Even when a player like Darren Sproles or Cordarrelle Patterson puts up a goose egg on offense, return numbers can save your lineup or, in Cordarrelle’s case, make your week. This week we add Brandon Tate to the Big Board after his second 130+ return yard game in three weeks. Of course, he didn’t have a single yard in Week 7 against the Lions so, like all return-only players, he’s an iffy start but the potential for a double-digit game is there weekly.
Let’s take a look at how things are shaping up on the Big Board as we head into Week 9.
| Rank | Wk 8 Rank | Player |
2013 |
2013 RET TD |
2013 |
2013 PPR FPS |
Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Darren Sproles |
285 |
0 |
92.2 |
128.2 |
Sproles had his worst outing of the season, catching four passes for a net total of zero yards. His 51 return yards helped him salvage a 9.1 PPR effort on the day but his lack of production is alarming. He got zero rushing attempts to Pierre Thomas’ 14 and Khiry Robinson’s seven. I wouldn’t sit him in return leagues since the return yardage will certainly keep him relevant but I wouldn’t expect a breakout against a Jets defense that’s been very stingy against the run. |
| 2 | 2 | Jacoby Jones |
183 |
0 |
34.1 |
43.1 |
Jones got hurt in Week 1 and is coming off a bye week but, in just two games, he’s compiled 193 return yards and six receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown. He should see a bigger role on offense moving forward and remains one of the best returners in the league. |
| 3 | 4 | Golden Tate |
270 |
0 |
92.7 |
124.7 |
Although he had just 9 return yards on Monday, Tate had a huge game with five receptions for 93 yards and two scores. Tate has had good return games with weak offensive efforts and good offensive efforts with poor return games but his role in both aspects make him a must-start in return leagues. |
| 4 | 5 | Ted Ginn Jr. |
297 |
0 |
83.3 |
103.3 |
Thanks to 51 return yards, Ginn had a big day on Thursday with five receptions for 80 yards. That’s a 18.1 PPR effort and Ginn remains a weekly must-start in return leagues. |
| 5 | 3 | Julian Edelman |
243 |
0 |
84.9 |
132.2 |
Edelman put forth his worst outing of the year, catching just two passes for seven yards and putting up just 13 return yards. With Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski healthy, Edelman doesn’t figure to be a big part of the offense save for some opportunities out of the slot. |
| 6 | 7 | Dexter McCluster |
352 |
1 |
77.3 |
100.3 |
McCluster had a big game against Cleveland, putting up seven receptions, 72 offensive yards, a touchdown, and 38 return yards for a 24 PPR effort. McCluster hasn’t been very consistent on the offense or in the return game but he is startable in return leagues since he’s a significant part on both sides. |
| 7 | 6 | Jacquizz Rodgers |
90 |
0 |
75.1 |
102.1 |
Rodgers put up just 19 offensive yards but wasn’t a complete bust thanks to 54 return yards. His role is clearly going to diminish with Steven Jackson back but SJax ran 11 times for a mere six yards on Sunday so Rodgers may get more offensive opportunities just because he’s a bigger part of the passing game than Jackson. |
| 8 | 9 | Cordarrelle Patterson |
475 |
2 |
95.8 |
108.8 |
Patterson only caught two passes for 26 yards but had a monster day with 228 return yards and his second return touchdown of the season. As long as he keeps getting a couple of receptions per game, he’ll remain startable with 140+ yard return games in three of six games since Week 2. |
| 9 | 8 | Dwayne Harris |
563 |
1 |
87.3 |
93.3 |
Harris didn’t figure into the offense at all but his 138 return yards were a welcome treat. Although he seldom sees more than a reception per game, he is the main kick and punt returner and has put up fantasy relevant numbers in four of his last five games, including a 222 return yard, one touchdown day two weeks ago against the Redskins. |
| 10 | 12 | Devin Hester |
735 |
1 |
79.5 |
79.5 |
Hester is a return only player but has put up at least seven fantasy points in four straight weeks, including a 125 yard, one touchdown effort in Week 7. He’s as explosive as anyone and returns both kickoffs and punts so you can definitely start him if you don’t have any better alternatives. |
| 11 | 10 | Keshawn Martin |
614 |
0 |
69.8 |
77.8 |
Martin had put up fantasy relevant efforts in two of his last three games before the Texans’ bye in Week 8 but, since he only has three games with more than one pass, it’s hard to start him outside of a bye week pinch. |
| 12 | 11 | Trindon Holliday |
566 |
2 |
73.3 |
73.3 |
Holliday actually made a rare appearance on offense this week, gaining seven rushing yards but putting up just 40 return yards. He’s been fantasy relevant in three of his previous four starts but is just too inconsistent to start since he never gets any offensive opportunities. |
| 13 | 0 | Brandon Tate |
544 |
0 |
55 |
56 |
Tate had a huge 152 yard return game against the Jets as the Bengals defense held them to nine points and plenty of punts. It’s his third 100+ yard effort in five games and his fourth 75+ yard effort in those five so, thanks to the Bengals’ defense, he’s a startable return-only player. |
| 14 | 13 | LeGarrette Blount |
231 |
0 |
58.2 |
58.2 |
He only rushed for 46 yards but his 46 return yards gave him a passable 9.2 fantasy point day. That’s right around what his ceiling is and I wouldn’t expect much more than that out of him. |
| 15 | 14 | Felix Jones |
259 |
0 |
40.1 |
47.1 |
Felix got no return opportunities, two catches for 20 yards, and -1 rushing yards. There’s no point starting him right now. |
| 16 | 15 | Damaris Johnson |
536 |
0 |
55 |
57 |
Johnson caught one pass for six yards and put up 72 return yards against the Giants this week. That was his best effort since Week 3 and he’s just too unreliable to start. |
*FPS based on Yahoo standard scoring.
New on the Big Board: Brandon Tate
