Conference Championship ROUND Outlook
Though the old mantra may be that defense wins championships, the 2014 Conference Championship playoff games feature four offenses from the league's top ten which should translate into scoring and return opportunities on ensuing kickoffs.
As with any other week, the percentage of touchbacks is one of the better predictors for fantasy return points. Indianapolis was tied for second best in the NFL in touchback percentage on kickoffs, while Seattle and New England were middle of the road and Green Bay was seventh worst.
While Seattle returners have the advantage when it comes to their opponent's kickoff length, their game may be lower scoring than the Patriots-Colts game. Throw in potential uncertainty on who will handle Seattle kickoff returns with Paul Richardson Jr injured, and Josh Cribbs tops projections for individual returners by 33 total return yards over second place Randall Cobb. Doug Baldwin is third though if we knew he will be handling all kickoff returns for Seattle he would project ahead of Cobb.
Job Changes and Injuries of Note
Seattle will be turning to a new kick returner as Paul Richardson Jr suffered a torn ACL last weekend. Doug Baldwin and punt returner Bryan Walters have both been used sparingly as kick returners this season and Baldwin is probably the most likely to take over the job.
The Packers have been using Randall Cobb more often on returns in the playoffs, and went so far as to leave DuJuan Harris inactive in Green Bay's divisional round game against Dallas. Harris had handled three-fourths of the team's kickoffs during the regular season.
Conference Championship Team Return Projections
| Receiving Team | KR Yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 74 | 0.03 | 21 | 0.05 | 95 | 0.08 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 64 | 0.02 | 20 | 0.03 | 84 | 0.05 |
| Green Bay Packers | 70 | 0.02 | 9 | 0.01 | 79 | 0.03 |
| New England Patriots | 36 | 0.01 | 22 | 0.03 | 58 | 0.04 |
Conference Championship Player Return Projections
| Player | Team | KR Yards | KR TDs | PR yards | PR TDs | Total Yards | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Cribbs | Indianapolis Colts | 63 | 0.03 | 19 | 0.05 | 82 | 0.08 |
| Randall Cobb | Green Bay Packers | 43 | 0.01 | 6 | 0.01 | 49 | 0.02 |
| Doug Baldwin | Seattle Seahawks | 42 | 0.01 | 4 | 0.01 | 46 | 0.02 |
| Bryan Walters | Seattle Seahawks | 23 | 0.01 | 16 | 0.02 | 39 | 0.03 |
| Danny Amendola | New England Patriots | 29 | 0.01 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0.01 |
| Micah Hyde | Green Bay Packers | 24 | 0.01 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0.01 |
| Julian Edelman | New England Patriots | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0.02 | 22 | 0.02 |
| T.Y. Hilton | Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Griff Whalen | Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Daniel Herron | Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Brandon LaFell | New England Patriots | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DuJuan Harris | Green Bay Packers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |