Given how the year has played out, is there a chance that we could be looking at Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers being a back-end QB1 down the stretch here in fantasy football? I think it could be possible, and you’ll see why I think so in this week’s red zone report. Outside of the veteran signal caller, recent trends for Hunter Henry and rookie James Cook seem promising, and Jared Goff has this Detroit offense firing on all cylinders. From red zone passing, to rushing, to receiving, we’ll take a look at some notable numbers from the season thus far that can help your fantasy football teams the rest of the way. Using the red zone report here at Fantasy Alarm, here are the key numbers and notes to know for fantasy football in this week’s red zone analysis.

 

 

NFL Red Zone Report

Red Zone Passing

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

After a dreadful showing in the red zone against the Lions back on November 6, Rodgers has been much better in the red zone, completing 8-of-13 passes for five scores. Sure, he’s faced some friendly secondaries in that span, but nonetheless, it’s an improvement, and Christian Watson has unlocked this offense and got the team’s feet out of the mud. Can Rodgers be impactful down the stretch? I believe so, so long as his weapons stay healthy, and the bye week gives his thumb a bit of a breather. He has a very favorable schedule forthcoming, with games against the Rams, Dolphins, Vikings, and Lions to close out the season. If he’s on the waiver wire, he might be worth a flier as you look to make your championship run. 

 

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions 

Yes, the Lions have Jamaal Williams, and yes, he’s scored a ton of rushing touchdowns. However, Goff has been a steady producer in the red zone over the last couple of weeks. He has at least one red zone passing touchdown in five of his last six games, including at least two scores in three of his last five. We’ve seen his usage tick up a bit inside the 10-yard line, and subsequently, touchdowns, too.

 

Pass Att. Inside 10-yard line

Pass TDs Inside 10-yard line

First 6 Games

17

6

Last 6 Games

18

8

Courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference

It may not seem like much, but it does make a difference for sure! Goff has been excellent in this Detroit offense this season, and while he will lose red zone touchdowns to the likes of Wiliams and D’Andre Swift, he should still be good for a red zone touchdown or two each week, especially with good matchups coming off against Minnesota (Week 14) and Carolina (Week 16).

 

Red Zone Rushing

D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

I’m not saying this is something, but I don’t think it’s nothing either. For the first time all year, Swift logged more red zone carries in a game than Jamaal Williams. Williams’ role isn’t going anywhere, but Swift looks healthy, and that hasn’t been the case for much of the season. Fantasy managers might finally get that elite production they have been waiting for in 2022. His 14 carries last week for his first time in a game this season with double-digit carries since Week 1, and it was just the fourth time all season he played in at least 50 percent of the snaps. This Detroit offense puts up points, and Swift is going to get plenty of opportunities down the stretch, seeing as he has 19 carries and 14 targets over the last two weeks.

 

James Cook, Buffalo Bills

Is it Cook’s backfield now? Not sure if we can say that, but he has the second-most carries in the red zone over the last four weeks, and he’s tied with Devin Singletary for the position lead on the team over the last two weeks. He handled four red zone carries last week, and his 43 percent snap share last week was far and away a season high, as were his 14 carries, six targets and six receptions. The team drafted him where they did for a reason, and he seems poised to be a prime contributor down the stretch.

 

Red Zone Receiving

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this year, but he does have five targets in each of his last two games, and he has a red zone target in each of those games. In fact, both targets also came inside the 10-yard line. If he can get that sort of attention from Mac Jones down the stretch, he could be a serviceable option at a brutal position. That could start as soon as this week, given that New England plays Arizona, and the Cardinals have allowed the most receptions, yards and touchdowns to tight ends in the National Football League this year. Give him looks, Mac, you can do this!

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

Over the last four weeks, only Stefon Diggs has more red zone targets amongst wide receivers than St. Brown (and others). He’s developed into the alpha of the Detroit passing attack, and unlike the beginning of the year, he’s getting the red zone looks from Jared Goff. He has three touchdowns over the past two weeks, all of which have come in the red zone, and two were within the five-yard line. His target share is high, his fantasy floor might just be higher, and now he’s getting red zone looks more frequently. WR1.


 

 


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