5 NFL Red Zone Trends to Monitor for Week 3

Juju Smith-Schuster Adding Volume to His Efficiency

When JuJu Smith-Schuster burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2017, his potential as a big-play threat became obvious. His 15.8 yards per reception ranked eighth among all wideouts with at least 75 targets on the year, and his 11.6 yards per target were good for first in that group.

But where he added a ton of fantasy football value was his absurd red zone efficiency, turning 15 red zone targets into 5 touchdowns.

As expected, he hasn't continued scoring at that ridiculous clip, turning a far more modest 12.5% of his red zone targets into scores. But one big difference is that his terrific 2017 performance seems to have earned him some increased looks.

Smith-Schuster's eight red zone targets are not only the most for a Pittsburgh Steelers player, but are the most for any player in the NFL. He has accounted for half of the Steelers' targets inside the 20, which is the highest mark for a player on a team that has double-digit red zone passes.

Even if he doesn't get back up to last year's elite efficiency, he will continue to boast a ton of touchdown upside.