This article is part of our Red Zone Watch series.
Atlanta Falcons
It's pretty amazing how up and down Julio Jones has been this season, as he's finished with no more than 35 receiving yards or no fewer than 106 since the first week of the season. Additionally, even in his good games, he's rarely used in the red zone despite being 6-foot-3 and without a doubt the Falcons' best receiver. That streak continued Sunday against the Chiefs, as Jones caught seven of nine targets for 113 yards, but not a single pass was thrown to him in the red zone. In fact, Jones has just six red-zone targets all season, getting three twice (Week 3 at New Orleans and Week 9 at Tampa Bay). Instead of Jones, quarterback Matt Ryan threw three red-zone targets to Taylor Gabriel on Sunday, as well as two each to Tevin Coleman, Justin Hardy (both inside the 10) and Aldrick Robinson (one inside the 10), while Devonta Freeman and Mohamed Sanu (one inside the 10) got the others.
If there's a Falcon to focus on in close, it's Freeman, who may have only gotten five red-zone carries to Coleman's four, but the ratio was 4:1 in Freeman's favor inside the 10-yard line. Coleman may be back from injury, but the area near the goal line continues to be Freeman's.
Buffalo Bills
It's tough to be angry when your fantasy running back rushes 17 times for 130 yards while also adding seven receptions on seven targets for 61 receiving yards, but that's exactly
Atlanta Falcons
It's pretty amazing how up and down Julio Jones has been this season, as he's finished with no more than 35 receiving yards or no fewer than 106 since the first week of the season. Additionally, even in his good games, he's rarely used in the red zone despite being 6-foot-3 and without a doubt the Falcons' best receiver. That streak continued Sunday against the Chiefs, as Jones caught seven of nine targets for 113 yards, but not a single pass was thrown to him in the red zone. In fact, Jones has just six red-zone targets all season, getting three twice (Week 3 at New Orleans and Week 9 at Tampa Bay). Instead of Jones, quarterback Matt Ryan threw three red-zone targets to Taylor Gabriel on Sunday, as well as two each to Tevin Coleman, Justin Hardy (both inside the 10) and Aldrick Robinson (one inside the 10), while Devonta Freeman and Mohamed Sanu (one inside the 10) got the others.
If there's a Falcon to focus on in close, it's Freeman, who may have only gotten five red-zone carries to Coleman's four, but the ratio was 4:1 in Freeman's favor inside the 10-yard line. Coleman may be back from injury, but the area near the goal line continues to be Freeman's.
Buffalo Bills
It's tough to be angry when your fantasy running back rushes 17 times for 130 yards while also adding seven receptions on seven targets for 61 receiving yards, but that's exactly how some felt Sunday while watching LeSean McCoy rack up nearly 200 total yards, only to be on the sideline while backup Mike Gillislee score a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter and a three-yard touchdown in the third. Despite being the clear leader of the Bills' backfield, McCoy is apparently not the favored option when the Bills are in close, as Gillislee has gotten a carry from inside the five-yard line in four consecutive games, which obviously puts a cap on McCoy's fantasy upside despite being the sixth-highest rusher in the NFL this season.
Kansas City Chiefs
Tight end Travis Kelce caught all eight of his targets for 140 yards Sunday against the Falcons, his third consecutive game with more than 100 yards. However, he is without a touchdown reception over that span, which can be partially attributed to his lack of opportunities in the red zone. The Chiefs didn't have a ton of red-zone plays against the Falcons, but when they did get close, Spencer Ware and Tyreek Hill were the only players used, as each had a red-zone target (both inside the 10), while Ware had two red-zone carries (one inside the 10) versus Hill's one. Kelce has been an excellent fantasy option lately and is arguably the best tight end in the league with Rob Gronkowski and Jordan Reed out, but he won't have a truly explosive game without some looks near the goal line.
Oakland Raiders
The Raiders scored three red-zone touchdowns Sunday against the Bills, but not a single one went to Amari Cooper, though he did score on a 37-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Instead, the Raiders relied heavily on running back Latavius Murray, who rushed five times in the red zone, including four from inside the 10, scoring on runs of one and three yards. When Oakland decided to pass, the main man was Michael Crabtree, whose three targets inside the 10-yard line (he caught one for a three-yard score) led the league. Cooper is an electric talent, but he's starting to fall into the Julio Jones territory of being great between the 20s instead of in the red zone, which obviously will keep him from being a truly explosive fantasy option. Having Murray around to poach some looks from in close is understandable, but continuing to lose red-zone looks to Crabtree is far from ideal for a fantasy breakout.
Philadelphia Eagles
With Ryan Mathews and Jordan Matthews sidelined for Sunday's game against the Bengals, the Eagles were expected to rely on Wendell Smallwood and potentially Dorial Green-Beckham when they got in the red zone. The Eagles got pounded early, however, trailing 10-0 after the first quarter and 19-0 at halftime, so it was understandable that they didn't rely much on the run, which would obviously limit Smallwood's opportunities. However, instead of giving him a chance, the Eagles gave all three of their red-zone carries (two inside the 10) to Darren Sproles, while Zach Ertz was the only player with more than one red-zone target, and he only had three (none inside the 10). Green-Beckham is 6-5, 237, prototypical size for a red-zone target receiver, and yet he has only two targets inside the 10-yard line this season. It's tough to read too much into one game that was so one-sided, but it's pretty clear the Eagles have no reliable red-zone options when Mathews is out.
