NFL Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Week 1

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. Let’s dive in!

Red Zone Targets

Alvin Kamara – Kamara led the NFL in targets in the red zone in week 1 with five. He hauled in three of them for 22 yards with his lone target from inside going for a seven yard touchdown. Kamara received 45.5% of the Saints red zone targets. He finished the 2017 season 15^th in the league in red zone targets with 17, so this comes to little surprise that he is picking up right where he left off in his rookie year. Kamara is a dynamic back that the Saints will utilize in a variety of ways.

Corey Davis – Davis picked up three red zone targets in week 1 including two coming inside the opponents 10 yard line. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Davis failed to turn any of those targets into a touchdown, but he did catch three of them for 16 yards and the fact that he was thrown to as much as he was is a great sign going forward. Davis has shown off the ability to make acrobatic catches, which should only help him when it comes to making tough grabs around the goal line. Most people think his stock is down after a mediocre fantasy day, but if you look at his 13 total targets and three inside the red zone, there are reasons to be excited with Davis.

Michael Thomas – Normally this section is unlikely to include two players from the same team, but Thomas was a beast Sunday and that included a strong performance in the red zone. He hauled in all three of his targets and scored a touchdown. Thomas was one of the league’s best red zone performers in 2017 as he finished with nine receptions on 16 targets for five touchdowns, so this strong opening game should come to no one’s surprise.

*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. These tables will be made Thursday’s as to not include Thursday night games.

Red Zone Carries

Adrian Peterson – Peterson is attempting to silence his doubters this season and he got off to a great start in doing so. He led the NFL in week 1 carries inside the red zone with seven and managed to turn one of those carries into a touchdown, which you can watch below. Not only did he lead the league in red zone carries, but he also led the league in carries inside the five yard line. These numbers, as well as his two receptions, are all very good signs for his fantasy owners going forward.

For the 100th time in his career...@AdrianPeterson rushes for a TD!

????: FOX #HTTR #Kickoff2018 pic.twitter.com/9SlShIzMu7

— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2018

Todd Gurley – In 2017 Gurley led the NFL in red zone carries and in week one of 2018 he got off to a good start towards claiming that title again. While he didn’t match Peterson’s seven, he did finish with the second most at a rock solid five. He led all running backs in red zone rushing yards with 19 and if it hadn’t been for the fact that none of those carries came inside the five, Gurley likely would have found the end zone on the ground. His fantasy owners had to “settle” with a receiving touchdown from the best player in fantasy. 

Alfred Morris – Morris received five carries in the red zone and matched Peterson’s league high inside the five with three carries. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, none of those three carries up close resulted in a touchdown and to make matters even worse one of them he fumbled. The carry totals are a good sign, but if he continues to do nothing with them he will quickly lose that role and become a non-factor in fantasy.

*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. These tables will be made Thursday’s as to not include Thursday night games.

Red Zone Passing

Patrick Mahomes – Mahomes didn’t lead the NFL in red zone pass attempts in week 1, in fact he did not even crack the top-10, but he did have a very efficient and notable performance. He finished 3-of-5 for 18 yards and two touchdowns in the red zone. Taking a closer look, of those five passes, three came inside the 10 yard line, including both of his touchdowns. Those two touchdowns both came on simple little flip passes to wide receivers jetting across the field in front of him, one of them can be seen below. If the Chiefs continue to run these types of plays down around the goal line, Mahomes could be in for a monster fantasy season.

That was easy ???? @datblackmomba13

????: CBS #ChiefsKingdom #Kickoff2018 pic.twitter.com/l0XaXi2IRE

— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2018

Drew Brees – Brees led the NFL in red zone pass attempts this week with 11. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering both Kamara and Thomas were notable performers in the targets section. He completed seven of those pass attempts and finished with two red zone touchdowns. Brees finished third in the NFL in 2017 in red zone pass attempts with 82 and led the league in red zone competition percentage at 67%.

Matt Ryan – Ryan was a notable performer this week, but not in the way you want to be. He finished an abysmal 2-of-10 in the red zone for 13 yards and also threw an interception. It gets even worse when you consider that he was just 1-of-8 inside the 10 yard line. This is becoming a trend for Ryan, who was also one of the least efficient QBs in the red zone during the 2017 season when he completed just 36-of-75 pass (46%) attempts. He also had two red zone interceptions in 2017, which was only worse than Kizer, Cousins, Prescott, and Hundley.

*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. These tables will be made Thursday’s as to not include Thursday night games.

Team Defense Red Zone Stats

Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars let the Giants reach the red zone twice, but stopped them from scoring a touchdown both times. This is far from surprising, as the Jags have the best defense in football and produced arguably the best red zone defense in the league last season. In 2017, the Jaguars allowed their opponent to reach the red zone a league-low 28 times (eight less than the next closest) and only allowed their opponent to score 11 red zone touchdowns. That is a 39% touchdown rate, which was good for second best in the NFL only behind the Chargers.

Buffalo Bills – This Bills team appears to be in for a long season after their 47-3 loss to the Ravens in the opener. There were a lot of areas of concern for this team and their red zone defense was one of them. Of the six times that the Ravens entered the red zone, the Bills managed to stop them from scoring touchdowns zero times. Allowing your opponent to score six touchdowns on six red zone attempts is not good, to put it simply.

*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.