He hasn’t made a kick return for the Bills since 2011, but RB C.J. Spiller will be the lead man on kick returns this season. Buffalo’s depth chart has Spiller is listed as the starting kick returner ahead of last year’s starter Marquise Goodwin.
Head coach Doug Marrone confirmed Wednesday that Spiller will be used on kick returns. He also dismissed any notion that it’s a risk put one of his top backs out there as a return man.
“I look at it as how many guys have been injured returning the football compared to people injured with the ball being handed off to them,” said Marrone. “I don’t view it as much of a risk as some people would. I could understand why people could see that because of the distance and the way people are running down the field. But again I don’t look at it that way. As much as we can get our playmakers out there whether it be punt returns or kickoff returns we have to make sure we explore that.”
Most fantasy leagues don't award points for return yardage, so his owners should be worried about this development. Not only does this expose him to more risk of injury, but it may impact the workload he can handle in the team's offense. Does he stay on the field after his return or does Fred Jackson start the drive? We won't know for sure until the games are played.