NFL Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Week 15

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

Mike Williams – Williams had a monster game and a large portion of his production came in the red zone. He was targeted five times in the RZ, hauled in three of them, with two of them resulting in touchdowns. He also carried the ball once in the red zone and found pay dirt on the play for a 19 yard touchdown. He now has six red zone receiving touchdowns on the season (tie-5^th in the NFL) on just seven RZ receptions. He is a strong play in standard leagues.

Josh Reynolds – Reynolds wouldn’t warrant a spot here in most weeks, but Williams providing the only strong RZ performance from the wide receiver position, Reynolds cracks a spot here despite zero touchdowns. In fact, he did not even have a single reception in the red zone this week! So why is he here, you ask? Volume. He was targeted four times in the red zone this week and while it didn’t result in any touchdowns (or receptions even), it’s important to acknowledge that volume. If he continues to pick up this type of targets then he will find pay dirt. He makes for an interesting pick in DFS this week.

*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

Marlon Mack – Mack finished Sunday with seven red zone carries and two touchdowns in the Colts 23-0 win over the Cowboys. In total, he finished the game with 27 carries, 139 yards, two touchdowns, and one reception for 10 yards. Mack has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride this year as he now has three games with 125+ rushing yards, but also has four games with fewer than 35 rushing yards in his 10 games played. He now has seven RZ rushing touchdowns on 28 carries this year. A solid matchup with the Giants awaits Mack and the Colts in Week 16.

Joe Mixon – Mixon finished with eight red zone carries and two touchdowns in the Bengals 30-16 win over the Raiders. He had a fantastic overall game too, finishing with 27 carries for 129 yards and the two touchdowns while also hauling in a pair of passes. He is now just five yards shy of topping the 1000 rushing yard mark for the first time in his career. He has eight red zone rushing touchdowns this season (fifth in the NFL), but only 76 yards on his 31 RZ carries. He is a must start player on a weekly basis.

Damien Williams – Williams cracks this section for the second straight week after another strong game in the red zone. He drew the start for an injured Ware and he did not disappoint, finishing with five red zone carries and two touchdowns. Overall for the game he carried the ball 10 times for 49 yards and the two scores while also adding in six receptions for 74 yards. Unfortunately for Williams’ owners who profited off the spot start in Week 15, it looks like Ware is in line to return in Week 16 and form a running back by committee.

Derrick Henry – Henry, like Williams, also did enough to secure a spot here for the second straight week. He picked up a whopping nine(!) carries in the red zone this week and managed to plunge two of them into the end zone for scores. Henry has quickly vaulted up our red zone leader board to fourth in the NFL in carries, third in yards, and fourth in touchdowns. He is getting insane volume in the red zone right now and there is little reason to believe it is going to change in Week 16.

*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

Sam Darnold – Welcome to the red zone report Darnold, the third rookie quarterback to crack a spot in this report (Mayfield twice, Jackson once). He finished the game with five pass attempts in the red zone and two of them resulted in touchdowns. He also ran it once in the RZ, but fell short of the end zone. Darnold hasn’t put up big time red zone numbers this season, but he’s been solid (for a rookie) as he has completed 19-of-34 passes for 175 yards and eight touchdowns to just one interception. That being said, he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to remain a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Patrick Mahomes – I have run out of things to say about this guy as this is now what seems like his 20^th appearance in the red zone report. He finished with two red zone touchdowns on six pass attempts and also carried the ball once, but it did not result in score. He is the MVP.

Jeff Driskel – Driskel lands here nearly by default as it was a down week in the red zone for both the wide receivers and quarterbacks. Driskel had a pretty awful game (14-of-33 passing, 130 yards, one touchdown, one interception, seven carries, 32 yards), but he did get some decent volume in the red zone as he finished with eight attempts and one touchdown. He hasn’t thrown an interception in the RZ yet this year, but his completion percentage is a woeful 35% (6-of-17). You probably shouldn’t play this guy in any league or format.

*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

Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks fell to the 49ers 26-23 this week, but it was not because of their red zone defense; they held the niners out of the end zone on all three of their red zone drives. Seattle’s red zone defense has been a key factor in their success this year as they are holding their opponents to touchdowns on just 49% of their RZ drives (fifth best in the NFL). They will have their hands full in Week 16 though, as the Chiefs explosive offense comes to town in a battle of two (likely) playoff teams.

Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons stomped the Cardinals 40-14 this week, but their red zone defensive struggles continued. The failed to stop Arizona on either of their red zone drives and are allowing their opponents to score touchdowns on 74% of the red zone drives this year (2^nd worst in the NFL). They have no shot at making playoffs, so it’s not a big concern for this year, but it is certainly something they will need to clean up in 2019. Fortunately for Falcons fans, Atlanta plays Newton-less Carolina team in Week 16.

*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.