Returner Recap and Latest News

Footballguys Staff's Returner Recap and Latest News Footballguys Staff Published 11/20/2013

Week 11 Recap

 

Top Performers

All it takes is one week to go from potentially losing your job, to being the top returner for the week. This was the case for Houston's Keshawn Martin, whose ball control issues gave Dennis Johnson and Deji Karim chances in the last two weeks. When the Texans turned back to Martin he made good with 187 total return yards including an 87-yard punt return that went for the only return touchdown of the week.

Other than Martin it was a lean week for punt returners. Ace Sanders ran for 48 yards on his 6 punt returns for Jacksonville, while Micah Hyde returned 3 punts for 34 yards to go with his 69 kick return yards for the Packers.

Kick returners fared better as they usually do. Jordan Todman's 144 kick return yards paired with the output of Sanders made it a nice day overall for the Jaguars return unit, and was the second most total return yards behind Martin in Houston. Cordarrelle Patterson had 117 kick return yards for the Vikings, while Josh Cribbs had 115 kick returns yards and 16 punt return yards in the Jets losing effort against Buffalo. 

Troubling for Devin Hester owners is that teams have begun to consistently kick away from him. Hester saw only one kick return and no punt returns for Chicago. It was still enough for Hester to hold on to the season lead in total return yards as he went over 1000 yards for the season.

All Week 11 Returners

Here are the top returners for Week 10 sorted by total return yards:

Rank Player Team Kick Ret KR Yds KR TD Punt Ret PR Yds PR TD Total Yds Total TDs
1 Keshawn Martin HOU 2 62 0 7 125 1 187 1
2 Jordan Todman JAX 4 144 0       144 0
3 Josh Cribbs NYJ 5 115 0 1 16 0 131 0
4 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 4 117 0       117 0
5 Micheal Spurlock DET 4 92 0 4 17 0 109 0
6 Micah Hyde GNB 3 69 0 3 34 0 103 0
7 Travaris Cadet NOR 1 82 0       82 0
8 Taiwan Jones OAK 3 77 0       77 0
9 Devon Wylie TEN 3 63 0 1 4 0 67 0
10 Eric Page TAM 3 61 0       61 0
11 Percy Harvin SEA 1 58 0       58 0
12 David Reed IND 3 56 0       56 0
13 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 3 53 0       53 0
14 Marcus Thigpen MIA 2 48 0       48 0
15 Ace Sanders JAX       6 48 0 48 0
16 Trindon Holliday DEN 1 28 0 3 17 0 45 0
17 Danny Woodhead SDG 2 43 0       43 0
18 Jacoby Jones BAL 2 39 0 1 3 0 42 0
19 Michael Cox NYG 2 35 0       35 0
20 Keenan Allen SDG       2 34 0 34 0
21 Dexter McCluster KAN       5 33 0 33 0
22 Rueben Randle NYG       1 32 0 32 0
23 Jacoby Ford OAK       4 30 0 30 0
24 Devin Hester CHI 1 28 0       28 0
25 Adam Jones CIN       1 27 0 27 0
26 Marquise Goodwin BUF 1 26 0       26 0
27 Tank Carder CLE 2 25 0       25 0
28 Brandon Boykin PHI 2 23 0       23 0
29 Knile Davis KAN 1 23 0       23 0
30 Niles Paul WAS 1 23 0       23 0
31 LaMichael James SFO       2 23 0 23 0
32 Patrick Peterson ARI       4 22 0 22 0
33 Felix Jones PIT 1 21 0       21 0
34 LaVon Brazill IND 1 20 0       20 0
35 Robert Turbin SEA 1 20 0       20 0
36 Jermaine Kearse SEA 1 18 0       18 0
37 Fozzy Whittaker CLE 1 17 0       17 0
38 Antonio Brown PIT       2 17 0 17 0
39 Leodis McKelvin BUF       4 17 0 17 0
40 Golden Tate SEA       3 17 0 17 0
41 Robert McClain ATL       2 16 0 16 0
42 T.Y. Hilton IND       2 15 0 15 0
43 Armanti Edwards CLE       2 14 0 14 0
44 Danny Amendola NWE       1 13 0 13 0
45 Eddie Royal SDG       1 12 0 12 0
46 Brandon Tate CIN       2 12 0 12 0
47 Davone Bess CLE       1 11 0 11 0
48 Kyle Juszczyk BAL 1 8 0       8 0
49 DeSean Jackson PHI       2 6 0 6 0
50 Darren Sproles NOR       1 5 0 5 0
51 Michael Robinson SEA 1 4 0       4 0
52 Dante Rosario CHI 1 4 0       4 0
53 Tandon Doss BAL       1 4 0 4 0
54 Deji Karim HOU 1 3 0       3 0

Top THIRTY to Date

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

Rank Player Team Kick Ret KR Yds KR TD Punt Ret PR Yds PR TD Total Yds Total TDs
1 Devin Hester CHI 30 847 0 12 159 1 1006 1
2 Cordarrelle Patterson MIN 28 962 2       962 2
3 Keshawn Martin HTX 26 693 0 25 218 1 911 1
4 Dwayne Harris DAL 20 645 0 16 242 1 887 1
5 Trindon Holliday DEN 16 510 1 25 250 1 760 2
6 Brandon Tate CIN 21 548 0 24 199 0 747 0
7 Marcus Thigpen MIA 22 530 0 13 96 0 626 0
8 Jordan Todman JAX 19 537 0       537 0
9 Damaris Johnson PHI 17 441 0 11 95 0 536 0
10 Ted Ginn Jr CAR 16 367 0 15 165 0 532 0
11 Eric Page TAM 12 290 0 18 202 0 492 0
12 Darius Reynaud OTI 15 355 0 18 135 0 490 0
13 Micheal Spurlock DET 15 338 0 22 145 0 483 0
14 Tavon Austin RAM 9 212 0 30 268 1 480 1
15 David Reed CLT 20 475 0       475 0
16 Josh Cribbs NYJ 16 398 0 6 70 0 468 0
17 Golden Tate SEA 2 42 0 31 401 0 443 0
18 Dexter McCluster KAN 1 3 0 42 420 1 423 1
19 Micah Hyde GNB 9 188 0 16 234 1 422 1
20 Quintin Demps KAN 14 411 0       411 0
21 Travis Benjamin CLE 3 146 0 22 257 1 403 1
22 Darren Sproles NOR 10 212 0 21 147 0 359 0
23 Tandon Doss RAV       23 359 1 359 1
24 Felix Jones PIT 15 353 0       353 0
25 LeGarrette Blount NWE 15 349 0       349 0
26 Fozzy Whittaker TOT 12 314 0       314 0
27 Jacoby Ford RAI 11 253 0 7 59 0 312 0
28 Jacoby Jones RAV 13 308 0 2 3 0 311 0
29 Benny Cunningham RAM 12 299 0       299 0
30 Julian Edelman NWE       26 299 0 299 0

Week 12 Outlook

Job Changes

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll did not want Percy Harvin returning kickoffs yet, but an injury to Jermaine Kearse forced the issue. Harvin responded with a 58-yard return. Carroll has said that Harvin will not be limited on offense going forward and will be involved as a returner.

As mentioned previously, Keshawn Martin has likely regained his grasp on both returner jobs for Houston with a solid day on kickoff returns and also a long punt return touchdown.

A fumbled return the week before by Jerrel Jernigan gave the Giants reason to take another look at other return options including Michael Cox and Reuben Randle. Cox won out and was given an opportunity against Green Bay, but only managed a 17.5 yard average on his two returns.  Consider the situation still in flux.

Washington continued to play the returner version of musical chairs as they left Josh Morgan inactive, leaving receiver Nick Williams to handle punt returns. Morgan may suit up this week due to an injury to starter Leonard Hankerson. Niles Paul continued to handle kickoff returns.

Receiver Josh Boyce was sent deep to handle all of the kickoffs to the Patriots, though every kick by Graham Gano of the Panthers resulted in a touchback.

INJURIES OF NOTE

Darren Sproles lost some return opportunities as he left the game with an injury, but was able to return. He is likely to be ready to play Week 12, but should be watched closely as New Orleans has the Thursday game.

Devon Wylie handled return duties for the Titans as a quad injury to Damian Williams kept the starter sidelined. Williams' status for Week 12 is up in the air though not looking good. Wylie will likely get another shot at laying claim to the return jobs, something he failed to do with a middling Week 11 performance.

Week 12 Team Return Projections

Receiving Team KR yards KR TDs PR yards PR TDs Total Yards Total TDs
Cleveland Browns 73 0.02 29 0.04 102 0.05
Minnesota Vikings 88 0.04 9 0.01 97 0.05
Kansas City Chiefs 77 0.02 18 0.04 95 0.06
San Francisco 49ers 78 0.02 14 0.02 92 0.04
Jacksonville Jaguars 69 0.02 18 0.02 87 0.04
Oakland Raiders 60 0.02 27 0.03 87 0.05
Indianapolis Colts 64 0.02 21 0.03 86 0.04
Baltimore Ravens 48 0.02 36 0.04 84 0.07
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 65 0.02 18 0.02 83 0.04
Green Bay Packers 58 0.01 24 0.03 82 0.04
New York Jets 44 0.01 37 0.05 81 0.06
Chicago Bears 56 0.03 24 0.06 80 0.08
Dallas Cowboys 56 0.01 24 0.03 80 0.04
Houston Texans 45 0.01 33 0.04 79 0.05
Carolina Panthers 50 0.01 26 0.06 75 0.08
St. Louis Rams 64 0.02 10 0.02 74 0.04
Arizona Cardinals 52 0.01 17 0.04 69 0.05
Atlanta Falcons 60 0.01 9 0.01 69 0.03
New York Giants 42 0.01 26 0.03 68 0.04
Denver Broncos 49 0.02 16 0.04 66 0.06
Pittsburgh Steelers 41 0.01 23 0.03 64 0.04
Tennessee Titans 42 0.01 21 0.03 63 0.04
New England Patriots 40 0.01 22 0.03 61 0.04
New Orleans Saints 43 0.01 17 0.02 61 0.03
San Diego Chargers 42 0.01 19 0.02 61 0.03
Detroit Lions 38 0.01 18 0.02 56 0.03
Miami Dolphins 27 0.01 26 0.03 53 0.04
Washington Redskins 15 0 26 0.03 41 0.04

Week 12 Player Return Projections

Player Team Position KR yards KR TDs PR yards PR TDs Total Ret Yards Total TDs
Josh Cribbs New York Jets WR 40 0.01 37 0.05 77 0.06
Devin Hester Chicago Bears DB 52 0.03 22 0.05 74 0.08
Micah Hyde Green Bay Packers CB 52 0.01 21 0.03 74 0.04
Dwayne Harris Dallas Cowboys WR 51 0.01 22 0.03 73 0.04
Cordarrelle Patterson Minnesota Vikings WR 72 0.04 0 0.00 72 0.04
Quintin Demps Kansas City Chiefs DB 69 0.02 2 0.00 71 0.02
Ted Ginn Jr Carolina Panthers WR 45 0.01 24 0.06 69 0.07
Eric Page Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 52 0.01 16 0.02 68 0.03
Tavon Austin St. Louis Rams WR 58 0.01 10 0.02 68 0.04
Keshawn Martin Houston Texans WR 36 0.01 31 0.04 67 0.05
Fozzy Whittaker Cleveland Browns RB 66 0.02 0 0.00 66 0.02
Devon Wylie Tennessee Titans WR 40 0.01 19 0.02 59 0.03
Trindon Holliday Denver Broncos WR 45 0.02 13 0.03 58 0.06
Niles Paul Washington Redskins TE 56 0.01 0 0.00 56 0.01
Jordan Todman Jacksonville Jaguars RB 55 0.01 0 0.00 55 0.01
Darren Sproles New Orleans Saints RB 39 0.01 16 0.02 55 0.03
LaMichael James San Francisco 49ers RB 41 0.01 13 0.02 54 0.03
Jacoby Jones Baltimore Ravens WR 44 0.02 8 0.01 52 0.03
David Reed Indianapolis Colts WR 52 0.01 0 0.00 52 0.01
Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta Falcons RB 51 0.01 0 0.00 51 0.01
Marcus Thigpen Miami Dolphins RB 24 0.01 24 0.03 48 0.04
Javier Arenas Arizona Cardinals DB 46 0.01 0 0.00 46 0.01
Micheal Spurlock Detroit Lions WR 30 0.01 15 0.02 45 0.03
Taiwan Jones Oakland Raiders RB 42 0.01 0 0.00 42 0.01
Anthony Dixon San Francisco 49ers RB 36 0.01 1 0.00 38 0.01
Felix Jones Pittsburgh Steelers RB 37 0.01 0 0.00 37 0.01
Jacoby Ford Oakland Raiders WR 15 0.00 22 0.03 37 0.03
Tandon Doss Baltimore Ravens WR 0 0.00 28 0.03 28 0.03
Michael Cox New York Giants RB 25 0.01 0 0.00 25 0.01
Josh Boyce New England Patriots WR 21 0.01 4 0.01 25 0.01
Rueben Randle New York Giants WR 4 0.00 20 0.03 25 0.03
Marcus Sherels Minnesota Vikings DB 16 0.00 7 0.01 23 0.01
Julian Edelman New England Patriots WR 4 0.00 18 0.02 22 0.02
Dexter McCluster Kansas City Chiefs WR 4 0.00 17 0.04 21 0.04
Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 20 0.03 20 0.03
Lavelle Hawkins San Diego Chargers WR 20 0.01 0 0.00 20 0.01
Armanti Edwards Cleveland Browns WR 0 0.00 20 0.03 20 0.03
Josh Morgan Washington Redskins WR 15 0.00 5 0.01 20 0.01
Eddie Royal San Diego Chargers WR 4 0.00 14 0.02 18 0.02
Nick Williams Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 18 0.02 18 0.02
Danny Woodhead San Diego Chargers WR 18 0.00 0 0.00 18 0.00
Jerrel Jernigan New York Giants WR 13 0.00 3 0.00 16 0.01
T.Y. Hilton Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 16 0.02 16 0.02
Patrick Peterson Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 15 0.04 15 0.04
Ace Sanders Jacksonville Jaguars WR 0 0.00 14 0.02 14 0.02
Cassius Vaughn Indianapolis Colts DB 12 0.00 0 0.00 12 0.00
Skye Dawson Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 10 0.00 2 0.00 11 0.00
Jeremy Ross Detroit Lions WR 6 0.00 3 0.00 9 0.01
Davone Bess Cleveland Browns WR 0 0.00 9 0.01 9 0.01
Johnathan Franklin Green Bay Packers RB 6 0.00 2 0.00 8 0.00
Devin McCourty New England Patriots DB 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
LeGarrette Blount New England Patriots RB 8 0.00 0 0.00 8 0.00
Greg Little Cleveland Browns WR 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Dennis Johnson Houston Texans RB 4 0.00 3 0.00 7 0.00
Stephen Burton Jacksonville Jaguars WR 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Denard Robinson Jacksonville Jaguars RB 7 0.00 0 0.00 7 0.00
Benny Cunningham St. Louis Rams RB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Robert Alford Atlanta Falcons DB 6 0.00 0 0.00 6 0.00
Travaris Cadet New Orleans Saints RB 4 0.00 2 0.00 6 0.00
LaVon Brazill Indianapolis Colts WR 0 0.00 6 0.01 6 0.01
Robert McClain Atlanta Falcons CB 0 0.00 6 0.01 6 0.01
Alfonso Smith Arizona Cardinals RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Dominique Franks Atlanta Falcons DB 3 0.00 3 0.00 5 0.00
Phillip Adams Oakland Raiders DB 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Lance Dunbar Dallas Cowboys RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Mike Gillislee Miami Dolphins RB 2 0.00 2 0.00 5 0.00
Deji Karim Houston Texans RB 5 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.00
Keenan Allen San Diego Chargers WR 0 0.00 5 0.01 5 0.01
Deonte Thompson Baltimore Ravens WR 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Eric Weems Chicago Bears DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Jonathan Dwyer Pittsburgh Steelers RB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Kyle Wilson New York Jets DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Omar Bolden Denver Broncos DB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Knile Davis Kansas City Chiefs RB 4 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.00
Kenjon Barner Carolina Panthers RB 2 0.00 1 0.00 4 0.00
William Blackmon Jacksonville Jaguars DB 0 0.00 4 0.00 4 0.00
Damian Williams Tennessee Titans WR 2 0.00 1 0.00 4 0.00
Bobby Rainey Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR 3 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00
Wes Welker Denver Broncos WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Mike Jenkins Oakland Raiders DB 3 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00
Jayron Hosley New York Giants DB 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Santana Moss Washington Redskins WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 0.00
Markus Wheaton Pittsburgh Steelers WR 0 0.00 3 0.00 3 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
Joique Bell Detroit Lions RB 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00
Jarius Wright Minnesota Vikings WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Tyrann Mathieu Arizona Cardinals DB 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Cole Beasley Dallas Cowboys WR 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00
Harry Douglas Atlanta Falcons WR 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Photos provided by Imagn Images
Tags:
Projections Returners Robert Alford Keenan Allen Danny Amendola Tavon Austin Kenjon Barner Cole Beasley Travis Benjamin Antonio Brown Graham Gano Marquise Goodwin T.Y. Hilton Micah Hyde DeSean Jackson Taiwan Jones Kyle Juszczyk Tyrann Mathieu Devin McCourty Cordarrelle Patterson Patrick Peterson
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