Week 3 in the red zone was owned by the tight ends of the NFL. No, it wasn’t the Rob Gronkowski’s of the world, but instead a few lesser names that converted points for their respective teams. Week 3 also saw the return to form of some number one wide receivers who’ve started 2016 slowly. Here’s the breakdown!  

TARGET MONSTERS:

The Denver Broncos normally rely on their defense to win games, but Trevor Siemian carried the team on his arm to victory this past weekend. Emmanuel Sanders caught 3 of his 5 red zone targets including a TD and teammate Demaryius Thomas caught 2 of his 3 targets as well. The run game in Denver hasn’t been quite what they’ve hoped for, so it’s possible this trend could continue for the Broncos in Tampa Bay this week.

Speaking of Tampa, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was given his walking papers and it didn’t take long for his replacement Cameron Brate to make an impact. He was targeted by Jameis Winston 5 times in the red zone and hauled in 2 receptions for 2 TD’s. Zach Miller of the Bears was the other tight end of note Sunday as he too caught 2 TD’s of his 4 red zone targets. Brian Hoyer is likely to rely on Miller again in Week 4, especially since Kevin White continues to struggle catching the ball. Kyle Rudolph also had 3 red zone targets with one catch for a TD. All of a sudden, the TE waiver wire looks like it may bear fruit after all.

MOST EFFICIENCT:

Fantasy owners have been waiting for Allen Robinson to find the end zone and finally he did so TWICE on 3 targets in Week 3. His schedule is much more favorable moving forward and he should regain his 1A wide receiver status very shortly. Jordy Nelson just needed some good old fashioned home cooking to get back in the groove. Nelson had a huge day including 2 TD’s on 3 red zone targets.

Travis Kelce was a perfect 3 for 3 with a TD in the red zone, while Mike Evans and Jimmy Graham were 2 for 2. They each went over a 100 yards on the day with a TD. For Graham, this was his best effort in almost two years. If he and Russell Wilson are truly on the same page, you could see a massive fantasy impact by Graham this year. We’ll see if Week 3 was a fluke or a sign of things to come.

ONES TO WATCH:

Jamison Crowder had a nice game Sunday against the Giants. He also had 3 red zone targets. Despite the fact he caught just one, the fact that Crowder’s role seems to be growing in the offense is a positive. This week against the Browns he could be a daily sleeper and a viable flex play through bye weeks. Dexter McCluster’s 3 red zone targets could be bad news for Melvin Gordon owners. That situation bear witness in San Diego.

If Odell Beckham is the poster child for disappointment in the red zone this year (1 for 6 with 0 TD’s), then Doug Baldwin is the unsung hero (4 for 6 with 2 TD’s) The Jets’ secondary has been a train wreck in 2016 and Baldwin should once again come away with #1 WR stats for #2 WR pricing in the daily game. 

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Joe Pisapia (@JoePisapia17) is the eight-time best-selling author of the Fantasy Black Book Series for baseball and football. He hosts The Fantasy Black Book Tues and Thurs 8-10pm est and Sunday Game Day 8-11am on FNTSY Network Radio.