Week 10 Red Zone Risers and Fallers

It's time to prepare for the playoff stretch and make a run. We all want to know who has the best path to score on Sunday to help give us valuable fantasy points. RotoBaller's Premium Red Zone tool can give you a sense of who is being utilized more in the all-important area of the field to provide more scoring potential. Just like targets are the lifeblood of a receiver's value in PPR leagues, red zone touches are the most relevant factor to consider for standard leagues.

In this article each week, we'll identify red zone risers and fallers who could see their fantasy value impacted by usage in the most critical area of the field. RotoBaller's Red Zone Sleepers tool is a great way to get an edge on the competition by identifying players with greater scoring opportunities.

Let's take a look at which fantasy football players could be touchdown and scoring risers or fallers in fantasy football for Week 10 of the 2018 NFL season, based on red zone opportunities.

Red Zone Risers

RUNNING BACK

Jordan Howard (RB, CHI) - 31.1% Red-zone touch %

Running back Jordan Howard might be limited with fellow running back Tarik Cohen turning himself into a fantastic gadget player, but in short yardage situation the Chicago Bears look to Howard to punch those opportunities in. While his usage over the past few weeks has been down to the positive game script and limited the ability of Cohen to see the field, the fact the Bears are continuing to look for Howard in the red zone means he will continue to have value.

James White (RB, NE) - 29.0% Red-zone touch %

James White is a fantastic red zone option for the New England Patriots. While rookie Sony Michel has missed time, White has taken the opportunity to show how valuable he is with both hands. White has been an effective runner all season and has been an even better receiver. The Patriots have had 100 plays in the red zone so far this season, which is only bettered by two teams. White is a fantastic option for fantasy owners, with the sheer amount of trips being made and the involvement near the goal-line, he simply cannot be ignored as a fantasy RB1.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Amari Cooper (WR, DAL) - 13.8% Red-zone touch%

Cooper was recently traded to the Dallas Cowboys, which while not the most dynamic attack in the NFL, is certainly an upgrade over the Oakland Raiders. Dak Prescott now has an effective target in the red zone which he hasn't had all season. Cooper's touchdown last week and a pair of end zone targets in his first game with the team shows he is definitely someone to keep an eye on once the Cowboys get close to the goal line. This is especially true as most defenses will assume that stud running back Ezekiel Elliott will be the person to punch it into the end zone.

David Moore (WR, SEA) - 8.9% Red-zone touch%

Moore is a touchdown or bust receiver, with three of his four touchdowns coming from the red zone, as well as five of his 14 touches coming in this area of the field. Moore is the favored receiver of quarterback Russell Wilson, as Moore is only out-touched by running backs, Chris Carson and Mike Davis. Moore might only offer red zone opportunity currently, but if Wilson is able to develop this red zone connection to other areas of the field, he is a fantastic add in deep standard leagues.

TIGHT END

OJ Howard (TE, TB) - 9.0% Red-zone touch%

Tampa Bay seems as though they are constantly changing the red zone preference for the team - this might be with the constant rotation of quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Howard currently is bettered by three other players on the team, including receiver Chris Godwin, but Howard is an extremely physical specimen who is able to impose himself on defenses, so the expectation would be that Howard should continue to have red zone opportunities. The tight end position, in general, is quite devoid of talent, but Howard allows you to get a player who gets touches in the red zone on a team that needs to score points to win with the lack of defensive talent on the roster.

Red Zone Fallers

RUNNING BACK

Doug Martin (RB, OAK) - 10.8% Red-zone touch%

This faller is more a result of the Raiders just not being a good team. Derek Carr is struggling behind an offensive line that can't protect him and the team doesn't seem to be able to move the ball downfield. The red zone opportunity for any Raider is going to be extremely limited going forwards, and Martin is, unfortunately, going to suffer from fellow running back Jalen Richard being the team's favored pass-catching running back along with other receivers Jared Cook and Jordy Nelson in the mix. That mix doesn't give the red zone upside for Martin that fantasy owners will rely upon.

WIDE RECEIVER

Taylor Gabriel (WR, CHI) - 8.1% Red-zone touch%

Taylor Gabriel seems to have struggled in the recent matchups he has had, and that has shown in the red zone. Under coach Matt Nagy the Bears are able to use a multitude of weapons in the red zone. Jordan Howard, as mentioned above, seems to be getting the majority of the rushing work while the mix of Trey Burton, Tarik Cohen, and Anthony Miller are the teams passing options in the red zone. On a team with a multitude of options in the red zone, including mobile quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Gabriel's touchdown upside will be capped.

TIGHT END

Ryan Griffin (TE, HOU) - 9.7% Red-zone touch%

It wasn't that long since Griffin appeared in the risers part of this series, but that was before the team traded for Demaryius Thomas. The team has a number of players that they can look to in short yardage situations. The team has a duo of effective running backs in Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue who command the lions share of touches, as well as elite receiver DeAndre Hopkins. With the trade for Thomas, the field suddenly seems crowded with options, especially if fellow tight end Jordan Thomas continues to see the field.

Red Zone Sleepers

RotoBaller's Premium tools offer more detailed insight into player values and help you identify which players to target on the waiver wire and/or trade market. Start with a free one-week trial, including NFL Optimizer and DFS Premium and get an advantage on the competition!