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? Should you be buying low on Rashee Rice or selling high on D’Andre Swift? 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 four 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

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

Look at you, Russell! Not only is he one of just four quarterbacks with at least 24 pass attempts in the red zone this year, but he’s sporting a perfect 7:0 TD/INT ratio, tying him for the league lead in red zone passing touchdowns! Wilson had seven red zone passing touchdowns all last year alone! Denver has double the pass attempts as they do rush attempts in the red zone, and Sean Payton just may be able to get the most out of Wilson at this juncture, even if they are not a good team. Hey, garbage time fantasy points count the same as those in close games! This is encouraging from Wilson, as his current touchdown rate of 6.8 percent would be his highest since his penultimate season in Seattle (2020), where he just so happened to throw a career high 40 touchdown passes.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson has been solid through the air in the red zone, completing 10 of 12 passes with a 4:1 TD/INT ratio, including a perfect 2:0 TD/INT ratio inside the 10-yard line. However, the bigger issue here is volume, and Baltimore continues to be run-heavy. Fortunately for fantasy managers who drafted Jackson, his overall opportunity share in the red zone is massive, because not only does he have the 12 pass attempts, but he’s tied for the team lead in red zone carries with seven, and he has four rushing scores in the red zone. Overall, Baltimore has attempted 12 passes in the red zone compared to 20 rushing attempts. Jackson is hyper-efficient, and his rushing ability firmly cements him in the QB1 tier.

Red Zone Rushing

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs may be more flashy and have more fantasy upside overall in a lead role, but at the end of the day, that isn’t happening right now, and Montgomery is the team’s RB1. When Montgomery has been on the field, Gibbs has yet to play more than 50 percent of the snaps in any of those three games! Furthermore, in the red zone, it’s all Montgomery. Four of Gibbs’ six red zone carries on the year came when Montgomery was out, meaning that Montgomery has 18 red zone carries to Gibbs’ two. WOW! The veteran back has a nose for the end zone, and it’s clear that the team trusts him to operate in the lead role, saving some tread on Gibbs’ tires.

D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles

Here is the RB1 for Philadelphia, and I don’t want to hear otherwise. Kenneth Gainwell will be involved, but Swift has handled 44.4 percent of the team’s rushing attempts inside the 20, and 55.6 percent inside the 10-yard line. For the season, Gainwell’s eight red zone carries are close to Swift’s 10, but over the last two weeks with both players active, Swift has four carries to Gainwell’s 1. Furthermore, Swift has 30 total carries to Gainwell’s 18 over the last two weeks, and the former has looked far better than the latter. Swift is the Philadelphia running back you want. End of discussion.

Red Zone Receiving

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

The early returns for the rookie are encouraging. His overall snap share has increased a bit over the last two weeks, and his seven red zone targets are tied with Romeo Doubs for the team lead! Christian Watson’s return likely impacts this a bit moving forward, but the team likes Reed in the red zone, and he even caught a two-point conversion on Monday Night Football against the Lions. Overall, Reed has a 26.9 percent target share in the red zone, and a whopping 45.5 percent target share inside the 10-yard line. Both of his touchdowns this year came in the same game, but he does have at least five targets in every game, despite only one game with double-digit fantasy points.

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

The breakout is coming. It is. I believe it, and I’m manifesting it. Like most rookies, it’s been a slower start for Rice, but there’s a lot of encouraging numbers. Yes, he’s leading the Chiefs in red zone targets through the first four weeks, handling a 25 percent target share in the most important 20-yard segment in fantasy football. After playing 31 percent and 18 percent of the snaps the first two weeks, he’s played 46 percent or more in each of the last two weeks. Rice has five or more targets in all but one game this year, including eight receptions on 12 targets over his last two games. In deeper formats, he’s worth acquiring, as the talent and opportunity is there for Rice to emerge as the WR1 for the Chiefs.