There are plenty of different ways fantasy football commissioners can edit or alter scoring settings to breathe life into leagues. Making field goals incremental scoring per decimal point, adding individual defensive players (IDP) to the draft and rewarding bonus points for “big plays” of over 20 yards are common modifiers.
Another option is to reward players who return kicks. Adding bonus points for return yards is especially relevant since the NFL changed how plays are handled, resulting in a sharp uptick in kickoff return rate, from 32.8% in 2024 to nearly 75% last season.
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Fantasy Football Return Yards Targets
Speedy running backs and wide receivers are the most common options to return punts and kickoffs, but most teams tend to use players who aren’t fantasy relevant in the first place, barring injuries ahead of them on the depth chart. Why risk injury to a star player absorbing a devastating hit if they don’t have to? This is the likely mindset.
There are several players who were already fantasy relevant and really began to shine in leagues that reward points for punt and kickoff returns. Here are a few names to consider moving up in your fantasy football rankings, should you participate in such a league.
KaVontae Turpin (WR – DAL)
KaVontae Turpin led the NFL in kickoff returns each of the past two seasons, highlighted by a massive 1,814 yards last season. To put that into perspective, the only other player in the league to break 1,500 return yards was Chimere Dike (1,588), and only three other players bested 1,000 return yards.
Most leagues that reward return yardage implement a scoring system of 25 return yards equating to one point — that means that Turpin’s totals increased by 72 points. Phrasing it like “pretend that Turpin scored another 12 touchdowns” is sure to raise some eyebrows. Now we’re talking.
Did I also happen to mention that Turpin also compiled those statistics in just 15 games? Turpin’s value skyrockets in these formats, and he should be drafted a round or two earlier to compensate.
Chimere Dike (WR – TEN)
Speaking of Chimere Dike, he definitely cracks the list as a player to target in this specific format. Dike finished as the WR51 during his rookie campaign in 2025, on the heels of a 48/423/4 season with Tennessee — and that doesn’t factor in his elite return skills.
Dike finished second behind Turpin in both kick returns (62) and return yards (1,588), adding another 398 yards and two touchdowns on punt returns. The Titans’ wide receiver room was completely overhauled in the offseason, with the additions of Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson joining the team.
Though Dike was pushed down in the pecking order of passing targets, it is difficult to completely ignore his special teams contributions, where he truly shines. Tennessee continues to field a middling defense that should surrender points in droves, allowing Dike plenty of opportunities on returns.
Dike’s overall upside makes him at minimum a FLEX-worthy option most weeks in these formats.
Malik Washington (WR – MIA)
I wrote about Malik Washington recently, citing that he should be considered by fantasy managers late in drafts as an upside dart throw due to his expected target share alone. I didn’t even factor in his special teams contributions for the Dolphins.
A diminutive 5-foot-8 and 195 pounds, Washington was primarily used on screen passes and jet sweeps during his rookie season, allowing his exceptional athleticism and ability to make defenders miss to shine. His elusiveness was especially on display whenever he returned kicks for Miami, and he finished with a stellar 26.8-yard return average and 965 return yards (ranking sixth in the NFL).
Washington is also Miami’s punt returner, which adds another dimension to his game. This is an important distinction to make since not every team uses the same player on returns for both punts and kickoffs (take Ray Davis on the Bills, for example), and teams scored more punt return touchdowns (15) than kickoff return touchdowns (six) last year, with a shorter field to traverse.
Call this another feather in Washington’s cap for a potential breakout 2026 campaign.
Rashid Shaheed (WR – SEA)
Rashid Shaheed’s move from New Orleans to Seattle not only helped his value as a wide receiver but also as a return specialist. The only player in the NFL who scored both a punt and kickoff return touchdown in 2025, Shaheed’s situational usage on special teams provided a pleasant boost for fantasy managers, allowing him to consistently crack lineups as a WR3/FLEX with a modest point floor.
Though he doesn’t have the same eye-popping contributions as Turpin or Dike listed above, we expect Shaheed to be more of a factor on special teams in 2026, especially after he inked a three-year extension with the team. Seattle’s passing targets mainly funnel through Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with Shaheed operating as the primary downfield threat on go routes.
Currently ranked as the WR55 in our expert consensus rankings (ECR), Shaheed can be safely moved up several spots in leagues that reward special teams contributions.
Jaylin Noel (WR – HOU)
Jaylin Noel had a difficult time making a weekly contribution on offense during his rookie season, mired on the depth chart behind Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins and Christian Kirk for most of the year.
Only able to accumulate 26 receptions for 292 yards and two touchdowns on a middling snap share, Noel’s primary contribution for Houston came as their return specialist. He finished 13th in the league in kickoff return yards (799) and seventh in punt return yards (335).
Kirk departed for San Francisco in the offseason, allowing Noel to hopefully become a more integral part of the Texans’ offense in 2026. Improved play from quarterback C.J. Stroud would go a long way to aid that endeavor, and Noel will look to climb out of his current bargain-bin status as our WR78 within the seventh tier at the position.
Parker Washington (WR – JAX)
Another player that I mentioned in my aforementioned article is Parker Washington. He has already been pegged as a breakout option by a bevy of analysts due to his chemistry with quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a pass-happy Jaguars offense.
Washington should continue to operate as the team’s primary punt returner (he ceded kickoff return duties to LeQuint Allen Jr. in 2025), where he finished fifth in the NFL with 341 return yards. He was one of five players across the league with multiple punt return touchdowns.
Washington is a nightmare to tackle in the open field, and his production down the stretch last year carried plenty of managers to fantasy championships (he finished as the WR11 or better in four of his final six starts). The team seems content to continue giving him opportunities on special teams, even as he ascends the depth chart. He’s a strong WR3 play with major upside.
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