Fantasy Football Red Zone Report: Deebo Samuel, Mike Evans, Raheem Mostert

If we study the split of red zone opportunities between receivers and running backs each week, we see that RBs do get the lion's share of activity inside the 20-yard line. This week, there were only 12 receivers who were targeted two or more times in the red zone. The highest amount was three targets, and only two receivers achieved that: Josh Downs and Deebo Samuel. Conversely, there were 26 RBs who had at least two red zone touches. This means finding a receiver who sees consistent red zone work is huge, while there may be lots of running backs with high touchdown upside each week. Let's see who dominated the red zone in Week 12 using FantasySP's red zone tool.

Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more. Not sure Who You Should Start? We can help. Utilize our fantasy football trade analyzer for trades.

Fantasy Football Red Zone Report Week 12

Top Red Zone Receivers Week 12

Of the 12 receivers to see at least two red zone targets, only four caught both of them:

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers: In 50 snaps, he was targeted nine times, with a third of them coming inside the 20-yard line. Although he caught all three red zone targets, he did not find the end zone.

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs may have found another WR. The rookie receiver is turning heads in Kansas City. On 40 snaps he was targeted 10 times and caught eight total passes, with two in the red zone for a total of 107 yards and a TD. In fact, he leads all KC WRs in targets, receptions, and yards. He has the most red zone targets with 12 and red zone catches with nine. He also has five TDs, the same amount as all other Chief WRs combined.

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: If it weren’t for Evans' two TDs, he would have had a very pedestrian stat line. He only caught six of nine targets for 70 yards, but he did catch each of his red zone targets.

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers: At times, Watson shows flashes, but not often enough. His numbers on Thanksgiving should be his normal stat line. He was on the field for 49 snaps and was targeted seven times with five catches for 94 yards and a TD. That would translate into an 85-reception, 1600-yard season with 17 TDs. For the season, he is the team’s WR3 and hasn’t even caught 50% of his targets, only catching 21 passes all season.

Top Red Zone Running Backs Week 12

With so many running backs having at least two red zone touches, I’ll narrow the parameters a bit. Of the 26, there were nine RBs who had at least four red zone touches. And of those nine, five had two TDs this week.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers: Of McCaffrey’s 24 touches, 25% were in the red zone. He again led all RBs in red zone touches. He gained 139 total yards on the day with two rushing TDs.

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs: Like McCaffrey, 25% of Pacheco’s touches were inside the 20-yard line. His numbers weren’t as gaudy, with only 89 total yards, but he, too, had two rushing TDs.

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: In limited action due to a thumb injury, Taylor had five red zone touches in 15 total touches. He had 91 yards and two TDs. Unfortunately, he has now had thumb surgery and will miss at least a couple of weeks. Look for Zack Moss to fill in nicely for the Colts. As it is, Moss still leads Taylor in just about every category. He’s had more snaps, touches, and rushes on the season. He’s gained more yards and has more TDs. And he has more red zone attempts than Taylor, 26 to 22.

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams: In 22 touches, Williams had an amazing 204 total yards and added two passing TDs. He had four red zone touches.

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins: Four of Mostert’s 20 touches were in the red zone. He gained 94 total yards and also had two rushing TDs. 

The formula is clear: Find and identify the receivers who will be targeted in the red zone and the running backs who will get the touches inside the 20-yard line, and you’ll do well in your leagues and with your DFS teams.