In the past few weeks, Cordarrelle Patterson has broken out completely while Josh Cribbs and Tavon Austin, who weren’t even on this list for most of the season, have emerged as serious contributors. Best of all, it’s just in time for the playoffs. Let’s take a look at what our top fantasy kick returners were up to this week and how consistent they have been all season to get you ready for your return league playoff push.
| Consistency Rank |
Player |
# |
# |
Notes |
| 1 | Cordarrelle Patterson |
8 of 11 |
3 of 11 |
Not only has he put up 100+ return yards in four of his last five games, he’s seen 20 targets over the last two weeks. He is absolutely a must-start weekly in all return leagues and could end the season as a legit PPR contributor as well. |
| 2 |
Josh Cribbs |
4 of 5 |
0 of 5 |
Cribbs has put up 100+ return yards in four straight games and saw five carries out of the wild cat on Sunday against the Ravens. The Jets have given up a ton of field goals so he should continue to see a steady flow of kick returns and his small role on offense gives him a couple more points. |
| 3 | Ted Ginn Jr. |
7 of 11 |
3 of 11 |
Ginn returned a kick and a punt against the Dolphins for a combined 58 yards but only caught three of his 10 targets for 11 yards. The 10 targets were a season-high so, despite the low output, that’s promising. His role on offense hasn’t been nearly what it was in the first month of the season so he’ll need the targets to be startable in return leagues. |
| 3a | Golden Tate |
7 of 11 |
3 of 11 |
The Seahawks were on a bye last week but Tate has put up at least 100 all-purpose yards in four of his last five weeks and has caught three touchdowns over that span. His punt return role is usually minimal but his role on offense makes him startable. Percy Harvin figures to cut into his snaps, however, so he’s not a must-start. |
| 4 | Darren Sproles |
7 of 10 |
2 of 10 |
Sproles missed last Thursday’s game against the Falcons with an injury and hasn’t been the same player he was over the last few years but his role in the run game, pass game, kick returns, and punt returns make him a unique return league must-start. |
| 5 | Julian Edelman |
7 of 11 |
2 of 11 |
After three very quiet games, Edelman came up huge on Sunday against the Broncos with nine catches on 11 targets for 110 yards and two touchdowns and three punt returns for 39 yards. He hasn’t seen this many targets since Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski came back and isn’t liable to see that kind of shoot out again so I would avoid Edelman most weeks. |
| 6 | Keshawn Martin |
7 of 11 |
1 of 11 |
Martin put up a solid three kick returns for 60 yards, three punt returns for 19 yards, and a 12-yard catch on Sunday against the Jags. He’s now put up at least 80 yards in three of his last four games but has been limited since he seldom plays any offense. |
| 7 | Jacoby Jones |
3 of 7 |
2 of 7 |
Jacoby had been quiet until Sunday’s game against the Jets but broke out with four receptions for 103 yards and a touch down, two kick returns for 38 yards and five punt returns for 108 yards. Since he now returns both punts and kicks and has a significant role on offense, he is a solid start weekly. |
| 8 | Brandon Tate |
5 of 9 |
0 of 9 |
The Bengals were on a bye this week but Tate was limited by ridiculous winds in his last game against Cleveland and didn’t get a chance to return a single kick. He had put up 90+ return yards in four straight games coming into that one, though, so he’s a rare startable return-only player. |
| 9 | Dexter McCluster |
6 of 11 |
2 of 11 |
McCluster caught seven of his 10 targets for 59 yards on Sunday against the Chargers and brought back four punts for 34 yards. He has now seen 18 targets over his last two games and makes for a very solid return league starter thanks to his role on offense and the Chiefs’ ability to force plenty of punts. |
| 10 | Devin Hester |
6 of 11 |
1 of 11 |
After winds limited him in Week 11 against Baltimore, Hester came back strong with four kick returns for 90 yards against the Rams. He’s put up 90+ yards in four of his last five games and, like Brandon Tate, is a startable return-only player. |
| 11 | Dwayne Harris |
5 of 11 |
3 of 11 |
Harris was only able to return two kicks for 44 yards before having to leave Sunday’s game with a hammy injury. He’s been inconsistent and rarely plays any offense but he has put up 120+ yards in three of his last six games. He’s tough to trust but has a very high upside. |
| 12 | Jacquizz Rodgers |
5 of 11 |
2 of 11 |
Rodgers barely made a dent on Sunday, running the ball three times for just seven yards and catching two passes for 31 yards. He also hasn’t had a chance to return a kick in two straight weeks. With Steven Jackson back, it’s tough to trust him in any week. |
| 12a | Trindon Holliday |
5 of 11 |
2 of 11 |
Holliday returned three kicks for just 36 yards on Sunday. He has now failed to reach 45 total yards in three of his last four games and was pulled after a couple of dropped punts this week so I wouldn’t definitely stay away from him. |
| 13 | Tavon Austin |
4 of 11 |
3 of 11 |
After a monster effort in Week 10, Austin returned from the bye week with a 65-yard touchdown run, two receptions for 39 yards, and two returns for 25 yards on Sunday against the Bears. He’s done a very solid job returning kicks and is playing a more significant part on offense. His explosiveness gives him a huge upside every week. |
| 14 | LeGarrette Blount |
4 of 11 |
2 of 11 |
We may just be done with Blount who hasn’t returned a kick in two straight weeks and was pulled from Sunday’s game after just two carries for fumbling. With Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, and Stevan Ridley getting plenty of snaps, it’s hard to see Blount being relevant and you should definitely stay away. |
