Friday UpdateS
Weather
The Falcons and Dolphins forecast continues to include a chance of thunderstorms. Worsening is the outlook for Tampa Bay playing at New England, where thunderstorms are expected in the morning and there is an 80% chance of rain. Seattle tops that with a 90% chance of rain as they host Jacksonville.
INJURY STATUS and NEWS
Wide receiver David Reed practiced fully on Thursday and Friday and is a good bet to take back over the kick return job for the Colts. Kerwynn Williams had previously been re-signed and filled in during Week 2 when Reed was recovering from a concussion.
San Francisco's LaMichael James has begun practicing again as he tries to return from a sprained MCL. James was limited in practice and is probably a long shot to be ready to go against the Colts in Week 3. Expect Perrish Cox and Kyle Williams to handle kickoff and punt returns, respectively.
Cornerback Adam Jones is listed as Questionable for the Bengals after being limited in practice with an abdominal injury. Even if Jones plays, the team may wish to not expose him to more contact than needed, meaning receiver Brandon Tate may see a boost in his share of the returns. Also appearing as Questionable on the injury report is running back Giovani Bernard, who would be another option on kick returns if he plays.
The Jets did not use a returner on a pair of punts against New England. According to coach Rex Ryan, the team did not want to risk catching the punts in the inclement weather. Now that returnman Jeremy Kerley is back the team might feel otherwise. Kerley is cleared to play and has practiced fully.
The Packers coaching staff has said that production on kickoff returns is unacceptable, but they play to stick with returner Jeremy Ross and instead focus on the players providing his blocking. Randall Cobb will also continue to remain an option for the team on both kickoffs and punts.
Week 2 Recap
David Wilson Back on Kick Returns - Coach Tom Coughlin had said that he would pick and choose when to use running back David Wilson as a kickoff returner. Wilson's subsequent fumbling problems during Week 1 made the decision much easier for Coughlin. The Giants signed Brandon Jacobs and gave him an equal split of the rushing attempts, and moved Wilson back to kick returns. Wilson returned five kickoffs for 121 yards in the game. Last season's league leader in return yards may still be shift backed towards offense, so do not bank on his results definitely repeating.
Tandon Doss Returning Punts for the Ravens - The Ravens originally turned to Lardarius Webb to take over punt returns when Jacoby Jones was injured Week 1. For the team's second game, Baltimore re-signed reciever Tandon Doss, allowing Webb to refocus on his starting cornerback duties. Doss should continue handling punt returns until Jones is able to return.
Trindon Holliday and Cordarrelle Patterson Find the End Zone - The season's first return touchdowns were tallied in Week 2 on an 81-yard punt return by Denver's Trindon Holliday and a 105-yard opening kickoff return by Minnesota's Cordarrelle Patterson.
Devin Hester Still Has It - The Bears new coaching regime is done messing around with Devin Hester on offense. The star returner refocused on what made him famous, and amassed 249 yards on 5 kickoff returns, including returns of 80 and 76 yards.
San Diego Kickoffs Far From Super-Charged - The Chargers have seen opponents return 12 of their 13 kickoffs so far, leaving them with a league worst and staggeringly bad 8% touchback percentage. The Tennessee Titans are second worst at 33%. Not surprisingly, Texans kick returner Keshawn Martin who faced the Chargers and Titans in his first two games had eight returns amongst ten opportunities. Every other team is at or above 50% touchbacks on kickoffs except for the BIlls (40%), Steelers (40%) and Eagles (46%). The Titans and Chargers play each other in Week 3, so returners from both teams rank in our top ten this week.
Early Weather Watch
The early outlook from meteorologists is for most game locations to have no worse than a chance of showers. The Falcons and Dolphins are forecast with a 50% chance of thunderstorms in Miami, with gusts of up to 20 miles per hour that might impact kickoff length and thus increase return opportunities. Dallas is expected to see less rain than Miami, though the retractable roof on newly renamed AT&T Stadium should prevent even that from affecting the game. Along the East Coast most cities have a chance of showers, but likely nothing heavy enough to greatly hinder kickoff length.
Week 3 Team Projections
| Receiving Team | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans | 100 | 0.03 | 35 | 0.04 | 135 | 0.07 |
| San Diego Chargers | 79 | 0.02 | 29 | 0.04 | 107 | 0.06 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 77 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.03 | 98 | 0.05 |
| Chicago Bears | 64 | 0.02 | 32 | 0.04 | 96 | 0.06 |
| Buffalo Bills | 62 | 0.02 | 34 | 0.05 | 95 | 0.06 |
| New York Jets | 59 | 0.01 | 30 | 0.06 | 88 | 0.08 |
| Miami Dolphins | 34 | 0.01 | 54 | 0.07 | 88 | 0.08 |
| Cleveland Browns | 55 | 0.01 | 32 | 0.04 | 86 | 0.05 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 40 | 0.01 | 41 | 0.05 | 81 | 0.06 |
| St. Louis Rams | 39 | 0.01 | 40 | 0.05 | 79 | 0.06 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 63 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 | 79 | 0.04 |
| Detroit Lions | 71 | 0.02 | 4 | 0.01 | 75 | 0.02 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 63 | 0.02 | 8 | 0.01 | 70 | 0.03 |
| Washington Redskins | 36 | 0.01 | 34 | 0.04 | 70 | 0.05 |
| Houston Texans | 28 | 0.01 | 41 | 0.05 | 69 | 0.06 |
| Green Bay Packers | 47 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.02 | 67 | 0.04 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 55 | 0.01 | 12 | 0.02 | 67 | 0.03 |
| New Orleans Saints | 43 | 0.02 | 24 | 0.03 | 67 | 0.05 |
| Carolina Panthers | 42 | 0.01 | 23 | 0.03 | 64 | 0.04 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 45 | 0.01 | 18 | 0.02 | 64 | 0.03 |
| New York Giants | 31 | 0.01 | 25 | 0.03 | 56 | 0.04 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 33 | 0.01 | 19 | 0.03 | 52 | 0.03 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 42 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 | 51 | 0.02 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 46 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 | 51 | 0.02 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 43 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.01 | 50 | 0.02 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 21 | 0.01 | 23 | 0.03 | 44 | 0.04 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 22 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.03 | 42 | 0.03 |
| New England Patriots | 31 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 | 41 | 0.02 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 31 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 | 41 | 0.02 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 22 | 0.01 | 12 | 0.03 | 35 | 0.03 |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 0.00 | 18 | 0.02 | 28 | 0.03 |
| Oakland Raiders | 15 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.01 | 26 | 0.02 |
Week 3 Player Projections
| Player | Team | Position | KR yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Return Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darius Reynaud | Tennessee Titans | RB | 90 | 0.02 | 32 | 0.04 | 122 | 0.06 |
| Devin Hester | Chicago Bears | DB | 58 | 0.01 | 28 | 0.04 | 86 | 0.05 |
| Marcus Thigpen | Miami Dolphins | RB | 31 | 0.01 | 49 | 0.06 | 80 | 0.07 |
| Michael Spurlock | Detroit Lions | WR | 64 | 0.02 | 4 | 0.01 | 68 | 0.02 |
| Chris Thompson | Washington Redskins | RB | 32 | 0.01 | 31 | 0.04 | 63 | 0.05 |
| Fozzy Whittaker | San Diego Chargers | RB | 63 | 0.02 | 0 | 0.00 | 63 | 0.02 |
| Keshawn Martin | Houston Texans | WR | 25 | 0.01 | 37 | 0.05 | 62 | 0.05 |
| Darren Sproles | New Orleans Saints | RB | 39 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.03 | 60 | 0.05 |
| T.J. Graham | Buffalo Bills | WR | 56 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.01 | 59 | 0.02 |
| Ted Ginn | Carolina Panthers | WR | 37 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.03 | 57 | 0.03 |
| Brandon Tate | Cincinnati Bengals | WR | 34 | 0.01 | 16 | 0.02 | 49 | 0.03 |
| Quintin Demps | Kansas City Chiefs | DB | 46 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.00 | 49 | 0.02 |
| Clyde Gates | New York Jets | WR | 47 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 47 | 0.01 |
| Dwayne Harris | Dallas Cowboys | WR | 30 | 0.01 | 17 | 0.02 | 46 | 0.03 |
| Tavon Austin | St. Louis Rams | WR | 10 | 0.00 | 36 | 0.05 | 46 | 0.05 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | Atlanta Falcons | RB | 45 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 45 | 0.01 |
| Stephen Burton | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | 45 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 45 | 0.01 |
| Jeremy Ross | Green Bay Packers | WR | 38 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 | 43 | 0.02 |
| Felix Jones | Pittsburgh Steelers | RB | 41 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 41 | 0.01 |
| Golden Tate | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 4 | 0.00 | 37 | 0.05 | 41 | 0.05 |
| Perrish Cox | San Francisco 49ers | DB | 39 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.00 | 40 | 0.01 |
| Damaris Johnson | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | 38 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.00 | 39 | 0.01 |
| Travis Benjamin | Cleveland Browns | WR | 11 | 0.00 | 27 | 0.03 | 39 | 0.04 |
| Eddie Royal | San Diego Chargers | WR | 16 | 0.00 | 23 | 0.03 | 39 | 0.03 |
| David Reed | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 38 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 38 | 0.01 |
| Bobby Rainey | Cleveland Browns | RB | 37 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 37 | 0.01 |
| Eric Page | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR | 28 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 | 37 | 0.02 |
| Leodis McKelvin | Buffalo Bills | DB | 6 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.04 | 36 | 0.04 |
| Dexter McCluster | Kansas City Chiefs | WR | 15 | 0.00 | 18 | 0.02 | 33 | 0.03 |
| Jermaine Kearse | Seattle Seahawks | WR | 30 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.01 |
| Benny Cunningham | St. Louis Rams | RB | 29 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 29 | 0.01 |
| Trindon Holliday | Denver Broncos | WR | 9 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 | 25 | 0.02 |
| Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | WR | 10 | 0.00 | 15 | 0.02 | 24 | 0.02 |
| Kyle Wilson | New York Jets | DB | 12 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 | 21 | 0.01 |
| Tandon Doss | Baltimore Ravens | WR | 1 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.03 |
| Reuben Randle | New York Giants | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.03 | 20 | 0.03 |
| Bernard Pierce | Baltimore Ravens | RB | 20 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.01 |
| Jeremy Kerley | New York Jets | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.05 | 20 | 0.05 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 20 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Javier Arenas | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 18 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.01 |
| Kerwynn Williams | Indianapolis Colts | RB | 19 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.00 |
| David Wilson | New York Giants | RB | 19 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Marcus Sherels | Minnesota Vikings | DB | 2 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.02 | 18 | 0.02 |
| Knile Davis | Kansas City Chiefs | RB | 16 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | WR | 6 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.01 | 16 | 0.01 |
| Jacoby Ford | Oakland Raiders | WR | 14 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 15 | 0.00 |
| Harry Douglas | Atlanta Falcons | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 14 | 0.02 | 14 | 0.02 |
| LeGarrette Blount | New England Patriots | RB | 13 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Michael Preston | Tennessee Titans | WR | 10 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 13 | 0.01 |
| Robert Alford | Atlanta Falcons | DB | 9 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Kyle Williams | San Francisco 49ers | WR | 4 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.01 | 11 | 0.01 |
| William Blackmon | Jacksonville Jaguars | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 |
| Patrick Peterson | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.02 | 10 | 0.02 |
| Desean Jackson | Philadelphia Eagles | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.01 | 10 | 0.01 |
| Adam Jones | Cincinnati Bengals | DB | 7 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 10 | 0.01 |
| Phillip Adams | Oakland Raiders | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 |
| Michael Cox | New York Giants | RB | 9 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Dominique Franks | Atlanta Falcons | DB | 9 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Mike Gillislee | Miami Dolphins | RB | 3 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 8 | 0.01 |
| Joique Bell | Detroit Lions | RB | 7 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Shiloh Keo | Houston Texans | DB | 3 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.01 |
| T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.01 |
| Josh Boyce | New England Patriots | WR | 7 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh Steelers | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.01 |
| Eric Weems | Chicago Bears | DB | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Cassius Vaughn | Indianapolis Colts | DB | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Jeremy Lane | Seattle Seahawks | DB | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Johnson Bademosi | Cleveland Browns | DB | 6 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Keenan Allen | San Diego Chargers | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.01 | 6 | 0.01 |
| Leon Washington | New England Patriots | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Jerrel Jernigan | New York Giants | WR | 3 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Travaris Cadet | New Orleans Saints | RB | 4 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Denard Robinson | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Jordan Todman | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Armond Smith | Carolina Panthers | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Giovani Bernard | Cincinnati Bengals | RB | 5 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Austin Pettis | St. Louis Rams | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Davone Bess | Cleveland Browns | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Jarius Wright | Minnesota Vikings | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Walter Thurmond | Seattle Seahawks | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Kevin Ogletree | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR | 3 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Earl Bennett | Chicago Bears | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 |
| Niles Paul | Washington Redskins | TE | 3 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Lardarius Webb | Baltimore Ravens | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.01 | 3 | 0.01 |
| Markus Wheaton | Pittsburgh Steelers | WR | 2 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Lance Dunbar | Dallas Cowboys | RB | 3 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Santana Moss | Washington Redskins | 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 |
| Ace Sanders | Jacksonville Jaguars | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Alfonso Smith | Arizona Cardinals | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Stepfan Taylor | Arizona Cardinals | RB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Armanti Edwards | Carolina Panthers | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.01 | 2 | 0.01 |
| Brandon Boykin | Philadelphia Eagles | DB | 2 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Cole Beasley | Dallas Cowboys | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Wes Welker | Denver Broncos | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Tyrann Mathieu | Arizona Cardinals | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Lance Moore | New Orleans Saints | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Mike Jenkins | Oakland Raiders | DB | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Taiwan Jones | Oakland Raiders | RB | 1 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Joe Lefeged | Indianapolis Colts | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Omar Bolden | Denver Broncos | DB | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Patrick Edwards | Detroit Lions | WR | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.00 |