NFL Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Week 13

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

Jaron Brown – Brown only picked up two red zone targets this week, but both went for touchdowns. This guy has been a red zone machine this year and he now has five RZ touchdowns on just six red zone targets. He has caught all six of those targets and is one of just four players with a 100% catch rate on red zone targets (minimum five targets). He only has 15 total targets this year, showing just how remarkable his five touchdowns are. He is not fantasy viable.

Travis Kelce – Kelce was targeted three times in the red zone and he hauled in two of them, with both receptions resulting in touchdowns. Kelce continues to be a dominant red zone threat and he now has eight such touchdowns – ranks third in the NFL – on twelve receptions. He is the best tight end in football and he has the most explosive quarterback in the NFL throwing him the football, it’s a perfect match for continued success.

Zay Jones – Jones picked up four targets in the red zone (the only Bills receiver to be targeted in the RZ) and he hauled in three of them with one going for a touchdown. Jones still has bricks where his hands should be, but he is getting enough volume to be fantasy relevant at this point. In total for the game he had four receptions, 69 yards, and two touchdowns on nine targets. Over the last seven games he has eight, five, eight, six, eleven, one, and nine targets respectively. With Benjamin getting the axe this week, Jones should continue to see heavy volume and have increased volume in the red zone.

*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 has been the best red zone back all year and Week 13 was no different as he finished with six RZ carries and two touchdowns. On the year, Gurley has 61 red zone carries for 197 yards and 15 touchdowns. He ranks first in carries (19 more than second most), first in yards (73 more than second most), and first in touchdowns (five more than second most). You don’t need me to tell you how awesome this guy has been, but he deserves it. Having the first pick in the draft this year was a huge advantage.

Doug Martin – The muscle hamster had a nice red zone workload this week as he carried the ball six times and plunged one of them into the end zone. Martin has picked up a lot of steam as of late and over the last two games he now has nine red zone carries and two touchdowns. In total, he had a season high 18 carries against the Chiefs and he now has six straight games with double-digit carry totals. Head Coach Jon Gruden stated that he hopes Martin remains with the Raiders next year, so it’s safe to assume Martin will continue to see a heavy workload for the remainder of 2018.

James Conner – Conner produced two touchdowns on three red zone carries this week. He is second in the NFL in red zone rushing touchdowns with 10 and sixth in yards with 90. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Conner is out this week and possibly longer after suffering an ankle injury in the Steelers 30-33 loss to the Chargers. It remains to be seen if it will be Jaylen Samuels or Steven Ridley that picks up red zone carries for Pittsburgh in Week 14.

*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

Patrick Mahomes – Mahomes has been a red zone monster all season and this week was no different. He had nine RZ pass attempts and four of them went for touchdowns. Those four touchdowns now give him 29 red zone passing touchdowns on the season out of his 41(!) total. That mark of 29 leads the NFL and he has just one interception in the red zone He has been even better inside the opponent’s 10 yard line as he has a league-leading 17 touchdowns with zero interceptions. I say this every time I write about him, and I will continue to say it, he should be the MVP.

Ryan Tannehill – That’s right, we have a Tannehill sighting! He had six red zone pass attempts this week and three of them went for touchdowns. Overall he has actually been pretty decent in the RZ this year (in the few games he has played) completing 10-of-15 attempts for six touchdowns and one interception. That would be one of the higher red zone completion percentages in the NFL (if he qualified). He should not be on your fantasy radar.

Carson Wentz – Wentz tossed a pair of touchdowns on eight red zone pass attempts in the Eagles 28-13 win over the Redskins. Wentz isn’t putting up the big volume numbers that we saw from his last season, but he is still playing well with a 69.6% completion percentage and 18:7 touchdown to interception ratio. While his red zone completion percentage dips down to 52.6%, he does have 15 touchdowns to just one interception. However, he is nothing more than a backup/QB2 with his low volume totals.

*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

Tennessee Titans – The Titans defense continued their season-long strong play in the red zone this week by holding the Jets out of the end zone on all three of their RZ drives. They have now given up just 15 touchdowns on 34 red zone drives this season for a league-best percentage of 44%. The Titans are primed for another strong week as they take on the Jaguars tonight. The Jaguars offense is 27^th in RZ touchdown percentage with a lowly mark of 48%.

Kansas City Chiefs – This defense is flat out terrible and that was the case once again in Week 13. They allowed the Raiders to score touchdowns on all four of their red zone drives. Oakland is boasts one of the worst red zone offenses in all of football and still had no trouble. They are giving up touchdowns on 72% of opponents red zone drives, the third worst mark in the NFL. The Chiefs have been able to get by, because of Mahomes, but they simply have to improve on defense if they want to have any chance of reaching the Super Bowl.

*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.