The last week of the regular season is upon us and that can mean some interesting guys getting shots at red zone work but there were also several players that saw a lot more work in Week 16 than previously in the season. We will highlight both of those types of players in this week’s Red Zone Report.
Red Zone Passing
Aaron Rodgers GB - Rodgers put up seven passing attempts in the red zone in Week 16 which was the most since Week 9 for him and as many as the previous two games combined. Three of those passes went for scores, all of them to Davante Adams , as he kept his remarkable efficiency going. The Packers have to beat the Bears in Week 17 to clinch the only bye in the NFC and while Chicago has one of the best red zone defenses in the league, the Packers are the top offense in terms of red zone efficiency this season scoring nearly 80-percent of the time they get inside the 20.
Josh Allen BUF - As of this writing, it’s still up in the air as to whether or not or how much the Bills’ starters will play on Sunday including Allen. However, one thing is for sure, Allen put on a show in Week 16 against New England with seven passing attempts including four inside the 10 and three for scores. Allen has been remarkable in the last four games with a 14:1 TD:INT ratio as the Bills clinched the AFC East. Miami has been a tough defense in the second half of the season and could make life tough in the red zone for Buffalo even if the starters play so he might be a bit of a contrarian play in Week 17.
Lamar Jackson BAL - Jackson has been back to his elite-caliber ways the last few weeks and Week 16 wasn’t any different. He passed it seven times inside the 20, five of them inside the 10 and two for scores. Those seven attempts were his most in a game since Week 1 when he had eight. The Ravens have to win to clinch a playoff spot in Week 17 and they’ll need Jackson to keep that level of play up against Cincinnati which shouldn’t be hard but it also make Jackson a good play as he’ll need to play likely the whole game.
Red Zone Rushing
Alvin Kamara RB NO - Kamara was historically great on Christmas. There’s no other way to put it. His six touchdowns are a record for a single-game in the NFL and because of that output, his red zone carry total as large as well with 11 totes inside the 20. In fact, he was so good on Christmas that his carries equal more than a quarter of his season total of 43 to this point. The Saints are still likely to play their starter for at least a half against Carolina depending on how the other games are going that could determine the Saints seeding in the NFC. Carolina hasn’t been great defensively so expect another solid day from Kamara if they play the whole day.
Samaje Perine RB CIN - Perine saw his most work of the season in Week 16 with five carries including two inside the 10 and one for a score. He also caught a pass inside the 20 as well. While Giovani Bernard out-snapped Perine 44 to 29, Perine got the bulk of the work near the endzone. Week 17 isn’t a good match-up as the Ravens have been good against the run and the Bengals have to pass to keep up with Baltimore’s scoring potential, but the volume is still a good sign.
A.J. Dillon RB GB - Dillon got his first carries of the year inside the 20 and equalled the total that Aaron Jones posted with four each. Dillon turned his four rushes into a score and even caught a pass in the dismantling of Tennessee. This was a coming out party for Dillon, one of the top draft picks for the Packers this year, and gave Aaron Jones a bit of a respite. Against the Bears they face a tougher rush defense than Tennessee but it’s quite possible that Dillon gets more work as they try and keep Aaron Jones fully healthy for the ensuing playoff run.
Red Zone Receiving
Davante Adams WR GB - Adams has had a heck of a few games and on Monday night, he absolutely torched the Titans. Most of that work came inside the 20 where he caught all three of his targets for touchdowns. Adams is now at 25 red zone targets on the season and 10 of those have come over the last few games. Green Bay still has to win to clinch the top seed on the NFC so expect Adams to get as long of run as they need to be secure in the win in Week 17.
Mike Williams WR LAC - Williams has now seen work inside the 20 two straight games and three of the last four and on Sunday his three targets accounted for 60-percent of the total for Justin Herbert. He didn’t catch any of the balls thrown his way, but the volume is a good sign. Los Angeles is facing the Chiefs on Sunday and the Chiefs have already said they are resting most of their key guys which includes on defense which might just make for easier work for Williams and company.
Irv Smith Jr. TE MIN - Since coming back from injury, a few weeks ago, Smith has seen at least one target in each of the last three games including four on the previous Sunday. Kirk Cousins put up seven targets and three touchdowns of which Smith caught three of the four including two for scores. With Dalvin Cook now out for Week 17 due to a family emergency, Smith should take a bigger role in the red zone offense for the Vikings in a tasty match-up against the Lions who haven’t been great against tight ends this season.
Red Zone Defense
Denver Broncos - Congratulations are in order for the Broncos as they are the only team to go through the first 16 weeks of the season allowing less than 50-percent of opponent trips to finish in the endzone. Last year there were a handful of defenses to do that but not this year. It’s also impressive since for the last few weeks of the season they didn’t have several starting corners in action and throughout the year they lost key players to major injuries. They will finish the year against the Raiders and so it’s likely they finish the season as the best red zone defense in the league and a unit that should be looked upon higher in fantasy drafts next season.
Chicago Bears - Bears are the second-best red zone defense in the league this year allowing right at 50-percent of opponent trips inside the 20 to go for touchdowns. That’s an impressive feat considering the other three teams in their division are all top-10 red zone offenses with Green Bay being the top team in the league and Minnesota ranking fifth. The hallmark of the Bears has been defense for quite some and that hasn’t changed in 2020 and likely won’t next year either, which makes them another solid pick for fantasy in 2021 as they posted the ninth-fewest PPG allowed so far this year.