakland Raiders RB 40 0.01 0 0.00 40 0.01
Leodis McKelvin Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 39 0.10 39 0.10
Michael Cox New York Giants RB 36 0.01 0 0.00 36 0.01
Josh Boyce New England Patriots WR 30 0.01 6 0.01 36 0.01
Golden Tate Seattle Seahawks WR 11 0.00 22 0.03 33 0.03
Tavon Austin St. Louis Rams WR 25 0.01 7 0.02 32 0.03
Skye Dawson Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 29 0.01 3 0.00 32 0.01
Julian Edelman New England Patriots WR 6 0.00 25 0.03 31 0.03
Greg Jenkins Oakland Raiders WR 17 0.00 13 0.02 30 0.02
Quintin Demps Kansas City Chiefs DB 27 0.01 3 0.00 30 0.01
LaVon Brazill Indianapolis Colts WR 12 0.00 16 0.02 28 0.02
Dexter McCluster Kansas City Chiefs WR 0 0.00 27 0.07 27 0.07
Marcus Sherels Minnesota Vikings DB 16 0.00 11 0.01 27 0.02
Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints RB 10 0.00 17 0.04 27 0.04
Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 25 0.06 25 0.06
Robert Turbin Seattle Seahawks RB 22 0.01 2 0.00 25 0.01
Andre Caldwell Denver Broncos WR 23 0.01 0 0.00 23 0.01
Isaiah Pead St. Louis Rams RB 23 0.01 0 0.00 23 0.01
Lavelle Hawkins San Diego Chargers WR 23 0.01 0 0.00 23 0.01
DeSean Jackson Philadelphia Eagles WR 0 0.00 23 0.06 23 0.06
Ronnie Brown San Diego Chargers RB 21 0.01 0 0.00 21 0.01
Ace Sanders Jacksonville Jaguars WR 0 0.00 20 0.03 20 0.03
Jerrel Jernigan New York Giants WR 18 0.00 1 0.00 19 0.01
Adam Jones Cincinnati Bengals DB 7 0.00 11 0.03 19 0.03
Knile Davis Kansas City Chiefs RB 18 0.00 0 0.00 18 0.00
Damaris Johnson Philadelphia Eagles WR 13 0.00 3 0.00 16 0.01
Micheal Spurlock Detroit Lions WR 8 0.00 7 0.01 15 0.01
Rueben Randle New York Giants WR 6 0.00 9 0.01 15 0.01
Bobby Rainey Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 15 0.00 0 0.00 15 0.00
Omar Bolden Denver Broncos DB 14 0.00 0 0.00 14 0.00
Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 13 0.02 13 0.02
Josh Morgan Washington Redskins WR 11 0.00 1 0.00 12 0.00
Devin McCourty New England Patriots DB 12 0.00 0 0.00 12 0.00
LeGarrette Blount New England Patriots RB 12 0.00 0 0.00 12 0.00
Jermaine Kearse Seattle Seahawks WR 11 0.00 0 0.00 11 0.00
Robert McClain Atlanta Falcons CB 0 0.00 11 0.01 11 0.01
Santana Moss Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 11 0.01 11 0.01
Anthony Dixon San Francisco 49ers RB 8 0.00 2 0.00 10 0.00
Dennis Johnson Houston Texans RB 8 0.00 2 0.00 10 0.00
Keenan Allen San Diego Chargers WR 0 0.00 9 0.01 9 0.01
Dominique Franks Atlanta Falcons DB 4 0.00 5 0.01 9 0.01
Robert Alford Atlanta Falcons DB 8 0.00 1 0.00 9 0.00
Deji Karim Houston Texans RB 9 0.00 0 0.00 9 0.00
Damian Williams Tennessee Titans WR 7 0.00 2 0.00 9 0.00
Jacoby Ford Oakland Raiders WR 0 0.00 8 0.01 8 0.01
Joseph Randle Dallas Cowboys RB 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Eric Decker Denver Broncos WR 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Jordan Poyer Cleveland Browns DB 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Eddie Royal San Diego Chargers WR 5 0.00 2 0.00 7 0.00
Felix Jones Pittsburgh Steelers RB 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Greg Little Cleveland Browns WR 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Kyle Wilson New York Jets DB 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Denard Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars RB 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Deonte Thompson Baltimore Ravens WR 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Austin Pettis St. Louis Rams WR 0 0.00 7 0.01 7 0.01
Alfonso Smith Arizona Cardinals RB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Mike Gillislee Miami Dolphins RB 4 0.00 2 0.00 6 0.00
Marcus Easley Buffalo Bills WR 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Danny Woodhead San Diego Chargers WR 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Jeremy Kerley New York Jets WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Phillip Adams Oakland Raiders DB 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
William Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars DB 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Tandon Doss Baltimore Ravens WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Eric Weems Chicago Bears DB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Davone Bess Cleveland Browns WR 0 0.00 4 0.00 4 0.00
Wes Welker Denver Broncos WR 0 0.00 4 0.00 4 0.00
Kenjon Barner Carolina Panthers RB 2 0.00 1 0.00 4 0.00
Jarius Wright Minnesota Vikings WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Joique Bell Detroit Lions RB 3 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00
Jim Leonhard Buffalo Bills DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Armond Smith Carolina Panthers RB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Earl Bennett Chicago Bears WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Markus Wheaton Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Cole Beasley Dallas Cowboys WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Nick Williams Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Jayron Hosley New York Giants DB 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00
Harry Douglas Atlanta Falcons WR 0 0.00 1 0.00 1 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 Devin McCourty Cordarrelle Patterson Patrick Peterson Jordan Poyer Emmanuel Sanders Robert Woods

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