Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: D.K. Metcalf, Javonte Williams, Gus Edwards
So far this season, the top 100 receivers have been targeted a total of 4,783 times, with 602 of those targets coming in the Red Zone. This means red zone targets represent 12.6% of all targets to the top 100 receivers. The top 100 RBs have had 6,185 total touches through eight weeks, with 887 being inside the 20-yard line — 14.3%.
I’m bringing this up because those figures are a fairly small sample size. It’s even worse when looking just at red zone receptions. Those 602 red zone targets produced just 349 catches, which is only a 57.9% completion rate.
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Fantasy Football Red Zone Report
Top Red Zone Wide Receivers: D.K. Metcalf, Michael Pittman
This week, there was only one receiver who had five red zone targets. Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf was targeted a whopping 14 times but only had five catches for 67 yards. And of his five red zone targets, he caught exactly zero passes … yup, goose egg.
With the small sample size of red zone work, it’s not always the “red zone guy” who has the most productive game. Fellow WR Tyler Lockett was only targeted nine times but had eight receptions for 81 yards and a TD. Of his nine targets, only two were in the red zone, but he caught both of them.
Metcalf may have been targeted the most this week, but Indianapolis Colts WR Michael Pittman was the most efficient. He didn’t have the best of games, but he was solid inside the 20-yard line. He was targeted 13 times with only eight catches for a total of 40 yards, but he did manage to score a TD, and in the red zone, he was perfect. He caught a perfect four for four inside the 20.
To me, the red zone is all about the running back. One stat I can cite is that when in the red zone, receivers have been targeted 602 times, while RBs have had 887 rushes. Nearly 50% more plays go to the running back than receivers inside the 20 YD line.
Top Red Zone Running Backs: Javonte Williams
This week, Denver’s Javonte Williams had the most red zone touches among RBs with 10. With 27 total rushes, over 30% of his runs were inside the 20-yard line. For the year, he now has a total of 15 red zone touches, which means he increased his total by 200% on Sunday. Fellow RBs Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine have only combined for 14 red zone touches.
Three other RBs had a high percentage of rushes in the red zone this week:
- Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens: Of Edwards' 19 total rushes, six were in the red zone, and he had a dominating fantasy performance, rushing for 80 yards with three TDs.
- Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers: Hubbard had an abysmal 28 yards, but five of his 15 rushes were inside the 20-yard line. He leads the team with 15 red zone touches this season, and if that trend continues, he will absolutely build on his lonely, one TD.
- Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts: Although Jonathan Taylor has taken back his RB1 status over him, Moss still gets his share of playing time. This week, he had the edge in red zone looks, four to one. In 28 snaps, he had 12 touches, and a third of them were inside the 20-yard line. He had a solid 66 yards and a TD while averaging six yards per carry.
