Before the season started I did a couple of articles on fantasy return men. Many leagues these days include return yardage in their scoring. How valuable it is depends on how many points per how many yards, but the standard is usually one point per every 25 yards returned. If your league counts return yards then I hope this update helps identify which guys you want to keep your eye on. Most of the top guys are going to be gone in these leagues as the season has already started. However, there have been a few underachievers so far, and some new names are sneaking into the mix. If you happen to be in an IDP league that counts yardage, getting a good defensive return man can be a major fantasy jackpot. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, the defense return men have not been very helpful so far.
Prior to the season's start, guys like Leodis McKelvin, Quentin Demps, Justin Miller, Alphonso Smith, and Will Blackmon, just to name a few were supposed to be stud IDP return men. However, things never go quite as planned in fantasy football; McKelvin had a season ending injury, Demps lost his job to Ellis Hobbs, Miller got cut in preseason, Smith never got the return job as planned, and Blackmon just couldn't stay healthy and is now out for the season.
As we enter week 6, let's get an updated view of the guys that can rack up fantasy points every week, even if they never score a touchdown. Here are a baker's dozen of the league's top guys.
|
Player Position/Team |
Total Return Yards (thru week 5) |
Ret Yard Avg per game |
TDs |
| 1. Joshua Cribbs, WR, CLE |
782 |
156.4 |
1 |
| Cribbs has become the premier return man in the league. He returns both kick-offs and punts, and is the Browns WR2, as well as their wild cat player | |||
| 2. Darren Sproles, RB, SDC |
538 |
134.5 |
0 |
|
Sproles has been serving time this season as both Tomlinson's stand-in and as the team's primary return man. So far no TDs on returns though. |
|||
| 3. Leon Washington, RB, NYJ |
344 |
68.8 |
0 |
| Washington doesn't return all the team's kicks, but he is also their pass-catching back, so the combination of the two makes him quite valuable, especially in PPR leagues. | |||
| 4. Percy Harvin, WR, MIN |
437 |
87.4 |
1 |
| Harvin was supposed to start his rookie season simply returning kicks. But the teams has turned him into their #1 WR so far too. He's scored in nearly every game in some form or another. | |||
| 5. Clifton Smith, RB TBB |
559 |
111.8 |
0 |
| So far Smith has primarily just handled return duties, but he could get more into the RB mix as the season wears on. | |||
| 6. Jacoby Jones, WR, HOU |
603 |
120.6 |
1 |
| Jones primarily handles return duties but is also the team's WR3/WR4 | |||
| 7. Stefan Logan, RB, PIT |
565 |
113 |
0 |
| While the guys listed above are known names, Logan came out of nowhere this season. Unlike those guys, all Logan does is return kicks. | |||
| 8. Aaron Brown, RB, DET |
455 |
91 |
0 |
| All Brown does is handle kick return duties. | |||
| 9. Jordy Nelson, WR, GBP |
190* |
N/A |
0 |
| *Nelson should really be higher on this list, but he just took over return duties when Will Blackmon went on the IR. Nelson also plays in the team's 3 and 4 receiver sets. | |||
| 10. Andre Caldwell, WR, CIN |
346 |
69.2 |
0 |
| Like the receivers above, Caldwell is used in the passing game as well. | |||
| 11. Jamaal Charles, RB, KCC |
331 |
66.2 |
0 |
| Charles spends his Sundays backing up Larry Johnson when not return kicks, but expect to see more of his running skills as well, as the teams frustration with Johnson heats up. | |||
| 12. Johnny Knox, WR, CHI |
322 |
80.5 |
1 |
| Return duties were supposed to go to Danieal Manning when Devin Hester gave them up, but Knox' speed and Manning's injuries have gotten the rookie into the return game as well as his WR duties. | |||
| 13. Arnez Battle, WR, SFO |
TBD |
TBD |
0 |
| Up until this week, Allen Rossum has handled the 49ers return duties, but he was cut loose (and signed with Dallas) to make room for Michael Crabtree. Battle will now get the return job. | |||
I have left out the defensive return men because none of them are proving to be better than standard IDP defensive backs so far this season. The names to know of those who are returning kicks, are Josh Wilson, SEA, Danieal Manning, CHI; Ellis Hobbs, PHI; Chris Carr, BAL; and Brian Witherspoon, JAX.
