After each week of the NFL season, we are going to take a look at the numbers from the prior week, and examine the red zone usage for players and teams! Red zone usage is vital to fantasy success, and oftentimes is a great indicator of future touchdown production. This week, we’ll take a look at some recent performances in the red zone, including excellent quarterback play from Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, and why the Rashee Rice fantasy football breakout and league winning upside is here to stay! Regardless of whether it’s for your NFL DFS lineups or your seasonal teams, there’s key information for you in this article. From red zone passing, to rushing, to receiving, we’ll take a look at some notable numbers from the first 14 weeks of the 2023 NFL season that can help your fantasy football teams. 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 report.

 

Red Zone Passing

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Stafford and the Rams’ offense is firing on all cylinders right now, and they’ve been frequent fliers in the red zone of late. Stafford has the second-most pass attempts in the red zone over the last four weeks, and he’s sporting a 10:0 TD/INT ratio during that span. Stafford has no shortage of weapons at his disposal, with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson, and Kyren Williams leading the way. He has a great matchup on deck against Washington, putting Stafford in line for another multi-touchdown game.

Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have to be thrilled with what they have gotten from Browning during Joe Burrow’s absence. He’s completing just under two-thirds of his passes (64.2%) in the red zone this year, and he has three passing scores. He’s put up solid fantasy outings, leading the Bengals to 30+ points in each of the last two games. Cincinnati is getting to the red zone frequently, which has also helped the next guy you’ll read about, but the returns from Browning this season have been impressive, we have to admit that.

Red Zone Rushing

Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

The fact that Browning has kept the Cincy offense afloat has been great for Mixon. While Browning is getting his inside the twenties, Mixon is getting a ton of work! Over the last two games, he has 12 total red zone carries, and inside the 10-yard line, he’s turned 10 carries into three rushing scores! Chase Brown is getting more and more involved in the offense, but he has just three red zone carries (one inside the 10-yard line) over the last two weeks. Mixon needs those touchdowns to provide fantasy managers with what they need, and he’s certainly been doing that of late.

Devin Singletary, Houston Texans

Dameon Pierce’s ineffectiveness with the football this year has led Singletary to being the RB1 for the Texans. The team gave Pierce a bunch of carries against the Broncos, including four carries in the red zone, but his snaps are down, and Singletary has been the more efficient (and effective) back by a landslide. Over the last three weeks Pierce has four red zone carries, all of which came in that Denver game, while Singletary has six carries. Also, last week, Singletary got the carry at the one yard line, while Pierce played just 14 percent of the snaps. Singletary is the Houston running back to own moving forward, and the usage in the red zone should continue trending more in his favor compared to Pierce’s.

Red Zone Receiving

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams

With how often the Rams are getting into the red zone of late, Robinson’s usage has been the most eye-opening. First off, not only does Robinson have 15 targets over the past two weeks, but five of those targets have come in the red zone, and he’s scored in both contests! He’s usurped Tutu Atwell as the team’s third receiver, and if the Los Angeles offense continues to produce at this rate, there’s plenty of targets for Robinson to be a solid flex play in deeper formats. I don’t expect Robinson to get 10 targets every single week, but I do expect him to catch more than 30 percent of his targets, and more often than not, he’s going to flirt with double-digit fantasy points in good matchups in PPR formats moving forward.

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

Guess who leads the Chiefs in red zone targets over the last four weeks? I’ll give you a hint. It’s the same player who leads them in targets and receptions, and is tied for the lead in touchdowns. Yes, it’s rookie Rashee Rice! Travis Kelce has been a relative non-factor in the red zone in recent weeks, just like every Kansas City wideout not named Rashee Rice. In the red zone this season, he’s caught 76.5 percent of his targets, and inside the 10-yard line, he’s caught seven of eight targets for four touchdowns. With his increased role of late, he has the makings of a league winner, especially if the team commits to peppering him with targets, and not wasting plays by throwing to the likes of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Co.