The red zone in the NFL is where fantasy football matchups are won and lost and dynasty value is mined. Championships are built, or torn down, as a team marches towards the end zone. Here is a breakdown of the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers red zone turnover from 2014 and the changes in store for 2015:
Denver
Biggest 2014 Departure
Julius Thomas, 15 opportunities
2015 Impact
The tight ends saw a combined 23 targets (and 26 in 2013). With Thomas out of the mix, plus Jacob Tamme’s seven looks off to Atlanta, there are a ton of opportunities available for the combination of Owen Daniels and Virgil Green. I project Daniels to have TE1 upside and Green to be in the TE2 mix based on weekly touchdown upside alone.
The run game had 82 opportunities last year and 90 in 2013. The problem for fantasy owners has been no single back getting a ton of work for long. C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson, and Montee Ball all saw 12+ touches. Concentrating those opportunity to C.J. Anderson (projected starter) is what he needs to fuel a top-5 fantasy season. It is worth noting Montee Ball had 12 red zone looks in the first three weeks of 2014 before Denver’s bye week.
