Individual returner projections for each week are included in your MyFBG projections and rankings automatically. My returner projections are included in the default projection set with David Dodds' offensive predictions. Choose David as the source, and then choose a scoring system in which you have included points for return yards.
The base return projections for a week can be seen on this page. You can also go to the content for the week and use the Returner Projections link to get there.
UPDATES:
A hurricane is bearing down on the East Coast and could affect games there, particularly Philadelphia and Washington.
Reggie Bush is fully participating in 49ers practice and Bruce Ellington is listed as Probable.
Tyler Varga is dealing with a concussion and has been ruled out for Week 4 for the Colts.
Early in the week, Travis Benjamin was limited in practice with injured ribs but then was upgraded to Probable for Cleveland.
Devin Hester is practicing with turf toe, but is still limited in Atlanta and has been ruled Out. Eric Weems will likely continue to see the returns in the meantime.
Jacoby Jones has not practiced for the Chargers and has now been ruled Out.
Adam Jones is listed as Questionable, but by week's end participated fully in practice with the Bengals, so may be likely to play.
Omar Bolden has been upgraded to Probable after missing the last few games for Denver.
Raiders kick returner Taiwan Jones was limited in practice at the end of the week and is Questionable. It is not clear who will handle returns if Jones cannot play.
Josh Huff has been upgraded to Probable for Philadelphia.
Ravens receiver Steve Smith reportedly broke four bones in his back in Baltimore's Week 4 game on Thursday. Smith had already given way to Mike Campanaro on punt returns, but Campanaro was also injured in the game and has been placed on Injured Reserve. The Ravens could look to Lardarius Webb as a returner now, and on Saturday acquired receiver Chris Givens in a trade from the Rams. Givens could be used on kickoffs and Webb on punts, though we may not know until next week's game.
Week 3 Recap
Top Performers
There were 19 return touchdowns in 2014 and 20 in 2013. An influx of talented returners this year has already resulted in 9 return touchdowns through just 3 games, with rookies producing 4 of them including 2 this week. Tyler Lockett picked up a kickoff touchdown for the Seahawks, while Marcus Murphy took a punt back 64 yards for the Saints on their way to ranking second and third for the week in total return yards. Rashad Ross topped all returners with 158 kickoff return yards and a touchdown of his own as he made a case for the Washington coaching staff having made the right decision in giving Ross the job over Chris Thompson.
With a few games in the book, those seeking the hot hand at returner each week may wish to pay particular attention to the touchback percentages that drive kickoff return opportunities. The Eagles and Bears may provide good returner matchups as they are noticeably the worst in the league this year, gaining touchbacks on only 23% and 33% of their kickoffs respectively, though the anemic offensive output of the Bears in particular also needs to be considered. The Giants, Packers and Chargers are the only other teams in the NFL below 50% and have been better at generating scores that lead to kickoffs. The Ravens, Colts, Broncos and Cowboys are all above 87% in touchback percentage, so are opponents you may wish to avoid. UPDATE: Houston released Randy Bullock and signed Nick Novak as their kicker. Novak was amongst the worst in the league at kickoffs the last two seasons in San Diego, and many a return fantasy point was scored by acquiring whoever was facing San Diego each week. If Novak takes over kickoffs for Houston, they may become a desirable opponent to face as well, with only their offensive output to worry about each week.
All Week 3 Returners
Below are all returners for Week 3.
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | Kick Ret | KR Yds | KR TD | Punt Ret | PR Yds | PR TD | Total Yds | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashad Ross | WAS | 4 | 158 | 1 | 158 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Marcus Murphy | NOR | 3 | 72 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 1 | 154 | 1 |
| 3 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | 1 | 105 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 114 | 1 |
| 4 | Knile Davis | KAN | 3 | 95 | 0 | 95 | 0 | |||
| 5 | DeAndrew White | SFO | 4 | 95 | 0 | 95 | 0 | |||
| 6 | Darren Sproles | PHI | 3 | 89 | 1 | 89 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Bobby Rainey | TAM | 1 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 0 | 75 | 0 |
| 8 | Jeremy Kerley | NYJ | 7 | 69 | 0 | 69 | 0 | |||
| 9 | Ty Montgomery | GNB | 2 | 64 | 0 | 64 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Mike Campanaro | BAL | 1 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 61 | 0 |
| 11 | Taiwan Jones | OAK | 2 | 60 | 0 | 60 | 0 | |||
| 12 | Cordarrelle Patterson | MIN | 2 | 53 | 0 | 53 | 0 | |||
| 13 | Benny Cunningham | STL | 2 | 48 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |||
| 14 | Quintin Demps | HOU | 2 | 46 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |||
| 15 | Corey Grant | JAX | 2 | 41 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |||
| 16 | Marcus Sherels | MIN | 3 | 38 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 17 | De'Anthony Thomas | KAN | 1 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| 18 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | 1 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| 19 | Jarryd Hayne | SFO | 1 | 37 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |||
| 20 | Adam Jones | CIN | 1 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 21 | Tavon Austin | STL | 3 | 32 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||
| 22 | Lance Dunbar | DAL | 1 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 23 | Micah Hyde | GNB | 4 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |||
| 24 | Patrick Peterson | ARI | 1 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| 25 | Marc Mariani | CHI | 1 | 27 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |||
| 26 | Brandon Tate | CIN | 3 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||
| 27 | Eric Weems | ATL | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |||
| 28 | Jordan Todman | PIT | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||
| 29 | Cole Beasley | DAL | 2 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
| 30 | Shaun Draughn | CLE | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |||
| 31 | Branden Oliver | SDG | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |||
| 32 | Danny Amendola | NWE | 2 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||
| 33 | Dwayne Harris | NYG | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 34 | Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | 2 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||
| 35 | Jamison Crowder | WAS | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 36 | Travis Benjamin | CLE | 3 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 37 | Julian Edelman | NWE | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 38 | Marcus Thigpen | BUF | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 39 | Travis Carrie | OAK | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| 40 | Keenan Allen | SDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 41 | Dexter McCluster | TEN | 3 | -1 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
Returners Year to Date
Here are the top 40 returners for the year by total return yards.
| RK | PLAYER | TEAM | Kick Ret | KR Yds | KR TD | Punt Ret | PR Yds | PR TD | Total Yds | Total TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | 7 | 240 | 1 | 7 | 94 | 1 | 334 | 2 |
| 2 | Bobby Rainey | TAM | 5 | 147 | 0 | 10 | 99 | 0 | 246 | 0 |
| 3 | Marc Mariani | CHI | 6 | 161 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 192 | 0 |
| 4 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | 6 | 189 | 0 | 189 | 0 | |||
| 5 | Ty Montgomery | GNB | 6 | 189 | 0 | 189 | 0 | |||
| 6 | Rashad Ross | WAS | 5 | 181 | 1 | 181 | 1 | |||
| 7 | Marcus Murphy | NOR | 4 | 95 | 0 | 4 | 84 | 1 | 179 | 1 |
| 8 | Travis Benjamin | CLE | 10 | 173 | 1 | 173 | 1 | |||
| 9 | Dwayne Harris | NYG | 3 | 90 | 0 | 7 | 69 | 0 | 159 | 0 |
| 10 | David Johnson | ARI | 2 | 151 | 1 | 151 | 1 | |||
| 11 | Tyler Varga | IND | 6 | 151 | 0 | 151 | 0 | |||
| 12 | Knile Davis | KAN | 5 | 146 | 0 | 146 | 0 | |||
| 13 | DeAndrew White | SFO | 6 | 142 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 146 | 0 |
| 14 | Jarvis Landry | MIA | 1 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 118 | 1 | 136 | 1 |
| 15 | Cordarrelle Patterson | MIN | 5 | 136 | 0 | 136 | 0 | |||
| 16 | Darren Sproles | PHI | 8 | 134 | 1 | 134 | 1 | |||
| 17 | Lance Dunbar | DAL | 5 | 129 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 133 | 0 |
| 18 | De'Anthony Thomas | KAN | 1 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 114 | 0 | 133 | 0 |
| 19 | Eric Weems | ATL | 5 | 103 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 131 | 0 |
| 20 | Corey Grant | JAX | 5 | 127 | 0 | 127 | 0 | |||
| 21 | Taiwan Jones | OAK | 4 | 121 | 0 | 121 | 0 | |||
| 22 | Tavon Austin | STL | 5 | 113 | 1 | 113 | 1 | |||
| 23 | Adam Jones | CIN | 3 | 77 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| 24 | Brandon Tate | CIN | 3 | 43 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 0 | 97 | 0 |
| 25 | Ted Ginn Jr | CAR | 7 | 90 | 0 | 90 | 0 | |||
| 26 | Branden Oliver | SDG | 4 | 90 | 0 | 90 | 0 | |||
| 27 | Mike Campanaro | BAL | 2 | 55 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 90 | 0 |
| 28 | Marcus Sherels | MIN | 8 | 86 | 0 | 86 | 0 | |||
| 29 | Jeremy Kerley | NYJ | 9 | 82 | 0 | 82 | 0 | |||
| 30 | Zac Stacy | NYJ | 4 | 82 | 0 | 82 | 0 | |||
| 31 | Shaun Draughn | CLE | 3 | 77 | 0 | 77 | 0 | |||
| 32 | Benny Cunningham | STL | 3 | 76 | 0 | 76 | 0 | |||
| 33 | Keith Mumphery | HOU | 10 | 72 | 0 | 72 | 0 | |||
| 34 | Richard Sherman | SEA | 1 | 64 | 0 | 64 | 0 | |||
| 35 | Isaiah Pead | STL | 3 | 63 | 0 | 63 | 0 | |||
| 36 | Danny Amendola | NWE | 6 | 58 | 0 | 58 | 0 | |||
| 37 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | 2 | 57 | 0 | 57 | 0 | |||
| 38 | Dexter McCluster | TEN | 9 | 54 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |||
| 39 | LaMichael James | MIA | 2 | 54 | 0 | 54 | 0 | |||
| 40 | Quintin Demps | HOU | 2 | 46 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
Week 4 Outlook
Job Changes
T.J. Jones was active for the first time for Detroit, and took over punt returns from Golden Tate in the game.
Danny Amendola handled kickoff returns for New England. The Patriots are not shy about changing up their returners, leaving owners of Amendola and Dion Lewis guessing who will get the more valuable kickoffs.
Michael Campanaro handled all returns for the Ravens, taking over punts from receiver Steve Smith.
Rookie receiver Amari Cooper began to see some time on punt returns, with one return of 9 yards and another of -9 yards. Coach Jack Del Rio said Cooper will be used on punt returns occasionally.
Marcus Murphy's punt return touchdown came at a good time, as the Saints are looking for ways to get C.J. Spiller involved. Murphy had not fared well so far in the return game.
Backup kick returner Isaiah Pead was released by the Rams. Tavon Austin and Chris Givens could be options as backups to Benny Cunningham.
Richard Sherman's long punt return came on a trick play as normal Seahawks returner Tyler Lockett pretended to field the ball on one side of the field, drawing the coverage unit away from where Sherman caught the punt on the other side.
Dolphins kick returner Raheem Mostert was left inactive Week 3. Jarvis Landry and Damien Williams combined to handle the kickoff returns. Landry continued to handle punts.
Percy Harvin again handled kickoffs for the Bills.
As expected, Patrick Peterson took over punt returns for the Cardinals. Though his stat line includes a kickoff return, it was returning the kick after a safety, and not something that Peterson owners should expect to repeat often.
Fozzy Whittaker remained the Panthers kick returner despite Joe Webb III having the only return listed in Carolina's stat line.
Tyler Varga saw the majority of kickoffs for Indianapolis, though receiver Phillip Dorsett handled one of the many kicks that resulted in touchbacks.
The Texans turned to receiver Cecil Shorts to handle punt returns after Chandler Worthy was ineffective and had one fumble.
Bobby Rainey has been handling all of the returns for the Buccaneers, but will have to hang onto the ball better if he wishes to keep them. Rainey had two fumbles this week.
INJURIES OF NOTE
Josh Huff was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring issue and missed Philadelphia's game against the Jets.
Chris Owusu had his knee scoped and could miss 3 weeks. Zac Stacy handled returns for the Jets but only averaged 20.5 yard per return on his 4 returns.
Adam Jones left the Bengals game with an elbow injury. His status for Week 4 will need to be watched.
Omar Bolden continues to miss games for Denver. Andre Caldwell handled kickoff returns as he did the week before.
Atlanta's Devin Hester and San Diego's Jacoby Jones continue to miss time with injuries. Until either is practicing fully they should not be counted on for fantasy purposes.
