Fantasy Football Film Study: Is Julio Jones a Poor Red-Zone WR?
If you’re an Atlanta Falcons fan, you can loathe the struggles the Falcons have had in the red zone. They ranked 23rd in the league in RZ Scoring % in 2017. To say it was rough is an understatement.
If you have been a Julio Jones owner, you understand the frustration that this topic might bring up after only 3 TDs total on the year.
And if you consider yourself a savvy fantasy football, it’s easy to look at the all-world WR’s red-zone woes as simply a symptom of a kryptonic chronic condition. Alliteration aside, here is how Julio fared inside the 20 over the last 3 years:
| Year | Completions | Targets | Catch % | TDs | Team RZ % |
| 2015 | 13 | 22 | 59.09% | 5 | 32.35% |
| 2016 | 5 | 11 | 45.45% | 3 | 11.22% |
| 2017 | 5 | 18 | 27.78% | 2 | 25.0% |
The glaring red flag was Jones’ catch % that dropped dramatically to a percentage 2nd worst among pass-catchers seeing over 15 targets, besting only Mike Evans. According to PlayerProfiler.com, Julio had the 5th best End-Zone Target Share in the league. 5 completions on 18 targets can be read in a number of different ways. I took word-for-word quotes from some online message boards regarding Julio’s RZ woes and who’s fault it is:
- “OC Steve Sarkisian is a %$@! bum. He has screwed up that offense. It’s his fault.”
- “It’s Jones. He was a crappy route runner with mediocre hands as a prospect coming to the league. He seems to just beat people with physical skills and a great QB, but when the field shrinks he’s exposed for the mediocre player he is...Jones is awful when he can’t stretch the field or beat someone on a developing timing play. He straight up sucks when there’s no room to beat someone one on one due to raw physical skill.”
- “How many of those were catchable over the season, though? I watched most of the games. Just the targets alone don’t tell the whole story. I’m not surprised to see Julio in the top 5 for RZ but having watched [him] play, I can tell you, [he] gets a lot of garbage targets in the red zone.“
- “At some point don’t you think it just falls on Julio not being that good in the red zone? Blame keeps being thrown on OC after OC but there’s one common denominator here”
- “Seriously… Guy is just allergic to the end zone.”
- “He just isn’t a big-time WR in big spots…I’d rather have JuJu over Julio next year…”
Instead of creating an empty narrative based solely on statistics, let’s find out “What’s On Tape” and look at every one of Julio’s 18 RZ targets in 2017 to see what happened on film. As recently highlighted by fellow writer Keaton Denlay in The Ten-Zone is a Fantasy Gold Mine, Julio tied Michael Crabtree for the 4th-most 10-zone targets in 2017. According to his research, Keaton brought up that a “ten-zone target is more than 2.5 times more valuable than a red zone target that comes between the 20 and the 10.” AccorThose targets on film can probably tell us even more if this superhuman WR is inept in-close.
Find out where Andy, Mike, and Jason have Julio Jones and other WRs projected in the Ultimate Draft Kit.
The Red Zone Review: Julio in 2017![]()
Week 2 vs. GB
[2Q 11:17 1st Opp 2] Wide throw by Matt Ryan. Jones didn’t use his body as much as he could to create separation. Packers CB Kevin King played him tight.Week 3 @ DET
[1Q 9:58 2nd Opp 20] Ryan recognized he had the right formation/scheme to get Julio 1-on-1 on the outside. Tight coverage but a definite overthrow by Ryan. Also, note this was barely an RZ target at the 20.Week 7 @ NE
Jones became 2nd-fastest WR to 8,000 yards in NFL history in the 2nd quarter but he had 4 RZ targets in the 2nd half as the Falcons were getting annihilated.
So far… just to recap the first 6 targets we have:
#1 Incomplete. Wide throw by Ryan.
#2 Incomplete. Overthrow by Ryan.
#3 Incomplete. Slight overthrow by Ryan.
#4 Incomplete. Under throw by Ryan.
#5 Complete. 3 yard turn around flag football play.
#6. Complete. Under throw by Ryan that should’ve been picked but he wrestled it away from Butler
Week 8 vs. NYJ
[2Q 8:18 2nd Opp 5] Poorly placed ball by Ryan. Morris Claiborne pressed but literally no room.Week 10 @ DAL
[3Q 9:13 2nd Opp 7] Lined up in the Slot. Flag football play. Drag to the left. FYI: When players like Julio run in the slot, good things usually happen especially near the goal-line. [4Q 8:36 3rd Opp 11] This will go down as a drop on Julio. But Ryan honestly made the wrong read on the play and even admits his mistake after the play is over. The nickel corner, Orlando Scandrick, was playing zone. Ryan doesn’t see it. Throws right to the spot.Week 11 @ SEA
Week 12 vs TB
[2Q 0:10 2nd Opp 18] This was his 1 RZ target in his insane 253-yard, 2 TD game that won people a fantasy week. There’s a clear miscommunication between Ryan and Jones. Regardless, I paused the assignment watched all of his targets in this one :)Week 14 vs. NO
[1Q 5:44 3rd Opp 10] Ryan threw out of the back of the end zone. Good coverage by Saints. Another target that should be marked down as uncatchable and a throwaway. [3Q 10:40 2nd Opp 9] Lined up in the slot. Ryan basically pushed the pass as he stared down Julio. Collinsworth said “Looking like he’s throwing at a dart board… That’s a small window” Mark it down as throwing into triple coverage.Week 15 vs. TB
Week 16 vs. NO
[3Q 9:42 3rd Opp 19] Out route. Rookie CB Marcus Lattimore all over it. Some would say he tackled Julio “NFL Blitz”-style before the ball was even there.