2014 Kick and Punt Returner thread (1 Viewer)

[Leroy Hoard]

Order of news precedence = Official Depth Charts / Local News OR FBG Staff / News / Updated = Last update found in search enginesPosition Designations are Depth Chart not FFB (I.E WR2 backs up a primary LWR or RWR)Backups Immediately BelowChangelog: 9/3 Added Backup, Depth Chart/Position DesignationWill attempt to add sources of news and position designations for the players aside from returning, if applicable, in future updates.UPDATED 9/3/2014 11:02PM

Team KR PR News / UpdatedArizona Cardinals Ted Ginn WR2 Ted Ginn WR2 9/2/2014 John Brown WR2 Patrick Peterson LCB1Atlanta Falcons Devin Hester WR2 Devin Hester WR2 9/2/2014 Eric Weems WR3 Eric Weems WR3Baltimore Ravens Jacoby Jones RWR2 Jacoby Jones RWR2 9/3/2014 Deonte Thompson RWR3 Asa Jackson LCB1Buffalo Bills C.J. Spiller RB1 Leodis McKelvin LCB1 9/3/2014 Marquise Goodwin WR2 Fred Jackson RB2Carolina Panthers Philly Brown WR3 Philly Brown WR3 9/1/2014 Fozzy Whitaker RB3 Antoine Cason LCB1Chicago Bears Senorise Perry RB4 Michael Spurlock WR3 9/2/2014 Michael Spurlock WR3 Santonio Holmes WR2Cincinnati Bengals Brandon Tate WR2 Brandon Tate WR2 9/1/2014 Dane Sanzenbacher WR3 Adam Jones RCB2Cleveland Browns Travis Benjamin WR2 Travis Benjamin WR2 9/3/2014 Justin Gilbert RCB2 Jordan Poyer FS2Dallas Cowboys Dwayne Harris WR2 Dwayne Harris WR2 9/2/2014 J.J. Wilcox SS1 Cole Beasley WR2Denver Broncos Andre Caldwell WR2 Isaiah Burse WR2 9/3/2014 Omar Bolden RCB3 Wes Welker WR1 (S)Detroit Lions Jeremy Ross WR2 Jeremy Ross WR2 9/1/2014 Theo Riddick RB3 Golden Tate WR1Green Bay Packers DuJuan Harris RB3 Randall Cobb WR1 9/2/2014 Micah Hyde FS1 Micah Hyde FS1Houston Texans Keshawn Martin WR2 Keshawn Martin WR2 9/2/2014 Demaris Johnson WR3 Demaris Johnson WR3Indianapolis Colts Dan Herron RB3 Loucheiz Purifoy LCB 9/2/2014 Deji Karim Griff Whalen WR2Jacksonville JaguarJordan Todman RB3 Mike Brown WR3 9/2/2014 Denard Robinson WR2 Will Blackmon LCB2Kansas City Chiefs Knile Davis RB2 De Anthony Thomas RB3 8/25/2014 Frankie Hammond WR1 Frankie Hammond WR1Miami Dolphins Jarvis Landry WR2 Jarvis Landry WR2 9/2/2014 Damien Williams RB3 Rishard Matthews WR2Minnesota Vikings Cordarrelle Patterson WRMarcus Sherels LCB3 9/1/2014 Marcus Sherels LCB3 Jarius Wright WR2New England PatriotShane Vereen RB1 Julian Edelman WR1 9/3/2014 Matthew Slater WR3 Danny Amendola WR1New Orleans Saints Travaris Cadet RB4 Travaris Cadet RB4 9/2/2014 Brandin Cooks WR3 Brandin Cooks WR3New York Giants Quintin Demps FS2 Preston Parker WR3 9/1/2014 Preston Parker WR3 Rueben Randle WR1New York Jets Saalim Hakim WR3 Jalen Saunders WR3 9/2/2014 Jeremy Kerley WR1Oakland Raiders Latavius Murray RB3 TJ Carrie LCB2 9/1/2014 Taiwan Jones LCB4 Denarius Moore WR2Philadelphia EaglesNolan Carroll II CB2 Darren Sproles 9/2/2014 Josh Huff WR2 Jeff Maehl WR2Pittsburgh SteelersDri Archer RB3 Antonio Brown WR1 9/3/2014 LeGarrette Blount RB2 Dri Archer RB3San Diego Chargers Donald Brown RB3 Eddie Royal WR2 9/2/2014 Keenan Allen WR1San Francisco 49ersBruce Ellington WR3 Bruce Ellington WR3 9/2/2014 LaMichael James RB3 LaMichael James RB3Seattle Seahawks Percy Harvin WR1 Earl Thomas FS1 9/2/2014 Doug Baldwin WR1 Richard Sherman LCB1St Louis Rams Benny Cunningham RB2 Tavon Austin WR1 9/2/2014 Tavon Austin WR1 Justin Veltung WR4Tamp Bay BuccaneersChris Owusu WR2 Bobby Rainey RB2 9/2/2014 Mike James RB3Tennessee Titans Leon Washington RB4 Dexter McCluster RB3 9/2/2014 Dexter McCluster RB3 Leon Washington RB4Washington RedskinsAndre Roberts WR2 Andre Roberts WR2 9/2/2014 Beshaud Breeland RCB2 DeSean Jackson WR1

I know it adds an injury threat but I really like when starters such as Harvin & Edelman are also returners.

 

[peyton41]

Order of news precedence = Official Depth Charts / Local News OR FBG Staff / News / Updated = Last update found in search enginesPosition Designations are Depth Chart not FFB (I.E WR2 backs up a primary LWR or RWR)Backups Immediately BelowChangelog: 9/3 Added Backup, Depth Chart/Position DesignationWill attempt to add sources of news and position designations for the players aside from returning, if applicable, in future updates.UPDATED 9/3/2014 11:02PM

Team KR PR News / UpdatedArizona Cardinals Ted Ginn WR2 Ted Ginn WR2 9/2/2014 John Brown WR2 Patrick Peterson LCB1Atlanta Falcons Devin Hester WR2 Devin Hester WR2 9/2/2014 Eric Weems WR3 Eric Weems WR3Baltimore Ravens Jacoby Jones RWR2 Jacoby Jones RWR2 9/3/2014 Deonte Thompson RWR3 Asa Jackson LCB1Buffalo Bills C.J. Spiller RB1 Leodis McKelvin LCB1 9/3/2014 Marquise Goodwin WR2 Fred Jackson RB2Carolina Panthers Philly Brown WR3 Philly Brown WR3 9/1/2014 Fozzy Whitaker RB3 Antoine Cason LCB1Chicago Bears Senorise Perry RB4 Michael Spurlock WR3 9/2/2014 Michael Spurlock WR3 Santonio Holmes WR2Cincinnati Bengals Brandon Tate WR2 Brandon Tate WR2 9/1/2014 Dane Sanzenbacher WR3 Adam Jones RCB2Cleveland Browns Travis Benjamin WR2 Travis Benjamin WR2 9/3/2014 Justin Gilbert RCB2 Jordan Poyer FS2Dallas Cowboys Dwayne Harris WR2 Dwayne Harris WR2 9/2/2014 J.J. Wilcox SS1 Cole Beasley WR2Denver Broncos Andre Caldwell WR2 Isaiah Burse WR2 9/3/2014 Omar Bolden RCB3 Wes Welker WR1 (S)Detroit Lions Jeremy Ross WR2 Jeremy Ross WR2 9/1/2014 Theo Riddick RB3 Golden Tate WR1Green Bay Packers DuJuan Harris RB3 Randall Cobb WR1 9/2/2014 Micah Hyde FS1 Micah Hyde FS1Houston Texans Keshawn Martin WR2 Keshawn Martin WR2 9/2/2014 Demaris Johnson WR3 Demaris Johnson WR3Indianapolis Colts Dan Herron RB3 Loucheiz Purifoy LCB 9/2/2014 Deji Karim Griff Whalen WR2Jacksonville JaguarJordan Todman RB3 Mike Brown WR3 9/2/2014 Denard Robinson WR2 Will Blackmon LCB2Kansas City Chiefs Knile Davis RB2 De Anthony Thomas RB3 8/25/2014 Frankie Hammond WR1 Frankie Hammond WR1Miami Dolphins Jarvis Landry WR2 Jarvis Landry WR2 9/2/2014 Damien Williams RB3 Rishard Matthews WR2Minnesota Vikings Cordarrelle Patterson WRMarcus Sherels LCB3 9/1/2014 Marcus Sherels LCB3 Jarius Wright WR2New England PatriotShane Vereen RB1 Julian Edelman WR1 9/3/2014 Matthew Slater WR3 Danny Amendola WR1New Orleans Saints Travaris Cadet RB4 Travaris Cadet RB4 9/2/2014 Brandin Cooks WR3 Brandin Cooks WR3New York Giants Quintin Demps FS2 Preston Parker WR3 9/1/2014 Preston Parker WR3 Rueben Randle WR1New York Jets Saalim Hakim WR3 Jalen Saunders WR3 9/2/2014 Jeremy Kerley WR1Oakland Raiders Latavius Murray RB3 TJ Carrie LCB2 9/1/2014 Taiwan Jones LCB4 Denarius Moore WR2Philadelphia EaglesNolan Carroll II CB2 Darren Sproles 9/2/2014 Josh Huff WR2 Jeff Maehl WR2Pittsburgh SteelersDri Archer RB3 Antonio Brown WR1 9/3/2014 LeGarrette Blount RB2 Dri Archer RB3San Diego Chargers Donald Brown RB3 Eddie Royal WR2 9/2/2014 Keenan Allen WR1San Francisco 49ersBruce Ellington WR3 Bruce Ellington WR3 9/2/2014 LaMichael James RB3 LaMichael James RB3Seattle Seahawks Percy Harvin WR1 Earl Thomas FS1 9/2/2014 Doug Baldwin WR1 Richard Sherman LCB1St Louis Rams Benny Cunningham RB2 Tavon Austin WR1 9/2/2014 Tavon Austin WR1 Justin Veltung WR4Tamp Bay BuccaneersChris Owusu WR2 Bobby Rainey RB2 9/2/2014 Mike James RB3Tennessee Titans Leon Washington RB4 Dexter McCluster RB3 9/2/2014 Dexter McCluster RB3 Leon Washington RB4Washington RedskinsAndre Roberts WR2 Andre Roberts WR2 9/2/2014 Beshaud Breeland RCB2 DeSean Jackson WR1

I know it adds an injury threat but I really like when starters such as Harvin & Edelman are also returners.

Spiller at KR, congrats to all who won the KR yard league lottery when you drafted him. I was expecting Goodwin. It's possible this doesn't last, but as long as Spiller sticks at KR you're looking at an elite RB1.

Chris Owusu confirmed as KR in TB. Also may be the WR3 which could put him slightly above the other KRs in terms of fantasy value

News reports have Spurlock as the KR and PR in CHI, not Senorise

News reports have Purifoy as the KR and PR in IND, not Herron.

Older news reports had LaMichael James as the KR and PR in SF, not Ellington. If there was a change I haven't noticed.

The rest are either confirmed as accurate by news reports or there has been limited reports. I'd be extremely surprised if Vereen is actually the KR in NE.

Hope that helps.

 

[cheif]

On Spiller, this article was a good read and news to confirm. While Marrone isn't my favorite, I liked his take on "touches" per game. This lends further to KOR and PR becoming a more "normal" part of fantasy football, which I would enjoy.

As a Bucs fan (unicorn), Owusu is intriguing, he's got the physical attributes, height, weight, combine scores are all pretty great, the 40.5 vert more than makes up for 6'0, I'll take 4.36 on a 40 as well. He can go the distance, ex - track type guy. Of course, the pie in the sky comes falling down when it comes to injury and concussions, he's no stranger. As a fantasy owner, I think the returns could happen if the rest of the team pulls it together but I'm not certain he'll shine too brightly outside of the return game, nothing much came of his stint with the 49ers or the Chargers practice squad. Granted, as you said, a slight bump always helps.

In regard to Spurlock, again as a Bucs fan, I hope he continues to return like he did for them in two stints. However, I can see some of the young blood taking over kickoff returns, if nothing else but for evaluation purpose. For the chart, I'm trying to stick to last published charts as best as possible, tough to NOT be subjective but subjectivity is better for discussion. That being said, I'm working on getting some color into the chart somehow. I haven't quite got a complete feel for the boards as of yet. There could definitely be an amber or orange for the KOR job in Spurlock's case, given the news coverage.

For LaMichael James, the depth charts definitely have Ellington there. I definitely like to see James run but the shoulder dislocation in camp may be part of this. Ellington had some great punt returns (preseason), and having two options behind Gore since Hunter went down might make sense to keep him out of the returning mix. Again, for evaluation purposes, maybe a split on the return duties makes sense.

I'll try to defend depth charts throughout the year as I decided on that as the priority for the updated tables in this thread. Still, I'm enjoying the research and the news updates.

 

[GregR]

The Bucs promoted Solomon Patton from the practice squad, which could alter their plans at returner this week. I would guess he's probably going to be the returner, but haven't seen any quotes that make it clear.

 

[chinawildman]

what are the chances cooks returns something?

I'd say 50/50 he returns at least one kick/punt in week 1.

 

[peyton41]

Looks like Pat Chung will be the main KR in New England. Devin McCourty also got a return

 

[peyton41]

Also, even though no kick returns will happen in Denver, it looks like Dan Herron is back there for IND

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Looks like Pat Chung will be the main KR in New England. Devin McCourty also got a return

for now dotdotdot

 

[peyton41]

Two questions:

1. Can anyone confirm this list of indoor stadiums: [SIZE=medium]Detroit, Minnesota, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Arizona (retractable), Indianapolis, Houston (retractable), Dallas.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]2. Do indoor stadiums typically favor touchbacks / hinder kick returns?[/SIZE]

 

[GregR]

LaMichael James released by the 49ers.

 

[cheif]

The Chicago Bears re-signed OT Eben Britton and cut WR Micheal Spurlock Tuesday, Sept. 9.

And some other not yet formatted notes on KR / PR from this weekend:

Brandon Tate, had a few targets after Eiffert went out.

Dwayne Harris 2 fumbles, could this affect returns?

DuJuan Harris (eye out for eddie lacy injury) could plus rush attempts

Mike Brown, receptions and punt returns

Murray, Latavius OAK RB did well

Leon Washington, fumbles

Travaris Cadet 1 rec 34 kor

Solomon Patton did return

NE Patrick Chung returned 2 KR | Devin McCourty returned 1 KR

JAX Jordan Todman returned 2

GB Split KR with DuJuan 2/2 | Micah Hyde

BUF C.J did return 1

 

[peyton41]

No returns for the Chargers- anyone know if Donald Brown was returning?

 

[GregR]

No returns for the Chargers- anyone know if Donald Brown was returning?

Yes, he was the returner on all four kickoffs they received.

 

[Acrobat7]

Is Patrick Peterson still the PR for ARI? I couldn't watch the game and according to the stat sheet there were no punt returns.

 

[GregR]

Is Patrick Peterson still the PR for ARI? I couldn't watch the game and according to the stat sheet there were no punt returns.

No, Ted Ginn Jr does all the returns.

 

[Acrobat7]

Is Patrick Peterson still the PR for ARI? I couldn't watch the game and according to the stat sheet there were no punt returns.

No, Ted Ginn Jr does all the returns.

Thanks Greg, forgot about him being there.

 

[GregR]

Looks like the same URL is being used for the returner projections each week. The week 2 content page has the link there now as well. Also the recap article is up.

 

[GregR]

Dri Archer is out for tonight's game. Blount is the guy most likely to get the kickoff returns, though Wheaton could get some as well.

 

[cheif]

Updated Depth Chart Table, changes below:

DEPTH CHART CHANGES / INACCURACIES
CHI Michael Spurlock released - Santonio Holmes replaces at PR, no 2nd at KOR or PR listed on Bears depth chart.
DEN Wes Welker suspended - Emmanuel Sanders replaces at 2nd PR
HOU No change to depth chart, note that Demaris Johnson returned KOR and PR Week 1 though Keyshawn Martin is listed as primary
KC De'Anthony Thomas still listed as punt returner but it does not appear he will make it to Week 2 game, Frankie Hammond handled PR duties
OAK Taiwan Jones still listed as backup but injured
PIT Dri Archer unlikely to make game, depth chart has Blount listed as backup for KOR
NE Patrick Chung replaced Shane Vereen at KOR
TB Buccaneers depth chart does not correspond to gameplay, Solomon Patton handled KOR and PR duties in Week 1


While not an inaccuracy on the depth chart, mention of Latavius Murray to see an increased snap count could make for an interesting play with the Raiders.

 

[cheif]

Two questions:

1. Can anyone confirm this list of indoor stadiums: [SIZE=medium]Detroit, Minnesota, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis, Arizona (retractable), Indianapolis, Houston (retractable), Dallas.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]2. Do indoor stadiums typically favor touchbacks / hinder kick returns?[/SIZE]

1.
Detroit: Ford Field, Domed, Turf
Minnesota: TCF Bank Stadium, Open, Turf
Atlanta: Georgia Dome, Domed, Turf
New Orleans: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Domed, Turf
St. Louis: Edward Jones Dome, Domed, Turf
Arizona: University of Phoenix Stadium, Retractable, Turf
Indianapolis: Lucal Oil Stadium, Retractable, Turf
Houston: NRG (Reliant) Stadium, Retractable, Grass
Dallas: AT&T Stadium, Retractable, Turf

2. Do indoor stadiums typically favor touchbacks / hinder kick returns?
I can't answer this one definitively. I think there are other factors that weigh in more heavily, will be looking in to this.

 

[cheif]

The Search for the Holy Grail

TOP 5 KOR/PR Returners Week 1

Team Returner KOR Opposing Kicker KO TB % Opposing PuntPR TB%Stadium Stadium TypeBAL Jacoby Jones CIN Mike Nugent 42.86% CIN Kevin Hube 0.00% M & T Bank Open TurfTB Solomon PattonCAR Graham Gano 50% CAR Brad Nortm 0% Raymond JameOpen GrassWAS Andre RobertsHOU Randy Bullock 50% HOU Shane Lech 33% (NRG) RelianRetractable GrasCLE Travis BenjamPIT Shaun Suisham 20% PIT Brad Wing 17% Heinz Field Open GrassMIA Jarvis LandryNE Stephen Gostkowski 40% NE Ryan Allen 0% Sun Life Open GrassTOP 5 KOR/PR Returners Week 2

Team Returner KOR Opposing Kicker      KO TB %Opposing Punt        PR TB%Stadium     Stadium TypeNYG  Quintin DempsARZ Chandler Catanzar 45.45%ARZ Drew Butler      25.00%MetLife     Open TurfJAX  Jordan TodmanWAS Kai Forbath          40%WAS Tress Way           11%Fedex Field Open GrassATL  Devin Hester CIN Mike Nugent          33%CIN Kevin Huber          0%Paul Brown  Open TurfBUF  C.J. Spiller MIA Caleb Sturgis        45%WAS Brandon Fields       0%Ralph WilsonOpen TurfARZ  Ted Ginn     NYG Josh Brown           67%NYG Steve Weatherford   11%MetLife     Open Turf

Original questions:

How much does the opposing Kicker / Punter matter weigh in?
How much does the TB % weigh in?
How much does the turf weigh in?
How much does the stadium type weigh in?
What floor / ceiling can you expect out of a returner on any given week?
Can a floot / ceiling be expected or are returners matchup dependant plays?
Do certain teams or players have the propensity to run it out more than others?

 

[peyton41]

Good list, but you should also consider the competency of the opposing team's offense. For example, the Jets KR (Hakeem) I think makes for a great stream this week because the Jets square off with Green Bay. I think you'll find there is a balance between the considerations you listed. You wouldn't want to bench Jacoby Jones, even in Denver where there is a way lower chance he gets a kick return.

"How much does the opposing Kicker / Punter matter weigh in?"

From my experience, this is everything. I do and would suggest running through the box scores and seeing how many returns the opposing kicker allows. Once again, the Green Bay kicker allowed returns in all of his kickoffs, and therefore I would suggest streaming the Jets KR this week.

I'm very curious to see the result of your other queries, especially "Do certain teams or players have the propensity to run it out more than others?", "How much does the stadium type weigh in?", and "How much does the turf weigh in?"

 

[GregR]

As far as predicting, kickoffs tend to trump punts because kickoffs average about 2.5x as many yards per return, and there are about 20% more kick returns than punt returns normally.

For kick returns the number of returnable kickoffs is generally going to be the most critical factor. While the league average for return is about 23 1/2 yards per return, for actual primary returners it's closer to 25. The best and worst tend to be within +/- 5 of that most of the time. The league average is around 2.5 KR per game. So on average getting 1 extra return per game is probably going to trump a better returner getting a few extra yards per return.

For predicting number of returnable kickoffs, you need to predict number of kickoffs, and then how many of them are returnable. So predicting scoring is one big component of my projections, and predicting touchback % is another. KRs did very well against San Diego and Pittsburgh last year because their kickers didn't tend to get the ball deep.

While I think a situation like Denver's altitude is worth most always compensating for, I have decreased the amount I adjust for weather or domes. Rain or snow I would reduce the touchback %, but I don't do as much for wind other than extreme winds because they help on some kickoffs and hurt on others, and too often I found the weather forecast for wind didn't match the game conditions enough.

Which leads me to a comment that... it's REALLY easy to over think this stuff. You can spend a ton of time including every factor you can come up with. You mention things like turf, which is a good example. I had grandiose plans of everything I planned to include when I first started doing these predictions, but along the way I came to the conclusion that we're talking about such a small number of plays per game and the contribution of something like turf is so small that it was better to focus on the main factors. The expected error range predicting what may be 5 plays a game just dwarfs the effect of many of those factors.

Spending time to recognize things like "Keshawn Martin routinely brings out kickoffs many other returners would take a touchback on" or "punters kick away from Devin Hester more than most returners" and then modifying number of returns to account for those, may go a lot further than trying to nail down every statistical factor that might play a role.

(Edit to add: I don't mean this to discourage looking at how much a given factor predicts a result... that's always worth doing because sometimes the truth isn't what you thought it would be. But after that, it needs to be asked if the realities of the prediction, how few plays we're talking about and the things that can affect them, make a given factor worth trying to include or not.)

As far as punts, they are less important than kick returns to total return yards, and also more difficult to predict. While most every kickoff has the same game situation, on punts things like field position will matter particularly if they are trying to pin the punt inside the 20.

I work up how many drives I expect in the game will not result in a score or a turnover for number of punts, and then much like a touchback %, I use a percentage of punts returned by the punter's opponents. While I considered further including factors like average field position punted from, that's already included to some degree in percentage of punts returned, and I think taking it much further is focusing on details completely dwarfed by the other factors it's better to focus on.

Final thing I'd add is of course you need to go from number of returns to actual yardage and touchdowns. Adam has said before and I agreed with him after looking at it, that return average for a given player tends to vary quite a lot from year to year, to where it's often not a great predictor. While I use return average, I regress it pretty heavily particularly early in the year when I'm going off previous year results as the current season hasn't progressed far enough. I think it's more predictable within a season since the team's special teams unit blocking for him is more consistent within a year than it is year to year.

Touchdowns are a crap shoot. A useful set of projections shouldn't be predicting a touchdown for any returner in a game because the odds of getting one are so low. I generally work the TD projection off the number of yards I'm projecting for the player. But I recognize that not all player are equal in their ability to take it the distance, and give an additional bump to those elite returners of each type beyond what their yards per return would already be giving them.

 

[JoeSteeler]

Updated Depth Chart Table, changes below:

DEPTH CHART CHANGES / INACCURACIES

CHI Michael Spurlock released - Santonio Holmes replaces at PR, no 2nd at KOR or PR listed on Bears depth chart.

DEN Wes Welker suspended - Emmanuel Sanders replaces at 2nd PR

HOU No change to depth chart, note that Demaris Johnson returned KOR and PR Week 1 though Keyshawn Martin is listed as primary

KC De'Anthony Thomas still listed as punt returner but it does not appear he will make it to Week 2 game, Frankie Hammond handled PR duties

OAK Taiwan Jones still listed as backup but injured

PIT Dri Archer unlikely to make game, depth chart has Blount listed as backup for KOR

NE Patrick Chung replaced Shane Vereen at KOR

TB Buccaneers depth chart does not correspond to gameplay, Solomon Patton handled KOR and PR duties in Week 1

While not an inaccuracy on the depth chart, mention of Latavius Murray to see an increased snap count could make for an interesting play with the Raiders.

what does "bucs depth chart does not correspond to gameplay" mean?

 

[peyton41]

Greg- Very well said. I agree.

 

[cheif]

Updated Depth Chart Table, changes below:

DEPTH CHART CHANGES / INACCURACIES

CHI Michael Spurlock released - Santonio Holmes replaces at PR, no 2nd at KOR or PR listed on Bears depth chart.

DEN Wes Welker suspended - Emmanuel Sanders replaces at 2nd PR

HOU No change to depth chart, note that Demaris Johnson returned KOR and PR Week 1 though Keyshawn Martin is listed as primary

KC De'Anthony Thomas still listed as punt returner but it does not appear he will make it to Week 2 game, Frankie Hammond handled PR duties

OAK Taiwan Jones still listed as backup but injured

PIT Dri Archer unlikely to make game, depth chart has Blount listed as backup for KOR

NE Patrick Chung replaced Shane Vereen at KOR

TB Buccaneers depth chart does not correspond to gameplay, Solomon Patton handled KOR and PR duties in Week 1

While not an inaccuracy on the depth chart, mention of Latavius Murray to see an increased snap count could make for an interesting play with the Raiders.

what does "bucs depth chart does not correspond to gameplay" mean?

Solomon Patton is returning kickoffs and punts yet Owasu and Rainey are on the depth charts.

 

[JoeSteeler]

Updated Depth Chart Table, changes below:

DEPTH CHART CHANGES / INACCURACIES

CHI Michael Spurlock released - Santonio Holmes replaces at PR, no 2nd at KOR or PR listed on Bears depth chart.

DEN Wes Welker suspended - Emmanuel Sanders replaces at 2nd PR

HOU No change to depth chart, note that Demaris Johnson returned KOR and PR Week 1 though Keyshawn Martin is listed as primary

KC De'Anthony Thomas still listed as punt returner but it does not appear he will make it to Week 2 game, Frankie Hammond handled PR duties

OAK Taiwan Jones still listed as backup but injured

PIT Dri Archer unlikely to make game, depth chart has Blount listed as backup for KOR

NE Patrick Chung replaced Shane Vereen at KOR

TB Buccaneers depth chart does not correspond to gameplay, Solomon Patton handled KOR and PR duties in Week 1

While not an inaccuracy on the depth chart, mention of Latavius Murray to see an increased snap count could make for an interesting play with the Raiders.

what does "bucs depth chart does not correspond to gameplay" mean?

Solomon Patton is returning kickoffs and punts yet Owasso and Rainey are on the depth charts.

thanks. i picked up Patton in my KR required league

 

[peyton41]

Looks like all touchbacks in the TNF game. Anyone know who replaced Dri Archer as the KR?

 

[GregR]

Looks like all touchbacks in the TNF game. Anyone know who replaced Dri Archer as the KR?

Both Blount and Wheaton were back on the kickoffs, each having a half of the field.

 

[GregR]

Earl Thomas is no longer the Seahawks punt returner. Bryan Walters probably takes the lead but others like Paul Richardson may be in the mix.

 

[GregR]

De'Anthony Thomas ruled out.

 

[JoeSteeler]

T Jones placed on IR

 

[peyton41]

Good to know regarding Blount, could be some value there with a role in the offense

Was Pat Chung still back there for NE? How about Donald Brown? Benny Cunningham?

Sorry for everyone who listened to my Salim Hakim rec last week. The GB kicker suddenly started preventing returns. I think Chris Givens should be a good stream next week against a bad Dallas kicker and defense. Donald Brown will obviously be a great add, he should get you points on the ground or in the return game. Dwayne Harris should be a good one too.

 

[cheif]

Updated Depth Chart and Top 5 (Condensed the post, will be reformatting it, all the collected stats are there).

CHANGES
CLE Marlon Moore replaces Kelvin Benjamin (Saw 8 Targets for 2 Rec in Week 2) for KOR
NO Brandin Cooks replaces Travaris Cadet on PR
OAK Taiwan Jones (2nd KOR) replaced by Darren McFadden
SD Danny Woodhead added as 2nd KOR
SF LaMichael James still listed as second, Bruce Miller FB, Aaron Lynch LB also listed as having returned
STL Chris Givens replaces Tavon Austin as 2nd KOR
TB Solomon Patton replaced Chris Owusu at KOR, Bobby Rainey at PR (A week later)

OBSERVATIONS
TEN Leon Washington listed as 2nd PR, Returner Recap mentions possibility of punts as well.
PIT No update to Dri Archer on Depth Chart
PHI Josh Huff injured, no update to depth chart
In the pursuit of KR/PR relevancy, I'll be starting Leon Washington this week.

Factors:

Mike Nugent

KOR

Possible PR

Bengals Offense

Devin Hester @ Paul Brown Week 2

Greg Russell Projections

 

[ATSS_0100]

Cj spiller on kickoff returns? I missed this by A LOT!!

 

[Lascelle]

Cj spiller on kickoff returns? I missed this by A LOT!!

Spiller wasn't disclosed as being on return duty until most league drafts.

Clearly he would have been more highly sought after in return yardage leagues if that news was revealed ahead of time.

An owner in my 16-team return yardage league has found his way into owning Spiller, Harvin and Sproles this year and is decimating everyone.

He's also got Cooks so punt return duty for him will just add to his existing winfall.

 

[Dismattle]

Good to know regarding Blount, could be some value there with a role in the offense

Was Pat Chung still back there for NE? How about Donald Brown? Benny Cunningham?

Sorry for everyone who listened to my Salim Hakim rec last week. The GB kicker suddenly started preventing returns. I think Chris Givens should be a good stream next week against a bad Dallas kicker and defense. Donald Brown will obviously be a great add, he should get you points on the ground or in the return game. Dwayne Harris should be a good one too.

I know that I heard Chungs name announced as back their for a punt. I believe that I seen Chung actually fair-catch a punt..

No worrys on the Hakim call. This aint a one game Season...

 

[GregR]

I know the 49ers depth chart still lists LaMichael James second, but he isn't on the team anymore. Which is another good cautionary tale for how much salt to take with team depth charts. The Dolphins apparently worked him out recently but I haven't seen anything he's been signed.

Leon Washington's projection could be dropping some as punts shift back to McCluster if the latter improves enough to play. He was limited in practice so far, but the earliest reports were he might play. So one to keep an eye on.

 

[cheif]

I know the 49ers depth chart still lists LaMichael James second, but he isn't on the team anymore. Which is another good cautionary tale for how much salt to take with team depth charts. The Dolphins apparently worked him out recently but I haven't seen anything he's been signed.

Leon Washington's projection could be dropping some as punts shift back to McCluster if the latter improves enough to play. He was limited in practice so far, but the earliest reports were he might play. So one to keep an eye on.

Right,

As I've rummaged through depth charts the last few weeks I would say SF, TB, and OAK are the worst at updating depth charts. With that being said, it does look like some movement can be identified from depth charts alone and aside from some of the "career" returners, special teams depth charts can be used to identify players that are next in line for snaps (sometimes seeing limited snaps).

I probably should have noted that James had been released, took it for granted that it was common knowledge.

 

[chinawildman]

Have there been any reports regarding whether Andre Roberts will continue to do returns given Djax's questionable status?

 

[cheif]

Have there been any reports regarding whether Andre Roberts will continue to do returns given Djax's questionable status?

I've been looking for the same. I can say that I have not seen anything indicating that he will not continue to do returns, as much as that's worth.

However, I did notice the icon for KR/PR notes missing in footballguys weekly primer / rankings, might indicate a "hunch".

 

[GregR]

Have there been any reports regarding whether Andre Roberts will continue to do returns given Djax's questionable status?

I've been looking for the same. I can say that I have not seen anything indicating that he will not continue to do returns, as much as that's worth.

However, I did notice the icon for KR/PR notes missing in footballguys weekly primer / rankings, might indicate a "hunch".

Nah, if it isn't showing then something didn't go right. What page were you not seeing it on? I checked a few but it's there.

 

[cheif]

Have there been any reports regarding whether Andre Roberts will continue to do returns given Djax's questionable status?

I've been looking for the same. I can say that I have not seen anything indicating that he will not continue to do returns, as much as that's worth.

However, I did notice the icon for KR/PR notes missing in footballguys weekly primer / rankings, might indicate a "hunch".

Nah, if it isn't showing then something didn't go right. What page were you not seeing it on? I checked a few but it's there.

Week 3 Primer

The information icon isn't there, has been up to this week.

 

[GregR]

Thanks, passed it on. I made a test league and added him to the roster and it doesn't show me the tag there either. But it correctly shows it other places.

 

[peyton41]

@Chief- Good call with L Washington, he makes for a great stream against the Bengals who are terrible at preventing returns.

 

[tjnc09]

Cheif and Greg Russell (and all other contributors)

 

[tjnc09]

@Chief- Good call with L Washington, he makes for a great stream against the Bengals who are terrible at preventing returns.

It looks like Hester still has "it" whether he is running against Cincinnati or not.

 

[peyton41]

Yep, Hester getting some work on offense too, looking like a great play in return yard leagues

 

[GregR]

Another set of updates added to the article, and updated projections working their way into the system now. Some key updates:

Tavon Austin is not practicing so probably out.

Cordarrelle Patterson is dealing with a chest injury, even if he plays there may be some risk they give returns to someone else to limit hits on him.

Dexter McCluster is practicing and looks likely to play, which should take some punt returns from Leon Washington.

De'Anthony Thomas is looking less ready to go this week than Andy Reid was intimating earlier.

 

[peyton41]

I think Thomas was officially ruled out. I still stand behind Washington as a great stream, punt returns or not