DB/KR/PR (1 Viewer)

[ChadlyD]

Just recently realized our scoring system rewards a defensive player .1pt for every return yard. I am thinking screw the total amount of tackles and find guys who will return kickoff mostly, along with punt returns.

I found:

Terrance McGee - BILLS

Justin Miller - JETS

Pacman Jones - TENN

Chris Carr - OAK

Any others that I should be aware of?

 

[Aabye]

I'm in a league like that. I drafted McGee in the 8th last year as the 3rd defensive player off the board. A couple of years ago, I picked up Azumah off the wire when he starter returning kicks. In both cases, they became my best defensive player. Last year I won my league in large part because McGee put up 30 points in the championship game. So if your league is rewarding return yards at .1ppy, snap up every defensive and offensive returner you can get your hands on.

Last year, McGee scored 195 points on my format (1/15 return yards). By comparison, Vilma, the leading tackler last year, scored 173. On your system, McGee's total goes up to a staggering 241 points, which is far above any non-returner defensive player could hope for. You'll have to determine whether anyone else in the league knows about it to figure out when you should draft them. But it's a good idea to start pretty early (say the 6th), as other owners will certainly catch on to what you're doing at some point.

The key is to get a guy who both returns kicks and has decent tackle numbers, if possible. A good defensive KR/PR specialist nets around 1,700 yards, which is probably about equivalent to a top defensive player. But a KR + tackler (like McGee) takes it to another level entirely.

McGee is the clear-cut #1 guy. Jones and Miller are 2a and 2b, but watch Jones' situation. A high 1st round pick usually doesn't end up returning kicks for too long. Carr is probably 4th at this point.

Other people who stick out:

Devin Hester - rookie return specialist who should see action quickly as KR/PR for the Bears

Allen Rossum - injured last year, but generally handles all of the return duties for the Falcons

DeAngelo Hall - if Rossum doesn't return kicks, Hall probably will. One of them will be valuable.

For returners, much more than other positions, it's important to keep up w/ depth charts right at the beginning of the season, since thoseduties tend to shift a lot more than other positions.

If your league rewards return yards for offensive players too, there are a ton of very valuable players that can be had as well:

Dante Hall

Jerome Mathis

Darren Sproles

Reggie Swinton

Wes Welker

Eddie Drummond

B.J. Sams

 

[Ozymandias]

First of all, don't pay much attention if they are only punt returners, because they usually average less than 10 yards per punt returned, and there is a greater propensity to fumble. They also get fewer opportunities.

But good kickoff returners usually average north of 25 yards per kickoff return, and get major opportunities.

Terrence McGee is the gold star in this category, because he is a starting DB.

But keep your eye on Justin Miller. If he starts at DB for the Jets this year, and continues to return kicks, he could be in McGee's class. I don't know if PacMan Jones is starting as a DB, but he returned kickoff and punts.

 

[Mike Herman]

fantasy returner data thru week 16 last year

 

[ChadlyD]

I love McGee as a pick here. I will be starting to grab my DB/KR guys in ruond 4, due to that 3 DBs have been already taken, Troy, Gamble and Wilson. Odd how the real guys to be taken to our scoring system nobody , I think, knows about. I have a pick at the end of the 4th round and at the beginning of the 5th - should get the McGee and Miller picks there. I am hoping...

 

[5Rings]

Darent Williams, Denver

 

[RAPTURE]

I love McGee as a pick here. I will be starting to grab my DB/KR guys in ruond 4, due to that 3 DBs have been already taken, Troy, Gamble and Wilson. Odd how the real guys to be taken to our scoring system nobody , I think, knows about. I have a pick at the end of the 4th round and at the beginning of the 5th - should get the McGee and Miller picks there. I am hoping...

I love your thinking brother!My EFSports league awards points for KR/PR and T. McGee & Justin Miller are two guys who will be top 5 DB's if they play all 16 games. I traded for McGee last year and J. Miller must have slipped throught the cracks during our FA this past offseason. I got him very cheap and wonder if some people in our league really know about our scoring system...it really does baffle me sometimes.

D. Williams was another guy I was targeting (he was a RFA) and was matched by the opposing team. I now feel with the injury bug biting during the end of last year, if Mike Shanahan going to just utilize him as a CB only. Plus, I wonder if Domonique Foxwoth will push him for playing time at some point during the season.

As for "Pacman" Jones, I think his legal concerns would really disinterest me of having him on my team. I think he will be out of football in two or three years.

So, it is clearly T. McGee & J. Miller, as the only players with no obstacles standing in their way. Get'em if your scoring system warrants return yardage for defensive players, you will thank me down the road.

Another factor why the two players will never get pulled from kickoffs:

http://www.nfl.com/stats/leaders/NFL/KRET/2005/regular

McGee #1

Miller #3

RAPTURE