The first week of the season can be a perilous time for predicting fantasy returners, and 2013 does not look to be any different. Young players who may have excelled in preseason may not make the roster, and established returners can be released without much information from the team on who will replace them.
The Bills, Browns, Colts, Chiefs, Giants and Patriots are all teams who have unanswered questions at the kick returner position, whether due to injury, recent roster moves, or a plain lack of information from the team. The projections for the individual kickoff returners on these teams should be viewed with lower confidence than other teams.
By comparison, the punt returners this year are generally better known going into the first week of the season. The usage of Randall Cobb in Green Bay is one of the larger question marks at punt returner.
Returner Status UpdateS
KR/PR Travis Benjamin of the Browns was reported by beat writer Mary Kay Cabot as having said he will return kickoffs and punts against Miami in Week 1. The Browns depth chart shows Benjamin as the punt returner, but he is not listed as a kick returner and the team will not confirm who is going to be returning kicks. For now, I would treat it as a mix between Benjamin and Johnson Bademosi though there are several other players who the team could use to try to surprise the Dolphins.
The Chiefs have placed Quintin Demps at the top of their kick return depth chart, with Dexter McCluster as the backup. ESPN reported that Knile Davis will also be involved though there are concerns over his history of fumbling.
The Patriots have re-signed KR/PR Leon Washington. The team's kick return situation was already in flux. Washington being re-signed further increases the uncertainty for owners who might be looking for return points for individual Patriots players in Week 1.
KR Cordarrelle Patterson is dealing with a back injury but is Probable to play.
KR/PR Jacoby Jones was injured during Baltimore's week 1 game and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Lardarius Webb took over punt returns and Bernard Pierce took over kickoff returns once Jones left the game. Deonte Thompson was inactive or might have handled kickoff returns.
KR David Reed of the Colts is recovering from a concussion and is officially marked as Questionable. He did not practice on Friday so should not be relied on for return yards. Cassius Vaugh and Joe Lefeged are his backups.
KR/PR Eddie Royal of the Chargers has begun practicing again after suffering a bruised lung. He is likely to play but his status should be watched.
KR/PR LaMichael James of the 49ers is recovering from an MCL sprain and may miss several games. Kyle Williams is his backup for both types of returns.
Kicker Touchback Percentage
This table contains the percent of kickoffs that result in touchbacks for the players expected to be performing kickoffs for each team. For established players it is based on their 2012 season. For newer players it is based on their preseason play.
| Player | Team | Touchback % |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Sturgis | Miami Dolphins | 71% |
| Michael Koenen | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 68% |
| Matt Prater | Denver Broncos | 65% |
| Billy Cundiff | Cleveland Browns | 64% |
| Blair Walsh | Minnesota Vikings | 62% |
| Sam Martin | Detroit Lions | 62% |
| Robbie Gould | Chicago Bears | 58% |
| Pat McAfee | Indianapolis Colts | 58% |
| Sebastian Janikowski | Oakland Raiders | 58% |
| Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens | 57% |
| Graham Gano | Carolina Panthers | 57% |
| Randy Bullok | Houston Texans | 57% |
| Greg Zuerlein | St. Louis Rams | 55% |
| Rob Bironas | Tennessee Titans | 52% |
| Thomas Morstead | New Orleans Saints | 51% |
| Matt Bosher | Atlanta Falcons | 50% |
| Jay Feely | Arizona Cardinals | 48% |
| Ryan Succop | Kansas City Chiefs | 48% |
| Stephen Gostkowski | New England Patriots | 47% |
| Dan Carpenter | Buffalo Bills | 46% |
| Steven Hauschka | Seattle Seahawks | 42% |
| Mason Crosby | Green Bay Packers | 40% |
| Phil Dawson | San Francisco 49ers | 40% |
| Josh Scobee | Jacksonville Jaguars | 39% |
| Alex Henery | Philadelphia Eagles | 39% |
| Shaun Suisham | Pittsburgh Steelers | 39% |
| Dan Bailey | Dallas Cowboys | 38% |
| Nick Novak | San Diego Chargers | 37% |
| Mike Nugent | Cincinnati Bengals | 33% |
| Josh Brown | New York Giants | 26% |
| Kai Forbath | Washington Redskins | 25% |
| Nick Folk | New York Jets | 18% |
Week 1 Projections by Team
These are the projected kickoffs and punts for each team, along with how many are expected to be returnable and the yardage and touchdowns gained.
Last Update: September 7
| Receiving Team | Kickoffs To | Returnable KOs | KR yards | KR TDs | Punts To | Returnable Punts | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 5.0 | 2.2 | 51 | 0.01 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 24 | 0.05 | 75 | 0.07 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6.1 | 3.0 | 73 | 0.02 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 14 | 0.02 | 87 | 0.04 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6.1 | 2.1 | 56 | 0.02 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 16 | 0.02 | 72 | 0.04 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6.3 | 3.3 | 79 | 0.02 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 17 | 0.04 | 96 | 0.06 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5.2 | 3.0 | 72 | 0.02 | 4.5 | 2.1 | 19 | 0.04 | 91 | 0.06 |
| Chicago Bears | 4.4 | 2.9 | 69 | 0.03 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 23 | 0.06 | 92 | 0.09 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4.9 | 2.0 | 49 | 0.01 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 26 | 0.05 | 75 | 0.06 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4.6 | 1.3 | 31 | 0.01 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 20 | 0.03 | 51 | 0.03 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5.0 | 3.7 | 79 | 0.02 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 28 | 0.04 | 107 | 0.06 |
| Denver Broncos | 4.4 | 1.9 | 46 | 0.02 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 25 | 0.06 | 72 | 0.08 |
| Detroit Lions | 4.7 | 1.8 | 42 | 0.01 | 5.0 | 2.3 | 21 | 0.03 | 64 | 0.04 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5.7 | 3.4 | 81 | 0.02 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 18 | 0.02 | 99 | 0.04 |
| Houston Texans | 4.5 | 2.9 | 68 | 0.02 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 24 | 0.03 | 92 | 0.05 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4.3 | 1.8 | 41 | 0.01 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 28 | 0.04 | 70 | 0.05 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4.9 | 2.5 | 60 | 0.02 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 19 | 0.02 | 79 | 0.04 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4.3 | 2.6 | 61 | 0.02 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 26 | 0.03 | 87 | 0.05 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4.6 | 1.6 | 41 | 0.01 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 22 | 0.03 | 63 | 0.04 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5.5 | 2.1 | 51 | 0.01 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 19 | 0.02 | 70 | 0.04 |
| New England Patriots | 4.5 | 2.4 | 57 | 0.01 | 5.2 | 3.1 | 39 | 0.05 | 96 | 0.06 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5.5 | 2.8 | 68 | 0.02 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 15 | 0.02 | 83 | 0.04 |
| New York Giants | 5.6 | 3.4 | 82 | 0.03 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 14 | 0.02 | 97 | 0.04 |
| New York Jets | 4.7 | 1.5 | 38 | 0.01 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 16 | 0.02 | 53 | 0.03 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6.0 | 2.5 | 60 | 0.01 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 16 | 0.02 | 76 | 0.04 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5.9 | 4.4 | 103 | 0.03 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 14 | 0.03 | 117 | 0.05 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4.0 | 1.9 | 45 | 0.01 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 24 | 0.03 | 69 | 0.04 |
| San Diego Chargers | 5.2 | 2.2 | 55 | 0.01 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 16 | 0.02 | 71 | 0.03 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4.9 | 2.9 | 71 | 0.02 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 20 | 0.03 | 92 | 0.04 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4.7 | 2.0 | 47 | 0.01 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 24 | 0.03 | 72 | 0.04 |
| St. Louis Rams | 4.2 | 2.2 | 51 | 0.01 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 27 | 0.03 | 78 | 0.05 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4.2 | 3.4 | 81 | 0.02 | 5.5 | 2.7 | 24 | 0.03 | 105 | 0.05 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5.3 | 3.3 | 77 | 0.02 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 22 | 0.03 | 99 | 0.05 |
| Washington Redskins | 5.2 | 3.2 | 74 | 0.02 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 22 | 0.03 | 96 | 0.05 |
Week 1 Projections by Individual Returner
In future weeks the projections for individual players will be available in the normal areas of the site that all weekly projections can be found. For Week 1 they are included here for your convenience.
Last Update: September 7
| Team | Player | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Javier Arenas | 30 | 0.01 | 6 | 0.01 |
| Arizona Cardinals | Patrick Peterson | 0 | 0.00 | 18 | 0.05 |
| Arizona Cardinals | Alfonso Smith | 21 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Harry Douglas | 0 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.01 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Dominique Franks | 18 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Jacquizz Rodgers | 55 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Jacoby Jones | 38 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Deonte Thompson | 17 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Buffalo Bills | Marquise Goodwin | 39 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Buffalo Bills | T.J. Graham | 39 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Buffalo Bills | Leodis McKelvin | 0 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.04 |
| Carolina Panthers | Armanti Edwards | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Carolina Panthers | Ted Ginn | 72 | 0.02 | 15 | 0.04 |
| Chicago Bears | Devin Hester | 51 | 0.03 | 23 | 0.06 |
| Chicago Bears | Eric Weems | 18 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Giovani Bernard | 5 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Adam Jones | 7 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.04 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Brandon Tate | 37 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Cleveland Browns | Johnson Bademosi | 15 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Cleveland Browns | Travis Benjamin | 15 | 0.00 | 14 | 0.02 |
| Cleveland Browns | Davone Bess | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.01 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Cole Beasley | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Dwayne Harris | 79 | 0.02 | 24 | 0.03 |
| Denver Broncos | Omar Bolden | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Denver Broncos | Trindon Holliday | 42 | 0.02 | 20 | 0.05 |
| Denver Broncos | Wes Welker | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Detroit Lions | Joique Bell | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Detroit Lions | Patrick Edwards | 11 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.01 |
| Detroit Lions | Michael Spurlock | 28 | 0.01 | 14 | 0.02 |
| Green Bay Packers | Randall Cobb | 8 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Green Bay Packers | Jeremy Ross | 73 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Houston Texans | Shiloh Keo | 7 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Houston Texans | Keshawn Martin | 61 | 0.02 | 19 | 0.02 |
| Indianapolis Colts | T.Y. Hilton | 0 | 0.00 | 28 | 0.04 |
| Indianapolis Colts | David Reed | 4 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Indianapolis Colts | Joe Lefeged | 9 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Indianapolis Colts | Cassius Vaughn | 28 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | William Blackmon | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Denard Robinson | 24 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Ace Sanders | 0 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Jordan Todman | 36 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Knile Davis | 12 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Quintin Demps | 37 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Dexter McCluster | 12 | 0.00 | 22 | 0.03 |
| Miami Dolphins | Bryan McCann | 8 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Miami Dolphins | Marcus Thigpen | 33 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.02 |
| Minnesota Vikings | Cordarrelle Patterson | 30 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Minnesota Vikings | Marcus Sherels | 21 | 0.01 | 19 | 0.02 |
| New England Patriots | LeGarrette Blount | 9 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New England Patriots | Josh Boyce | 9 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New England Patriots | Julian Edelman | 6 | 0.00 | 31 | 0.04 |
| New England Patriots | Devin McCourty | 17 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New England Patriots | Leon Washington | 19 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.01 |
| New Orleans Saints | Travaris Cadet | 21 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.00 |
| New Orleans Saints | Lance Moore | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| New Orleans Saints | Darren Sproles | 42 | 0.01 | 13 | 0.02 |
| New Orleans Saints | Pierre Thomas | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New York Giants | Michael Cox | 24 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New York Giants | Jerrel Jernigan | 28 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| New York Giants | Reuben Randle | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 |
| New York Giants | Da\'Rel Scott | 12 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New York Giants | David Wilson | 17 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New York Jets | Clyde Gates | 24 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New York Jets | Jeremy Kerley | 0 | 0.00 | 12 | 0.02 |
| New York Jets | Kyle Wilson | 14 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Oakland Raiders | Phillip Adams | 0 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.01 |
| Oakland Raiders | Jacoby Ford | 30 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Oakland Raiders | Mike Jenkins | 18 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Oakland Raiders | Taiwan Jones | 12 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Brandon Boykin | 26 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Bryce Brown | 14 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Desean Jackson | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.02 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Damaris Johnson | 63 | 0.02 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Antonio Brown | 0 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.02 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Felix Jones | 18 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | LaRod Stephens-Howling | 27 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Markus Wheaton | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 |
| San Diego Chargers | Keenan Allen | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.01 |
| San Diego Chargers | Eddie Royal | 21 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 |
| San Diego Chargers | Fozzy Whittaker | 34 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Perrish Cox | 21 | 0.01 | 2 | 0.00 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Kyle Williams | 52 | 0.01 | 18 | 0.02 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Jermaine Kearse | 31 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Jeremy Lane | 12 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Golden Tate | 0 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Walter Thurmond | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Seattle Seahawks | Bryan Walters | 5 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| St. Louis Rams | Tavon Austin | 20 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.03 |
| St. Louis Rams | Benny Cunningham | 31 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| St. Louis Rams | Austin Pettis | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Mike James | 20 | 0.01 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Eric Page | 60 | 0.02 | 22 | 0.03 |
| Tennessee Titans | Michael Preston | 15 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Tennessee Titans | Darius Reynaud | 61 | 0.02 | 18 | 0.02 |
| Washington Redskins | Santana Moss | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.01 |
| Washington Redskins | Niles Paul | 44 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Washington Redskins | Aldrick Robinson | 15 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Washington Redskins | Chris Thompson | 15 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 |