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. What teams throw it a bunch in the red zone? Who is the preferred red zone running back for a team? What wide receiver is getting a ton of red zone work? Who are some buy-low or sell-high candidates in fantasy football based on red zone usage? 

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 three 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

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Lawrence was one of 10 quarterbacks last year to attempt 70 passes in the red zone last year, and while his 19:3 TD/INT ratio is sufficient, his 50 percent completion percentage was the lowest of those 10 quarterbacks. Now, we fast forward to this season, and Lawrence has a 2:0 TD/INT ratio, but 4-for-11 (36.36%) through the air. He has plenty of weapons at his disposal so his inefficiency in the red zone is a bit mind-boggling.

C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans

As a Texans fan, I’m thrilled with how Stroud has looked thus far. However, 5-for-11 in the red zone is underwhelming, and completing less than half of your passes in the game’s most important area is far from ideal. Houston has enough weapons to make things happen, but for one reason or another, Stroud just hasn’t cashed in as much as he could have here in the twenties. 

He’s completed exactly 50 percent of his passes the past two weeks, and Bobby Slowik is dialing up a fair number of pass attempts in the red zone, despite having a rookie signal caller. Don’t go overboard with Stroud in fantasy yet, but be excited.

Red Zone Rushing

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

Yes, Bijan Robinson is around, and yes, Bijan will continue to be around, and yes, Allgeier will not be the workhorse back for the Atlanta Falcons. While I fully expect Bijan to eventually become the lead guy in all facets of this offense, we can’t ignore the role Allgeier has right now, especially inside the twenties.

  • Allgeier has eight red zone carries to Robinson’s four
  • Allgeier has four carries inside the 10-yard line compared to Robinson’s one 
  • Allgeier has three carries inside the 5-yard line compared to Robinson’s one

With all this to say, I’m not actively trying to trade for Allgeier or have any belief that he ascends to the team’s RB1. Robinson is going to continue his ascension in the offense, but right now, those who drafted Allgeier solely as a handcuff have to be somewhat encouraged by his usage through the first three weeks.

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs 

As we all likely expected at this point, Pacheco is leading the Chiefs in red zone carries. That’s not much of a surprise. After him, it’s Patrick Mahomes with four carries, and then Clyde Edwards-Helaire has one lone rushing attempt. However, while he does lead in carries, Kansas City is pass-happy in the red zone. Mahomes had the most red zone passing attempts last year, and his 21 attempts thus far are tied for the second most. While he is the lead back for the Chiefs, especially in the red zone, he’s really the second option in the red zone, behind Mahomes’ right arm.

Red Zone Receiving

Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders

At face value, Meyers is tied with Davante Adams in red zone targets. However, guess who has played one less game than the other? That’s right! Meyers has become a trusted target for Jimmy Garoppolo in the red zone this year, and Meyers is one of the main beneficiaries of a highly concentrated target tree in Las Vegas. Meyers has a 41.7 percent target share in the red zone, and a 55.6 percent target share inside the 10-yard line! Garoppolo trusts him, they only really target a handful of players, and as long as Meyers stays healthy, he’s going to be a rock-solid WR2/WR3 the rest of the way.

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks 

After DK Metcalf’s monopoly on the red zone targets last year, it’s nice to see Geno Smith actually get some other guys involved on a regular basis. Through the first three weeks, we see Tyler Lockett leading the Seahawks in red zone targets, commanding a 37.5 percent target share in the red zone, and a 40 percent target share inside the 10-yard line! What’s really crazy is that his six red zone targets this year are almost more than his numbers from 2021 (7 red zone targets) and 2022 (8 targets)! This is really encouraging for Lockett, because his big touchdown years in the past have come with regular red zone looks, on top of his ability to make a big play downfield.