NFL Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Week 9

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

Travis Kelce – Kelce was only targeted twice in the red zone this week, but both of those targets went for touchdowns. He now has five red zone touchdowns on just 14 targets and has easily been the best tight end in football this season. Kelce has the lowest target share percentage of any of the five players with at least five red zone touchdowns this season, but with all the threats in the Kansas City offense, it’s not very surprising. The Mahomes-Kelce combination is a thing of beauty.

James Conner – Conner failed to score on any of his three red zone carries this week, but he did punch in a touchdown on one of his three red zone receptions. It was his first red zone receiving touchdown of the season and he has caught five-of-six (83%) targets on the year. Outside of this week, the majority of his red zone damage has come on the ground, where he has scored seven times (second in the NFL) on 24 carries (third in the NFL).

O.J. Howard – Week of the tight end? Howard closes out our red zone target performers, giving us two tight ends, a running back, and no wide receivers. The NFL can be a strange thing sometimes. Howard hauled in two-of-three red zone targets this week and both were touchdowns. Howard only has seven red zone targets on the season, but he has done a great job on them as he has caught five of them and managed to score four touchdowns. He continues to trend up.

*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

Christian McCaffrey – McCaffrey lands in this section for the second straight week after another high volume red zone game. He finished with five carries and two touchdowns while also catching one pass. He also has cracked our red zone carry leader board for the first time this season and his stock continues to rise with every game. CMC already has more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns than he did last season and can be viewed as a RB1 at this point.

James White – White does the majority of his damage as a pass-catcher, but this week he was a major threat on the ground in the red zone. He carried the ball six times and scored two touchdowns in the Patriots 31-17 win over the Packers. He also had one reception, giving him a very strong overall day inside the Packers 20. White cracks our red zone targets leader board and is second in the league in red zone touchdowns with six.

Alvin Kamara – Kamara has been somewhat of a regular in the “Red Zone Targets” section this year, but this week he did more damage on the ground than through the air. He only had three red zone carries, but he plunged two of them into the end zone. He also hauled in a pair of red zone receptions and scored a touchdown that way too. Kamara is a beast and the Saints will continue to feed him heavy doses of the football even with Ingram around.

*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

Baker Mayfield – Mayfield becomes the first rookie quarterback to make an appearance in the red zone report after tossing a pair of touchdowns on five red zone pass attempts this week. Mayfield now has eight touchdowns in the red zone this year and has yet to throw an interception. He has another nice matchup on tap this week as he takes on the Falcons in Cleveland and it would not be surprising to see him toss a couple touchdowns again. If he does, it would be his fourth straight multi-touchdown game.  

Drew Brees – Brees had six pass attempts in the red zone this week and three of them went for touchdowns. He continues to be a dominant force in the red zone and he now has 14 touchdowns to zero interceptions (the most touchdowns of any quarterback without an interception). On top of that, he is completing 66% of his passes in the red zone – only behind Cam Newton – and he has the most red zone completions with 41. Needless to say, he has been very good.

Marcus Mariota – Mariota had a lot of volume in the red zone this week and he did not disappoint. He threw a pair of touchdowns on seven pass attempts and also ran one in on four rushing attempts. The two touchdowns passing were only his fourth and fifth of the year (which still has him behind just about everyone). Mariota hasn’t been bad between the opponents 10 and 20 yard line, but he has really struggled inside their 10. He is just 6-of-17 (35%) on throws inside the opponents 10 yard line and he has three touchdowns to one interception.

*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

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs make their second straight appearance here and as a repeat offender of being awful. Last week they allowed touchdowns on all four of their opponents red zone drives and this week it was an even worse five-for-five. They have allowed touchdowns on 27 out of 30 tries this season in the red zone for a league worst percentage of 90%! How bad is that, you ask? The worst percentage of any team in 2017 was 67% (Browns). This defense is atrocious. Keep stacking against them in DFS.

Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings defense stood tall in the red zone this week, holding the Lions out of the end zone on all three of their red zone drives. After a sluggish start to the year, the Vikings defense has really hit its stride as of late and is now second in red zone touchdown percentage allowing touchdowns on just 39% of red zone drives. They have held three of their last four opponents under 20 points with the lone exception being one of the league’s top offenses (Saints scored 30 on 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.