DIVISIONAL ROUND Outlook
During the regular season many teams will avoid using key offensive or defensive players on returns in order to avoid extra injury risk or added fatigue. But during the playoffs, those extra concerns may go out the window. Most of the playoff teams this season are already using their best returners so we may not see much of a change, but the Green Bay Packers are one possible exception. The Packers have had Randall Cobb split time on returns with DuJuan Harris and Micah Hyde during the regular season, but might give Cobb more opportunities in the playoffs.
Kickoff returns tend to net more yards than do punt returns, so a good strategy is starting kick returners playing against teams that fail to achieve many touchbacks on their kickoffs. The Divisional round includes a Colts-Broncos game hosted in Denver, where thinner atmosphere at altitude increases kickoff distance and leads to more touchbacks and fewer fantasy return points. The Broncos' touchback rate on the road this season was 44%, while playing at home in Mile High Stadium it jumped to 81%.
Another likely high-scoring game, but one without the downside of Denver's thin atmosphere, is Dallas visiting Green Bay. Predicting the Packers returners is more difficult as they have used a mix throughout the season. Though they may favor Randall Cobb more in the playoffs, it is not a sure thing. The Cowboys return game is more certain with Dwayne Harris handling all kickoffs and punts, and combined with the anticipation of high scoring by Green Bay, puts Harris atop returner projections for the week.
Ravens returner Jacoby Jones should be another solid fantasy returner option in the Divisional Round. Jones has top end speed that makes him one of the better returners in the league, and he faces a New England team that was 4th in the NFL in scoring this season, and has a touchback percentage on kickoffs which is only slightly above average at 54%.
Job Changes and Injuries of Note
Brenton Bersin will continue to return punts for Carolina according to Panthers coach Ron Rivera. Bersin muffed a punt during the team's playoff win last week. Bersin's potential competition, receiver Philly Brown, is nursing a shoulder injury.
DIVISIONAL ROUND Team Return Projections
| Receiving Team | KR Yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 97 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 | 113 | 0.04 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 73 | 0.04 | 19 | 0.04 | 92 | 0.08 |
| Green Bay Packers | 60 | 0.02 | 19 | 0.02 | 79 | 0.04 |
| Carolina Panthers | 63 | 0.02 | 10 | 0.01 | 73 | 0.03 |
| New England Patriots | 35 | 0.01 | 15 | 0.02 | 50 | 0.03 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 24 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.05 | 46 | 0.06 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 19 | 0.00 | 19 | 0.02 | 39 | 0.03 |
| Denver Broncos | 12 | 0.00 | 22 | 0.03 | 33 | 0.03 |
DIVISIONAL ROUND Player Return Projections
| Player | Team | KR Yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Harris | Dallas Cowboys | 88 | 0.02 | 14 | 0.02 | 102 | 0.04 |
| Jacoby Jones | Baltimore Ravens | 66 | 0.03 | 15 | 0.04 | 81 | 0.07 |
| Danny Amendola | New England Patriots | 28 | 0.01 | 12 | 0.01 | 40 | 0.02 |
| Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | 28 | 0.01 | 11 | 0.01 | 39 | 0.02 |
| Josh Cribbs | Indianapolis Colts | 19 | 0.01 | 18 | 0.04 | 37 | 0.05 |
| Brenton Bersin | Carolina Panthers | 26 | 0.01 | 9 | 0.01 | 35 | 0.02 |
| Fozzy Whittaker | Carolina Panthers | 31 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0.01 |
| DuJuan Harris | Green Bay Packers | 20 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0.01 |
| Micah Hyde | Green Bay Packers | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.01 |
| Wes Welker | Denver Broncos | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Bryan Walters | Seattle Seahawks | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.02 |
| Paul Richardson Jr | Seattle Seahawks | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Mike Campanaro | Baltimore Ravens | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Omar Bolden | Denver Broncos | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Doug Baldwin | Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Philly Brown | Carolina Panthers | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Cole Beasley | Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| J.J. Wilcox | Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Isaiah Burse | Denver Broncos | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 |
| Griff Whalen | Indianapolis Colts | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Andre Caldwell | Denver Broncos | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Patrick Chung | New England Patriots | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Branden LaFell | New England Patriots | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Daniel Herron | Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Richard Sherman | Seattle Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |