Week 2 of the season held several games that were expected to produce track meets, and did. Then there were those that resembled more of boxing matches with the big uglies slugging it out. No matter the style of play, teams found ways to make it to the red zone numerous times, with Mike Glennon leading the way with 11 red zone passing attempts.

 

Favorite Targets

Emmanuel Sanders- For the second week in a row, a Broncos wideout is in this section. Sanders saw four passes thrown his way on Sunday as he was able to find the gaps in the Dallas D. He hauled in three of those targets, two inside the 10, and finished off two drives with scores. The type of offense the Broncos run leads to different guys being the top dog each week, though Sanders has been a favorite target dating back to last year too.

Kendall Wright- As mentioned above, Mike Glennon led the league in Red Zone passing attempts this week, and Wright was on the receiving end of four of those targets. He did only catch one of those looks and didn’t score.  Given the current state of the Bears receiving corps, he is the most-established receiver they have and the best bet for red zone targets going forward.

Most Efficient

Chris Hogan- The Patriots have a lot of targets to find but Hogan led the way this week with three targets. What puts him in the most efficient category is his two catches in those three targets and a score against the Saints. With Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola still nursing injuries, he could very well again be a favorite target for Tom Brady against Houston in Week 3.

Travis Kelce- After just one target in the blowout of the Patriots, Kelce got three targets in the win over the Eagles in Week 2. He translated those targets into two catches and a touchdown. His exploits as a receiving threat for the Chiefs is well established, but it’s nice to see him get back in the end zone once more and have Alex Smith looking his way. The Chiefs get the Chargers on the road in Week 3 and should again be able to score fairly easily.

Michael Crabtree- Oakland had a very good offensive day, and Crabtree was a big beneficiary of that. Two targets inside the five turned into two catches and two scores, of the three he had total on Sunday against the Jets. Crabtree and Amari Cooper form a potent receiving duo with the latter being mentioned in last week’s piece but against the Jets, it was the former’s turn to shine. Crabtree led the Raiders in red zone targets a year ago, and gets a primetime game against Washington to show his skills again.

Ones to Watch

Jarvis Landry- Miami get their season underway in Week 2 after a Hurricane forced bye in Week 1. What we saw was Landry being the favorite target for Jay Cutler. He was thrown to three times, catching two though failing to score, which accounted for 75% of the red zone passes Cutler through. Landry and Co. get the beatable Jets in Week 3 and should have another big day.

Javorius Allen- Known as “Buck,” he has become the favorite receiving threat out of the backfield in Baltimore, with Danny Woodhead on IR. In Week 2, he turned two targets into two grabs and a score, aside from his rushing totals. Joe Flacco has always been a fan of getting the ball to the back with his RBs totaling 19 targets out of 72 total attempts last season, Steve Smith and Dennis Pitta (two not playing this year) accounted for 25 of those targets.

Evan Engram- Through the first two weeks of the season, the Giants offense has struggled, but Engram still managed a solid performance against Detroit. He had two targets, two catches and a score. His two targets were half the total for Eli Manning and with Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. still finding their respective grooves, Engram could be a sneaky target again in Week 3.

Tarik Cohen- Cohen has been the buzz of the early season thus far, and with good reason. He has split snaps evenly with Jordan Howard so far, though nine more in the second week due to an injury to Howard, but has been more productive. Cohen is also the better pass catcher out of the backfield, and that translated to two targets and a catch against the Bucs. In fact he is second in the team, behind Zach Miller and Kendall Wright who are tied at four, with three targets in the first two games.