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Gladys L Tyler reviews the top red-zone risers and fallers heading into Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season at QB, RB, and WR to help fantasy football managers find an edge in their weekly lineups.
In the red zone, it is all about opportunities. Getting the targets and the touches are important, but so is how are defenses at keeping the players/teams out of the red zone.
Let's see what the stats say on red zone risers and fallers Week 9.
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TOP 7 DEFENSES IN RED ZONE
| TEAM NAME | % OF TIMES OPPOSITION ALLOWED TO SCORE IN RZ | WEEK 9 OPPOSITION | % TIMES OPPOSITION SCORES IN RED ZONE | TEAM RED ZONE LEADERS |
| New Orleans Saints | 43.75% | Atlanta 14th ranked red zone offense | 63.64% | Cordarrel Patterson (18) |
| Buffalo Bills | 45% | Jacksonville Jaguars 12th ranked red zone offense | 64.71% | James Robinson (16) |
| Baltimore Ravens | 45% | Minnesota Vikings 11th ranked red zone offense | 65% | Alexander Mattison (16) |
| Los Angeles Rams | 46.43% | Tennessee Titans 15th ranked red zone offense | 62.50% | Derrick Henry (36) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 47.62% | Chicago Bears 26th ranked red zone offense | 55% | Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery (13) |
| Seattle Seahawks | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| Denver Broncos | 50% | Dallas Cowboys 23rd ranked red zone offense | 55.56% | Ezekiel Elliot (30) |
The team with the highest (or lowest) red zone efficiency isn't necessarily not scoring points. Case in point, Dallas Cowboys are third in the league scoring an average of 32.1 points per game. While the Tennessee Titans are sixth, averaging 28.4 points per game.
In addition to Elliott, who has 118 rushing attempts (6th) with his 30 red-zone targets, the Cowboys also have CeeDee Lamb's 57 targets/eight red-zone targets, and Amari Cooper's 56 targets/10 red-zone targets.
The Titans will be the interesting team to watch as their sixth-ranked points per game may take a hit with the loss of Henry's 219 rushing attempts and 36 red zone touches. Next up is AJ Brown, with 54 targets and only five red-zone targets.
Atlanta is the true faller in the red zone category. Target leader Kyle Pitts has zero red-zone targets compared to his 50 targets. After Patterson, only two players have been targeted in the red zone, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Russell Gage, both with two targets.
BOTTOM 7 DEFENSES IN THE RED ZONE
| TEAM NAME | % TIMES OPPOSITION ALLOWED TO SCORE IN RED ZONE | WEEK 9 OPPOSITION | % TIMES OPPOSITION SCORES IN RED ZONE | TEAM RED ZONE LEADER |
| Detroit Lions | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 83.33%
|
New York Giants 31st ranked | 47.83% | Devontae Booker (15) |
| Green Bay Packers | 78.26% | Kansas City Chiefs 19th ranked | 57.58% | Darrel Williams (18) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 74.07% | Los Angeles Chargers 13th ranked | 64.29% | Austin Ekeler (28) |
| Carolina Panthers | 73.68% | New England Patriots 29th ranked | 53.37% | Damien Harris (27) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 72.41% | Green Bay Packers 19th ranked | 57.78% | Aaron Jones (39) |
| Cleveland Browns | 69.23% | Cincinnati Bengals 5th ranked | 70% | Joe Mixon (16) |
The faller is definitely the New York Giants. Their 31st ranked red zone offense coincides with their ability to only average 19.5 points per game (24th ranked). Their second highest red zone touches belong to a man who hasn't played in three weeks, Saquon Barkley (13). Surprisingly, tied for fourth in red zone opportunities are tight end Kyle Rudolph and quart
In the red zone, it is all about opportunities. Getting the targets and the touches are important, but so is how efficient are defenses at keeping the players/teams out of the red zone.
Let's see what the stats say on red zone risers and fallers Week 9.
TOP 7 DEFENSES IN RED ZONE
| TEAM NAME | % OF TIMES OPPOSITION ALLOWED TO SCORE IN RZ | WEEK 9 OPPOSITION | % TIMES OPPOSITION SCORES IN RED ZONE | TEAM RED ZONE LEADERS |
| New Orleans Saints | 43.75% | Atlanta 14th ranked red zone offense | 63.64% | Cordarrel Patterson (18) |
| Buffalo Bills | 45% | Jacksonville Jaguars 12th ranked red zone offense | 64.71% | James Robinson (16) |
| Baltimore Ravens | 45% | Minnesota Vikings 11th ranked red zone offense | 65% | Alexander Mattison (16) |
| Los Angeles Rams | 46.43% | Tennessee Titans 15th ranked red zone offense | 62.50% | Derrick Henry (36) |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 47.62% | Chicago Bears 26th ranked red zone offense | 55% | Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery (13) |
| Seattle Seahawks | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| Denver Broncos | 50% | Dallas Cowboys 23rd ranked red zone offense | 55.56% | Ezekiel Elliot (30) |
The team with the highest (or lowest) red zone efficiency isn't necessarily not scoring points. Case in point, Dallas Cowboys are third in the league scoring an average of 32.1 points per game. While the Tennessee Titans are sixth, averaging 28.4 points per game.
In addition to Elliott, who has 118 rushing attempts (6th) with his 30 red-zone targets, the Cowboys also have CeeDee Lamb's 57 targets/eight red-zone targets, and Amari Cooper's 56 targets/10 red-zone targets.
The Titans will be the interesting team to watch as their sixth-ranked points per game may take a hit with the loss of Henry's 219 rushing attempts and 36 red zone touches. Next up is AJ Brown, with 54 targets and only five red-zone targets.
Atlanta is the true faller in the red zone category. Target leader Kyle Pitts has zero red-zone targets compared to his 50 targets. After Patterson, only two players have been targeted in the red zone, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Russell Gage, both with two targets.
BOTTOM 7 DEFENSES IN THE RED ZONE
| TEAM NAME | % TIMES OPPOSITION ALLOWED TO SCORE IN RED ZONE | WEEK 9 OPPOSITION | % TIMES OPPOSITION SCORES IN RED ZONE | TEAM RED ZONE LEADER |
| Detroit Lions | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 83.33%
|
New York Giants 31st ranked | 47.83% | Devontae Booker (15) |
| Green Bay Packers | 78.26% | Kansas City Chiefs 19th ranked | 57.58% | Darrel Williams (18) |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 74.07% | Los Angeles Chargers 13th ranked | 64.29% | Austin Ekeler (28) |
| Carolina Panthers | 73.68% | New England Patriots 29th ranked | 53.37% | Damien Harris (27) |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 72.41% | Green Bay Packers 19th ranked | 57.78% | Aaron Jones (39) |
| Cleveland Browns | 69.23% | Cincinnati Bengals 5th ranked | 70% | Joe Mixon (16) |
The faller is definitely the New York Giants. Their 31st ranked red zone offense coincides with their ability to only average 19.5 points per game (24th ranked). Their second highest red zone touches belong to a man who hasn't played in three weeks, Saquon Barkley (13). Surprisingly, tied for fourth in red zone opportunities are tight end Kyle Rudolph and quarterback Daniel Jones with eight each.
The Chargers are dropping precipitously but have a chance for redemption this week. Ranked 15th in points per game (24.6), besides Ekeler, two players have seen double-digit red zone opportunities without much success. Keenan Allen, who has been targeted 69 times, has 12 red-zone targets and only two touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Herbert has 10 red zone rushing opportunities but only one touchdown. The Eagles' defense allowing 74.07% of red zone attempts to result in touchdowns could be what the Chargers need.
It isn't always easy sorting out the stats for your fantasy rosters. Rotoballer sorts out the minutiae for you.
Come talk/ask on Twitter @gladysLtyler
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