Last week was by far my best week picking return men and kickers. My three kick return picks were Devin Hester, Devin Thomas and Clyde Gates who ranked 3rd, 5th and 7th in terms of kick return yards last week. At kicker I successfully picked the top one, Billy Cundiff who went five for five. Robbie Gould was the second kicker I picked, and he was one of five kickers to make three or more field goals. Finally Jason Hanson didn’t bust, as he made two field goals. Read on to see who my picks are this week to see if I can repeat the successful picks.
Kick Returners
Randall Cobb – Since week one, Cobb has yet to put up great numbers, with just 10 returns for 325 yards on the season. If he is going to break out any week, now is the time to do it. He faces Ryan Longwell as a kicker, who has the highest percent of his kicks returned with 76.7%. Even if the Vikings don’t end up scoring, he is the teams punt returner as well. If all else fails, he is becoming a bigger part of the offense with a few targets a game.
Antonio Brown – This is another case of a player who returns both kicks and punts. Because of his combined talents, he rates as the highest return man at PFF with a +6.0 overall rating. This week against the Cardinals, he goes up against Jay Feely who has had just five of his kicks touched back this season with 18 kickoffs. The Steelers defense is hurting, which should result in them allowing more points, and therefore get more kickoffs.
Leon Washington – I guess it will be a trend this week to go the kick returner/punt returner route, as Washington has 15 of each on the season for a total of exactly 500 yards over the course of five games. Getting 100 yards in the return game on average is great, and against the Browns without Joe Haden; Seattle should score more than usual. Phil Dawson has had 68.2% of his kickoffs returned, so Washington should have one of his bigger games.
Kickers
Dan Bailey – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: if Bailey is still on the waiver wire in your league, you need to pick him up and hold on to him. He leads the league with 15 field goals, and is a perfect 6 for 6 on kicks beyond 40 yards. This week he plays St. Louis, which Dallas should completely dominate as A.J. Feeley could very well be the quarterback. Lots of points leads to lots of Dan Bailey.
John Kasay – It is just a few days away until Kasay celebrates his 42nd birthday. Despite his age he still can kick, as he’s been perfect within 50 yards, and has made 13 field goals. Only two kickers have made more, and this week the Saints play the Colts. Few defenses have been weaker this season, so while the Saints have faced a number of tough opponents, this game should be easier for them.
Dan Carpenter – Usually I like picking good teams with lesser known kickers, or average teams facing weak opponents. This week I’ll try something new, as Carpenter has averaged over two made field goals a game. For the most part Carpenter and the Dolphins have played some solid teams, but this week against the Broncos, they have a chance to score even more points than usual.
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