With a quarter of the NFL season behind us, the elite kick returners around the league have emerged. Players like Cordarrelle Patterson, Devin Hester, Keshawn Martin, and Trindon Holliday have already put up more yardage and points than most every down players and their return league value is far higher than standard leagues where Hester and Holliday have no value at all. Similarly, players like Julian Edelman, David Wilson, and Ted Ginn Jr. have increased their existing value with strong return efforts as well. Let’s take a look at who’s moving up and who’s dropping like a pass to Kenbrell Thompkins on this week’s return league Big Board.
| Rank | Wk 4 Rank | Player |
2013 |
2013 RET TD |
2013 |
2013 PPR FPS |
Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Darren Sproles |
184 |
0 |
61.4 |
84.4 |
Sproles had a huge two TD game against the Dolphins on Monday but he was even more valuable in return leagues where he added 80 return yards for an extra eight points. In a PPR return league, he scored a ridiculous 41.2 FPS. |
| 2 | 3 | Julian Edelman |
133 |
0 |
57.6 |
91.6 |
Edelman had one of his best games receiving but failed to bring back a single punt. He’s still the best punt returner in the league, averaging the highest yards per return of any active returner. |
| 3 | 6 | Cordarrelle Patterson |
406 |
1 |
54.8 |
60.8 |
Patterson has quickly emerged as the most explosive returner in the league, adding 144 return yards to bring his season total above 400. That’s 46.6 FPS on return yardage and one score alone. We’d like to see more of him in the pass game but he’s worth starting even with minimal offensive opportunities. |
| 4 | 7 | Golden Tate |
196 |
0 |
40 |
53 |
Tate hasn’t been much of a standard league player but his 60 return yards this week and nearly 200 on the season certainly make him a lot more relevant, and startable, in return leagues. |
| 5 | 5 | Ted Ginn Jr. |
122 |
0 |
39.6 |
46.6 |
Ginn is coming off a bye week and has been a significant part of the offense. If Cam Newton continues to look his way, Ginn will be a force to be reckoned with in return leagues. |
| 6 | 4 | Tavon Austin |
42 |
0 |
29.6 |
49.6 |
Tavon hasn’t added much in terms of offense or return yardage but his potential to have a big game makes him worth the roster spot. |
| 7 | 10 | David Wilson |
206 |
0 |
30.4 |
32.4 |
Wilson had his best game of the season against the Chiefs, putting up 55 rush yards, eight receiving yards, and 61 return yards. What was a sub-par effort in standard leagues was a 14.4 FPS effort in PPR return leagues. |
| 8 | 12 | Jacquizz Rodgers |
46 |
0 |
27.4 |
40.4 |
Rodgers had a solid day, rushing for 32 yards and catching six passes for 56 yards. He added a season-high 29 return yards, bringing his Sunday total to 17.6 FPS in PPR return leagues. |
| 9 | 8 | Keshawn Martin |
376 |
0 |
45.4 |
50.4 |
Martin had a quiet day against the Seahawks but still managed 53 return yards and one catch for six yards. He came in seeing a few targets each game so if he can remain a part of the offense he is very startable in return leagues. |
| 10 | 11 | T.Y. Hilton |
65 |
0 |
27.3 |
43.3 |
It’s been an up-and-down season for Hilton and his low return yard total isn’t helping. He added just 19 on Sunday to go along with 48 yards. It wasn’t a bad PPR effort, however, as he came away with 12 FPS in PPR return leagues. |
| 11 | 16 | Trindon Holliday |
330 |
2 |
45 |
45 |
Holliday had another big return day, putting up 105 yards and a TD against the Eagles. He’s had two huge games and two irrelevant games and should only be started against teams that can score (Philly scored four times) and give Trindon plenty of kick off opportunities. |
| 12 | 13 | Jeremy Kerley |
53 |
0 |
18.7 |
27.7 |
Kerley hasn’t been a big factor on offense or special teams, adding just seven yards this week. The Jets didn’t see many punts and few returnable ones against the Titans. With Stephen Hill and Santonio Holmes injured, Kerley will see a nice bump in production on offense. |
| 13 | 17 | Dexter McCluster |
249 |
1 |
41.2 |
52.2 |
I had McCluster written off as a returner with no offensive potential but he caught five passes on Sunday and had a huge 113 return yard and one return TD game against the Giants. If he can contribute at least a few receptions on offense he’ll be startable in return leagues. |
| 14 | 15 | LeGarrette Blount |
84 |
0 |
29.9 |
29.9 |
Blount didn’t get a single kick return but he led the Pats in rushing for the second straight week with 64 yards and a TD. If he continues to get around 10+ touches, he’ll definitely be startable in return leagues. |
| 15 | 19 | Devin Hester |
471 |
0 |
47.1 |
47.1 |
Hester has been a monster in the return game, putting up a huge 164 yard effort against the Lions. Like most kick returners, he’s hit and miss but his potential makes you want to start him more often. He put up 24.9 FPS in week 2 and 16.4 this week on return yardage alone. |
| 16 | 9 | Damaris Johnson |
352 |
0 |
33.2 |
33.2 |
Damaris is too hit and miss to start with no offensive snaps. |
| 17 | 0 | Dwayne Harris |
200 |
0 |
29.3 |
34.3 |
Harris cracks the Big Board with a big 123 return yard effort and one reception for 13 yards for a 14.6 FPS effort in PPR return leagues. He put up 9.5 FPS last week and 8.1 FPS and could become startable if his offensive role grows. |
| 18 | 18 | Felix Jones |
194 |
0 |
26.5 |
29.5 |
Jones put up a strong 92 return yards against on Sunday but the return of Le’Veon Bell kept Jones to a mere three touches. He’s not startable unless Bell goes down again. |
*FPS based on Yahoo standard scoring.
New on the Big Board: Dwayne Harris
Off the Big Board: Antonio Brown, Harry Douglas
