As the season progresses we’ve seen teams start to solidify their offenses inside the 20 and then we’ve seen others still trying to figure out what exactly they’re doing in the red zone. Just go look at the Weekly Game Previews to see all of the offenses struggling with efficiency in this part of the field. So with that in mind, let’s highlight some of the guys that had good weeks inside the 20 and what that could mean going forward and whether that was a fluke or not.

Red Zone Passing

Lamar Jackson, BAL - Gee, let’s put the top scoring quarterback in the Red Zone Report, that’s bold. Well, it is following a week in which he posted his best red zone showing of the year. He posted nine passing attempts with three being touchdowns. He also had three carries inside the 20 as well with two being inside the 10. Those nine passing attempts were as many as the last two weeks combined and he may need that many to have a good game against the Chargers as well.

Trevor Lawrence, JAC - Speaking of having the most red zone passing attempts of his season, Lawrence did just that in Week 5 with seven. In fact, he only posted nine on the season prior to Week 5. One of the seven attempts went for a score but the added bonus were the two rushing attempts and one rushing score. That’s right even though his coach says Lawrence doesn’t like QB sneaks, Lawrence still had two rushes near the end zone. It’s coming before a game against a team that hasn’t been that good on defense either as the Jaguars head to London to try and get their first win of the season.

Mike Glennon, NYG - Glennon came into the game after Daniel Jones suffered the major concussion and did well enough in his 39 snaps. Nearly a sixth of those snaps were of Glennon’s pass attempts inside the 20 as he had six of them. One of those passes went for a score which is impressive given the other injuries the Giants suffered and are still suffering. This week it might be tougher to have that kind of volume since they are playing the Rams and their very good defense.

Geno Smith, SEA - In just a half of football, he put up three red zone pass attempts but now he’ll be getting the full starting reps for the next couple of months as Russell Wilson is on the shelf. He’s really on here simply because of the upside going forward with the weapons he has at his disposal and the fact that the Seahawks are one of the most efficient offenses in the red zone in the league. 

Red Zone Rushing

James Robinson, JAC - What’s that? Urban Meyer finally figured out that Robinson is the best running back in the backfield to use? Well sort of. He did have five red zone rushing attempts including one for a touchdown. Those five carries are the most he’s had in a game this season but he still split carries with his backfield mate in Carlos Hyde who had four carries inside the 20 in his own right. This might be a turning point for Robinson and his chances to be the lead back in the Jacksonville scheme but time will tell.

Antonio Gibson, WAS - The six red zone carries that Gibson had in Week 5 is what we’ve been hoping to see from him all season. In fact, the six rushes more than doubled his seasonal total as he had just four coming into the game. Two of those carries were for scores which was also great to see. J.D. McKissic has been a bit of a thorn in the side of Gibson rosters but perhaps this last week was a sign that things are turning around to what we expected them to be heading into the season. Gibson is the truer running back in the Washington backfield so it wouldn’t be a shock to see him continue to capitalize on the looks inside the 20.

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL - Zeke had six carries and a catch inside the 20 and two of those touches resulted in a score. He was by far the most important part of the Cowboys’ offense inside the 20 last week and will continue to be that for them regardless of the match-up. That being said, it was his best red zone week of the season to this point and equals the amount he had in the last two weeks combined.

Devontae Booker, NYG - Booker is set to be the recipient of a ton of volume in the Giants’ backfield with Saquon Barkley injured and that started last week with red zone work. He saw four carries inside the 20 with one of those going for a score. Booker also caught two passes including one for a score. With a ton of weapons on the sideline for the Giants, Booker will take the lead role in the backfield and that means not only carries but also targets.

Red Zone Receiving

Chris Godwin, TB - Godwin continues to be the favorite target of Brady in the red zone with his third week of four targets headed his way. He caught two of those passes though none for a score this time. While we’ve seen Brady spreading the ball around to his main targets over the last few weeks, when they get into the red zone it’s Godwin that’s the guy he likes to throw to. That will keep his fantasy value higher as that ups his touchdown potential.

Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL - While Patterson has been a bit of a rushing threat for the Falcons, he’s really been a bit of a jack of all trades and this week we’re focused on the red zone receiving he’s bringing. He saw three targets his way and caught two of them as well as carrying it once. Clearly his multipurpose use gives him very good fantasy upside at this point for the yardage and catches he’s producing but now with more use coming in the red zone he’s got even more touchdown upside.

Marquise Brown, BAL -  Three of the targets that Jackson had on Monday night went Brown’s way. He caught two of those and one for a score. Brown has been a key piece to the Ravens’ passing game all year and now with the upping of the red zone looks, his value is going up as well. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Mark Andrews also saw three targets and caught all three for two touchdowns. Jackson will continue to go to his main weapons in the passing game, even with Rashod Bateman due to come back, and Brown and Andrews should continue to see the volume.

Red Zone Defense

New Orleans Saints - Saints have been a bit of an enigma this year in terms of how they’re scoring on offense and how well their defense will play however, one part of the defense has been solid all year. The Saints are tied for the best red zone scoring percentage in the league, allowing just 35.7-percent of trips to be touchdowns for their opponents. The 14 trips inside the 20 rank 23rd in the league at nearly three trips a game, however just five of those trips have resulted in touchdowns. Regardless of who’s on the field for the offense and what they’re doing in between the 20s on defense, it still remains the case that they are one of the tougher scoring defenses in the league.

Buffalo Bills - By now it shouldn’t be a shock to see the Bills on this list as one of the best units in the league. They’re in the top-five most categories for defense but they’re also the best red zone unit in the league as well. They’ve only given up five scores all season inside the 20 out of 14 trips allowed total. While they are still allowing nearly three trips a game, and rank 23rd in terms of total trips allowed, they’re still tied for the best percentage of conversions allowed at 35.7-percent. This is part of why the team is one of the best in terms of points allowed per game in general.