It was a big week for many a kick returner as five of our ranked players put up more than a touchdown worth of points on returns alone. We also had some near hits, with Travis Benjamin putting up a monster game for the Browns and Deonte Thompson and Tandon Doss with big games for the Ravens but I’m not ready to put them on the Big Board just yet.
Sunday was Benjamin’s first day with more than 31 return yards and while 179 yards, one touchdown day will make you yearn for what could have been, he’s too risky a pickup since he doesn’t get in on offense. Thompson and Doss do play some offense but I worry about their roles with the impending returns of Jacoby Jones and Marlon Brown so they’ll remain on our watch list for now.
Let’s take a look at who’s up and who’s down on this week’s Return League Big Board.
| Rank | Wk 5 Rank | Player |
2013 |
2013 RET TD |
2013 |
2013 PPR FPS |
Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Darren Sproles |
224 |
0 |
75.5 |
101.5 |
Drew Brees looked Pierre Thomas’ way far more than usual but Sproles 40 return yards helped soften the blow of his uncharacteristic 41 yard game. He should be back to what we’ve seen from him next week against the Pats. |
| 2 | 2 | Julian Edelman |
176 |
0 |
66.1 |
102.1 |
Cincy really shut down Tom Brady so Edelman was only able to walk away with two receptions and 42 total yards but his 43 punt return yards helped prevent a complete disaster in return leagues. It’ll be interesting to see what Edelman’s role will be with Danny Amendola and Austin Collie in the lineup but he remains Tom Brady’s favorite WR target. |
| 3 | 0 | Danny Woodhead |
64 |
0 |
50.7 |
81.7 |
Woodhead has been a huge get in PPR leagues and with 46 return yards on Sunday, he gave PPR return league owners 26.7 FPS. If he continues to produce at this rate, he could be moving up into Darren Sproles territory. |
| 4 | 5 | Ted Ginn Jr. |
191 |
0 |
54.3 |
65.3 |
Ginn keeps producing and while he’s a risk in standard leagues, his 69 return yards on Sunday and 191 on the season make him a very attractive start. He put up 18.7 FPS in PPR return leagues this week. |
| 5 | 4 | Golden Tate |
228 |
0 |
55.3 |
73.3 |
Like Ginn, Tate doesn’t usually make for a great standard league start but his 228 return yards make him very relevant in return leagues. Although he only put up 32 return yards this week, he added five receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown, bringing his PPR return total to 19.3. |
| 6 | 3 | Cordarrelle Patterson |
406 |
1 |
54.8 |
60.8 |
Patterson was on a bye this week but his explosiveness in the return game and occasional receptions make him a good looking play in return leagues. |
| 7 | 10 | T.Y. Hilton |
65 |
0 |
53.3 |
73.3 |
Hilton didn’t get anything returnable but put up his biggest game of the season with five receptions for 140 yards and two TDs. It’s a rare game that only came to be because Reggie Wayne was well covered and held to 65 yards so don’t expect these efforts often. His return yards give him a tiny bit of help but he’s a risky play week-to-week. |
| 8 | 8 | Jacquizz Rodgers |
69 |
0 |
47.5 |
64.5 |
Rodgers only got 23 yards on returns but put up a monster game as he scored twice on the Jets, despite being held to 43 rushing yards and 15 receiving yards. With Steven Jackson on the mend, Rodgers will likely see a reduced role and will be a risky start since he hasn’t gotten a chance to return a whole lot of kicks. |
| 9 | 7 | David Wilson |
222 |
0 |
50.8 |
52.8 |
Wilson looked promising in the first half against the Eagles but hurt his neck and will be out for what appears to be a few weeks. We’ll revisit Wilson when he returns but his 222 return yards have made him a much better play in return leagues than standard ones. |
| 10 | 9 | Keshawn Martin |
507 |
0 |
59.4 |
65.4 |
Martin had yet another big game despite only getting one reception. He posted 131 return yards for his third 100+ yard game of the season. We’ve seen Martin get as many as six targets in a game so if he remains a part of the offense he’ll be a pretty solid return league play. |
| 11 | 11 | Trindon Holliday |
426 |
2 |
54.6 |
54.6 |
Holliday is one of few return-only players on this list but his 96 yard day against the Cowboys (even though they tried desperately to keep the ball away from him) is his third 90+ yard game of the season. He’s a risky play since he doesn’t play any offense but one with solid upside if you’re desperate. He’s already brought back two returns for touchdowns. |
| 12 | 12 | Jeremy Kerley |
82 |
0 |
34.5 |
48.5 |
Kerley had a strong five reception, 68 yard, one touchdown day on Monday and his 29 punt return yards gave him an extra points boost in return leagues. As a slot guy, his yardage and scoring chances are limited so he’s only a good play with Santonio Holmes and/or Stephen Hill out. |
| 13 | 13 | Dexter McCluster |
288 |
1 |
45.4 |
56.4 |
McCluster didn’t see a single target on Sunday after seeing at least four in each of his first four games. His 39 return yards was hardly helpful so he’ll be a risky play with so few offensive snaps. |
| 14 | 6 | Tavon Austin |
57 |
0 |
34.3 |
57.3 |
Austin just continues to disappoint, putting up just three receptions for 32 yards against the Jags, adding just 15 punt return yards. If you’re not going to have a big day against the Jags, who will you have the big day against? He’s a risky play in all leagues and I wouldn’t recommend starting him. |
| 15 | 15 | Devin Hester |
537 |
0 |
53.7 |
53.7 |
Hester has been a decent play despite not getting any offensive snaps, adding 66 yards to his league-leading total this week. He’s had two great games and two that he didn’t get any chances in. That’s always the problem with return-only players so I’d stay away from starting him. |
| 16 | 14 | LeGarrette Blount |
84 |
0 |
35 |
35 |
Blount didn’t have a single return and fumbled a ball which will likely reduce his time in the backfield. He’s too risky a play in most leagues and offers zero PPR value. |
| 17 | 16 | Damaris Johnson |
376 |
0 |
37.6 |
37.6 |
Outside of a couple of big games, Damaris has been as disappointing as the entire Eagles team. Still, he’ll get more opportunities when the Eagles allow their usual amount of points. |
| 18 | 17 | Dwayne Harris |
279 |
0 |
40 |
46 |
Harris has one reception in every game thus far and back-to-back efforts with 75+ yards but the Cowboys aren’t liable to give up another 51 points to create that many return opportunities again. |
| 19 | 18 | Felix Jones |
194 |
0 |
26.5 |
29.5 |
Jones was on a bye but we’ll see how he fits into the Steelers’ picture with Le’Veon Bell back. |
*FPS based on Yahoo standard scoring.
New on the Big Board: Danny Woodhead
