2014 Kick and Punt Returner thread (1 Viewer)

[GregR]

I saw that Omar Bolden split kickoff duties with Caldwell against the Bills. Anyone know if this was a fluky thing or if Bolden will be back their full time again or what? It's a great matchup against San Diego.

Look like Carrie is back to doing kickoff and punt returns. At least that's what he did last weekend. He has another good matchup against the Chiefs.

They weren't splitting the return duties. Caldwell was a blocker who handled a short kickoff.

I know not everyone subscribes to Game Rewind or has Sunday Ticket recaps to be able to watch each return... but one thing you can use as a barometer without it is to look at the play by play on ESPN or NFL.com. If it wasn't the normal returner and the return starts at the 10 yard line or somewhere like that rather than at least near the goal line, good chance it was a blocker taking a short kick.

Tougher when a team sends 2 returners back one on each side. Pretty much have to watch the game for those.

 

[Goblue41]

Thanks Greg! Appreciate the tips! Now I'm just wondering how safe it is to start both Bolden and Carrie this week. They both have good matchups I think. It's gonna be interesting. I'm gonna be looking at as many sources as possible that might give some assurances that things won't be switched up this weekend and they will both be back returning and taking it to the house for 6! Thanks for the help!

 

[peyton41]

Any chance Travis Benjamin isn't the kick returner in week 15? I needed a stream option and his matchup vs Cincinnati was the best available. It looks like Cleveland has been switching it up this year between him and Marlon Moore but Benjamin had a great week 14 so I'm hoping he sticks.

I'm also streaming Dwayne Harris this week.

 

[GregR]

Any chance Travis Benjamin isn't the kick returner in week 15? I needed a stream option and his matchup vs Cincinnati was the best available. It looks like Cleveland has been switching it up this year between him and Marlon Moore but Benjamin had a great week 14 so I'm hoping he sticks.

I'm also streaming Dwayne Harris this week.

Yes, definitely a chance of it. He's not someone you can completely rely on, but then that's how it is with a lot of teams. Would definitely consider Harris a safer option.

 

[peyton41]

Even though I blew the Benjamin stream, Connor Barth really wanted me to win my matchup. I'd suggest Bruce Ellington as a good stream this week. Same with Andre Roberts. Omar Bolden has a great matchup this week. I'd still start Chris Davis despite a mediocre matchup. Travis Carrie is up in the air a bit but he's a possible start too.

 

[Goblue41]

Wondering if I should start Knile Davis @ PIT over the the likes of Gordon and K. Benjamin at my flex position. Pittsburgh does give up some pretty good return yardage and attempts.

Thoughts?

 

[GregR]

Dexter McCluster was put on Injured Reserve by the Titans. I don't put much stock in team depth charts after the season starts, but it looks like the Titans updated theirs since it happened and put Leon Washington in the punt returner slot. He has a ton of return experience so as good a chance it will be he as any probably.

 

[Goblue41]

The Raiders are hurting in the secondary with two 3rd string starters this week. TJ Carrie is one of them. Has anyone heard if he will still be returning kicks this weekend with the Raiders being unbelievably thin in the secondary? Would they risk him getting hurt still? Anyone heard anything?

 

[peyton41]

I need to stream a player for the finals (week 17). Any suggestions on Brandon Tate or Dwayne Harris? Tate plays PITT which is worse at preventing returns while Harris plays WAS which is ok at preventing returns but he might get an added bonus with some receptions if Dallas doesn't try. Preston Parker would be another option but both he and Demps each returned kicks last week and I don't want to get timeshared. I am leaning toward Tate

 

[GregR]

I won't be doing projections until tomorrow, but I'd think Tate is probably the riskier play on whether he gets returns or not. Harris is about as sure of a thing as there is right now that he's going to get the opportunity.

 

[peyton41]

Ok that's true. Tate got all of the returns in week 14 and 15 yet none in week 13 (Adam Jones). I'll defer to you and grab harris whether Tate returns tonight or not.

 

[peyton41]

One more... I'm considering switching out Andre Roberts for one of Preston Parker or Ted Ginn (vs SF). I saw the reason Demps likely got that return was that Parker was ejected, AND he has an easy matchup vs PHI. Roberts has a very iffy matchup vs Dallas, who has been keeping returners off the board fairly well in high scoring games. Do I mess with my lineup and add Parker or Ginn for Roberts?

 

[GregR]

Just counting return yardage, I've got Ginn and Roberts about even for this week, and a little ahead of Parker because of punt returns mainly. So if you get receiving points that might be the tiebreaker.

 

[GregR]

As I know there have been questions about Carrie frequently... against Buffalo, Oakland used 2 deep returners, Carrie and George Atkinson III. So Carries was on kick returns but assume he's only getting half of them if it continues.

 

[peyton41]

I would avoid both Carrie, Omar Bolden, and anyone on Denver / Oakland used on kickoffs this week. With two good kickers at preventing returns squaring off in Denver, it's a game to avoid for returners.

 

[GoBills14]

Hey everyone,

Any idea if there is a Returners post like this for 2015 anywhere?

Thanks in advance!

 

[GregR]

Yep, here: https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?/topic/726978-2015-kick-and-punt-returners/

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

@Adam Harstad -- need some insight into your Week 10 returner insights.

For the Bucs, you have Bernard Reedy for 21 total yards and Adam Humphries for 19 total yards returning.

Bernard Reedy handles first string duties for both KR and PR for the Bucs. Humphries is second string, and all KR/PR stats for this season to date are attributed just to Reedy -- doesn't look as if Humphries has fielded a single PR or KR so far this year.

I don't see anything on injury reports for Reedy, or any change in approach.

Why do you think Humphries all of the sudden splits duties when he hasn't been involved in this part of the game (stats-wise at least) all year?

 

[Adam Harstad]

@Adam Harstad -- need some insight into your Week 10 returner insights.

For the Bucs, you have Bernard Reedy for 21 total yards and Adam Humphries for 19 total yards returning.

Bernard Reedy handles first string duties for both KR and PR for the Bucs. Humphries is second string, and all KR/PR stats for this season to date are attributed just to Reedy -- doesn't look as if Humphries has fielded a single PR or KR so far this year.

I don't see anything on injury reports for Reedy, or any change in approach.

Why do you think Humphries all of the sudden splits duties when he hasn't been involved in this part of the game (stats-wise at least) all year?

Hey @Stompin' Tom Connors , I appreciate the look.

Basic explanation is: my approach has a lot of skepticism built into it. In my experience, there are few players on most teams whose hold on their job is more tenuous than the top returner, *especially* when that guy isn't an established star like Devin Hester or even a well-worn journeyman like Brandon Tate or even Andre Roberts. So I look at someone like Reedy-- a 175-pound undrafted free agent who didn't even see the active roster until his 4th season in the league-- and think "what are the odds this guy holds down the job all year?"

When there's an established, experienced alternative already on the roster, one who will definitely be active on gamedays no matter what, I hedge my bets a good bit, because I've seen a lot of returners go from full-time to unemployed after one ill-timed fumble. Returners make for easy scapegoats. So even when Antonio Brown hadn't lined up deep to field a punt once through three weeks, I was still projecting him for a substantial chunk of Pittsburgh's punt returns, and sure enough, the Steelers switched him back in full-time in week 4.

But I do agree that, given that it's week 10, the skepticism should be much less aggressive at this point. I'll fade it out a bit in my next update. I'll also try to rework it so it applies more starting in week N+1 than in week N; I'm more confident that Reedy takes 90% of the returns this next week than I am he takes 90% of the returns the week after.

I appreciate the glance over, though, and please hit me up if you have any other questions or suggestions.

 

[Adam Harstad]

So... ummm... the Bucs just cut Bernard Reedy. 

 

[The Frankman]

Yeah moving the kickoffs really hurt this thread. But you still have main contributing guys like Dion Lewis handling KR/PR duties.