NFL Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Week 5

Paying attention to who is getting targeted and/or getting carries in the red zone and down near the goal line are both very important in all fantasy formats. Touchdowns are major point boosters in PPR leagues and even more so in standard. The weekly report will be a one-stop shop where you can find all the information you could possibly need when it comes to the red zone. Each week I will point out some notable performances for that week and then include season totals. Let’s dive in!

Red Zone Targets

Eric Ebron – Ebron was targeted four times in the red zone this week and hauled in two of those passes. The better news for fantasy owners, those two receptions resulted in two touchdowns. Ebron is now third in red zone targets on the season with 12 and has managed to catch five of them for a total of four touchdowns. While his 42% red zone catch rate leaves a lot to be desired, his four touchdowns rank him at the very top of the league. Needless to say, it’s been a very strong start to the year for the former first rounder.  

James White – White caught four passes in the red zone this week and turned one of them into a touchdown. He is tied for the NFL lead in red zone receiving touchdowns with four and has been targeted nine times. On those nine red zone targets he has hauled in seven (78% catch rate), giving him one of the higher red zone catch percentages in the league. While he only has five carries inside the opponents 20, the damage he continues to show in the passing game is a good enough reason to continue to plug him into your lineup.

Antonio Brown – Brown was targeted five times in the red zone this week and hauled in two of them. One of those receptions went for a touchdown. Surprisingly, it was Brown’s first two red zone receptions on the season. The games best receiver has really struggled inside the red zone this season with a catch percentage of just 22% (two receptions, nine targets), but the volume is still there and there is no reason to think he won’t turn it on as the season progresses.

*The below tables are the top-10 in targets for the season in the red zone and inside the 10 yard line. Take note that targets inside the 10 are also included in inside the 20.

Red Zone Carries

Todd Gurley – Gurley is a beast - we know that - but what he is doing in the red zone is insane, even for him. He racked up another 12 carries in the red zone this week, giving him 32 on the year already, which is 12 more than the next closest. He also caught a pass, giving him 13 total red zone touches. He managed to turn three of those carries into touchdowns and now has seven on the year. His fantasy production is borderline unfair.

David Johnson – Johnson has been a huge disappointment so far this year, but he did turn in a strong game in Week 5. He punched in two touchdowns on his five red zone carries and that doubled his touchdown total to four. The Cardinals offense has been one of the worst in the league thus far, but this was a nice game for them and hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come for DJ. A key stat (which is a good one for his owners) is that Johnson has received 81.8% of his team’s red zone carries this year, which leads the NFL.

LeGarrette Blount – Blount received four red zone carries this week and punched two of them in for touchdowns. Blount has been, simply put, terrible this year and his teammate Kerryon Johnson has been the far superior running back of the two, but Blount still has a role near the goal line. Unfortunately, he is still unplayable in all formats and is simply just taking value away from Johnson owners if he continues to be a touchdown vulture.

*The below tables are the top-10 in carries for the season in the red zone and inside the five yard line. Take note that carries inside the five are also included in inside the 20.

Red Zone Passing

Andrew Luck – Luck had nine pass attempts in the red zone this week and three of them resulted in touchdowns. He is second in the league with 40 red zone pass attempts and leads the NFL in red zone touchdowns with 11. Luck has looked pretty dreadful this year, but still has value in fantasy based on the volume the Colts are giving him. He currently leads the NFL in both completions (163) and attempts (245).

Aaron Rodgers – Rodgers had 10 passing attempts in the red zone this week and had three touchdowns to three different receivers. He now has seven touchdowns in the red zone on the season and continues to get the job done despite playing through injury. Fantasy owners will be hoping to see more weeks like this one from the first quarterback taken in drafts this year.

Case Keenum – Keenum had a high volume red zone week with 12 pass attempts, but only managed to turn one of them into a touchdown. Keenum has been dreadful this year in the red zone and has arguably the worst numbers in the league in that department. He has completed just 11-of-23 attempts (48%) for two touchdowns and a league-leading three interceptions. Hopefully you aren’t forced to play him in fantasy. Personally, I am ready to see Chad Kelly become the first Mr. Irrelevant to ever start a game at quarterback.

*The below tables are the top-10 in pass attempts for the season in the red zone and inside the 10 yard line. Take note that pass attempts inside the 10 are also included in inside the 20.

Team Defense Red Zone Stats

New York Jets – The Jets defense had a strong week in the red zone as they held the Broncos to one touchdown on four tries. The strong red zone performance led to a nice game overall for New York as they won 34-16. They have now allowed just six touchdowns on 15 red zone drives (40% touchdown rate), which is good enough to rank them as a top-five red zone defense through five weeks. As a whole, they are currently only allowing 21.0 points per game against, which is good for eighth best in the NFL.

Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals had a rough week defending in the red zone as they surrendered touchdowns on all three of the 49ers red zone drives. Arizona has now allowed touchdowns on 12-of-18 red zone drives (67%) and rank as one of the worst teams in that area. You probably didn’t need any more reasons to pick on the Cardinals (with how bad they have been this year), but a weak red zone defense is just another positive when picking players against them.

*The below table shows the red zone stats for all 32 teams. How many attempts have been made against each team, how many touchdowns were converted, and the percentage of how often those red zone drives result in touchdowns.