Red Zone Report: Week 10 (Fantasy Football)
Welcome to the 10th Red Zone Report of 2024, where I dive into the important stats and information you need to know from 20 yards and in. Most fantasy trade deadlines are set for the next couple of weeks. Red zone data and trends can help you make the correct decisions on who to target as we approach deadlines.
Check out the Red Zone Report tool as part of the Ultimate Draft Kit to look at every player’s usage in the red zone, 10-zone, and five-zone.
Let’s begin by taking a look at efficiency in and out of the red zone.
The Ravens and Bengals treated us to an amazing Thursday Night Football matchup to open up Week 10—both teams are top-five offenses in our efficiency graph. Now without Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys will plummet to depths potentially deeper than those of the New York Giants in terms of red zone efficiency. Even after a very weak game offensively, the Lions are still one of the best offenses in football; they proved so by managing to come back despite Jared Goff’s five (!) interceptions against the Texans.
Rushers
The graph below shows the relationship between rusher EPA per play and success rate in the red zone over the course of the season.
Kareem Hunt, though only joining the Chiefs recently, has made a substantial impact on the world of football thanks to his incredible efficiency in the red zone. Tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Dolphins and Rams will include two of the best running backs in the game—Kyren Williams and De’Von Achane.
Chuba Hubbard
After recently reaching a massive contract with the Panthers, Chuba Hubbard had himself a day—or as they call it in Germany, a Tag. He accumulated 169 yards from scrimmage in a dominant performance. Hubbard took all five of the Panthers’ carries in the red zone, managing to bring one in for a touchdown from the one-yard line. Second-round draft pick, Jonathon Brooks, seems to finally be approaching his debut with the team, so it will be interesting to see how he is integrated into the offense. My guess is that they will ride the hot (and newly paid) hand of Chuba Hubbard until he gives the coaching staff reason to think otherwise.
Tampa Bay Rushers
Bucky Irving and Rachaad White are quickly emerging as one of the league’s most powerful running back duos. Irving, who rests comfortably at the top of our red zone rushing efficiency graph, received three red zone carries to White’s two; however, Irving’s carries were from outside the 10-yard line while White’s were inside of that marker. This didn’t stop Bucky from bringing one of his three carries in for his team’s only rushing touchdown. Not all was lost for White, though, who caught his only red zone target on a Texas route out of the backfield over the middle for a touchdown.
James Cook
The good news? No Bills running back not named ‘James Cook’ touched the ball in the red zone. The bad news? Josh Allen ran the ball four times in the red zone, bringing one in for a touchdown. James Cook still had a great day and got six carries in the red zone, tallying a red zone touchdown of his own on Sunday. If Josh Allen is the only red zone threat to James Cook’s production moving forward, Cook managers should be very happy.
Cardinals Rushers
The Arizona Cardinals shredded through the New York Jets‘ defense in the red zone. James Conner got three red zone carries, taking a goal-line run in for a touchdown. His quarterback, Kyler Murray, took both of his two red zone carries in for touchdowns. Additionally, in the air, Kyler Murray found Marvin Harrison Jr. for a nine-yard touchdown. Even against a strong Jets defense, the Cardinals maximized their red zone efficiency and, in doing so, scored a ton of fantasy points. If the Arizona offense can continue this production, they can launch themselves into the playoffs and potentially do the same for your fantasy team.
Receivers
Similarly to the previous graph, this will show receiver EPA per play against success rate in the red zone.
Without Isaiah Likely in Thursday’s game, Mark Andrews secured a red zone touchdown and now finds himself back in the upper echelon of fantasy tight ends after a rough start to the season. Interestingly, Saquon Barkley is the only running back in the upper-right corner of this receiving efficiency graph; his ability to get consistent red zone work on the ground and in the air is one of the main reasons he is one of fantasy’s best running backs.
Philadelphia Receivers
While this past Sunday was one of the Eagles’ first games where all of their star offensive players were healthy, it was Dallas Goedert and Johnny Wilson who showed up in the touchdown column of the box score. While A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith managers would like to see their players scoring touchdowns, it is important to remember that this was just one game, and the biggest takeaway should be that, when fully healthy, the Eagles’ offense is one of the best in the league.
Like Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts also scored two red zone touchdowns on the ground. If you’re counting, that makes four total touchdowns for Jalen Hurts in yesterday’s game; he remains one of the best quarterbacks in fantasy football.
Conclusion
As previously mentioned, fantasy football trade deadlines are rapidly approaching, and so are the fantasy playoffs. Make moves to put your team in the best position to make the playoffs and win it all. You can use our Strength of Schedule tool to visualize the best (and worst) matchups for the playoffs. Make sure to check back each week for the latest Red Zone Report!
For more insights and a full breakdown of red zone rush and target data, try using the Red Zone Report tool as part of the Ultimate Draft Kit