Environment is the major key to fantasy football production. These rankings, updated weekly throughout the season, assess the foundation upon which fantasy football statistics rise (or fall).
NFL offenses are ranked one through 32 in the following categories: red zone trips per game, third-down conversion percentage, yards per rush attempt, yards per pass attempt, sack percentage allowed, rushing touchdowns per game and passing touchdowns per game.
| Rank | Team | Red Zone Pos. | Third Down % | YPR | YPA | Sack % | TD-Run | TD-Pass | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans (5-0) | 1 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| 2 | New York Giants (5-1) | 2 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 40 |
| 3 | Baltimore (3-3) | 9 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 50 |
| 4 | Indianapolis (5-0) | 7 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 51 |
| 5 | New England (4-2) | 3 | 8 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 61 |
| 6 | Minnesota (6-0) | 4 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 64 |
| 7 | Atlanta (4-1) | 11 | 9 | 26 | 12 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 72 |
| 8 | Miami (2-3) | 11 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 28 | 76 |
| 9 | Dallas (3-2) | 16 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 19 | 81 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh (4-2) | 14 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 23 | 10 | 8 | 85 |
| 11 | Jacksonville (3-3) | 9 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 19 | 3 | 24 | 90 |
| 12 | Chicago (3-2) | 7 | 14 | 24 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 4 | 97 |
| 13 | Houston (3-3) | 6 | 23 | 30 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 3 | 101 |
| 14 | Denver (6-0) | 21 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 15 | 103 |
| 15 | Philadelphia (3-2) | 20 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 108 |
| 16 | Green Bay (3-2) | 11 | 12 | 19 | 6 | 32 | 16 | 13 | 109 |
| 17 | Cincinnati (4-2) | 17 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 112 |
| 18 | San Diego (2-3) | 5 | 15 | 32 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 17 | 121 |
| 19 | New York Jets (3-3) | 17 | 24 | 4 | 23 | 21 | 9 | 24 | 122 |
| 20 | Tennessee (0-6) | 31 | 20 | 2 | 30 | 3 | 19 | 24 | 129 |
| 21 | Arizona (3-2) | 15 | 26 | 31 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 13 | 131 |
| 22 | Seattle (2-4) | 17 | 19 | 25 | 22 | 17 | 26 | 12 | 138 |
| 23 | Carolina (2-3) | 24 | 17 | 11 | 27 | 25 | 8 | 28 | 140 |
| 24 | Tampa Bay (0-6) | 25 | 25 | 10 | 28 | 16 | 23 | 20 | 147 |
| 25 | Detroit (1-5) | 21 | 13 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 13 | 30 | 153 |
| 26 | Buffalo (2-4) | 25 | 30 | 12 | 21 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 158 |
| 26 | St. Louis (0-6) | 28 | 22 | 16 | 26 | 12 | 30 | 24 | 158 |
| 28 | Washington (2-4) | 21 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 160 |
| 29 | San Francisco (3-2) | 28 | 28 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 16 | 22 | 165 |
| 30 | Kansas City (1-5) | 25 | 32 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 15 | 189 |
| 31 | Cleveland (1-5) | 28 | 29 | 22 | 32 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 197 |
| 32 | Oakland (2-4) | 32 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 32 | 207 |
Executive Summary (Yes, you’re an executive. You own a football team!)
Let’s talk about the stat totals that hidden here, but that, of course, provide the basis for these rankings.
The Bills, Chiefs and Rams have yet to post a rushing touchdown.
The range in red zone possessions is startling — 5.4 trips per game for the Saints and 1.3 per game for the Raiders. The Eagles offense has been very big-play reliant — Philly gets into the red zone just 2.6 times per game. The Broncos are surprisingly weak here, too, just behind the Eagles with just 2.5 trips per game.
In today’s game, 8.0 yards per pass attempt (YPA), adjusting for sacks, is a magical number that leads to incredibly high TD proficiency about 80 percent of the time. Teams that meet or exceed that threshold (best first): Colts, Steelers, Saints, Giants and Texans. The Cowboys and Chargers are just behind at 7.9 and 7.8, respectively. At the bottom, you have the Browns averaging a pathetic 4.4 yards per attempt.
Note the range in pass protection. Peyton Manning gets sacked on 1.1 percent of attempts. Aaron Rodgers goes down on 13.2 percent, a figure that is untenable and the major reason why Greg Jennings has been so quiet. There’s just no time for downfield passing.
