RADIO
Dan Fornek evaluates the best and worst offensive lines in the NFL to provide insight to fantasy football managers ahead of Week 7 of the 2021 season.
Six weeks of the season have officially passed, and bye weeks and injuries continue to ravage fantasy lineups. As we enter the grind of the NFL (and fantasy) season, finding any little edge possible becomes important to building a fantasy roster that has a chance to take home the championship. One of the crucial (yet massively overlooked) components to that are understanding how offensive lines are playing throughout the season. Games are won in the trenches, so that is something we need to consider when making league-winning moves on the waiver wire.
Week 6 continued the trend of injuries along the offensive line. Nine teams had at least two offensive linemen that began the season as a starter miss their game. Nine other teams were missing at least one of their starters along the line. Additionally, seven teams lost at least one starter during the course of their game, although it is too early to tell if any of them will be long-term injuries. There were some big names injured in Week 6, including four starting, left tackles (Tyron Smith, Taylor Lewan, Andrew Thomas, and Garrett Bolles).
Week 7 will be even more impacted by bye weeks thanks to teams with explosive offenses getting the week off. Fantasy players will be without players from the Bills, Cowboys, Vikings, Steelers, Chargers, and Jaguars this week. Add that to the growing list of injuries for skill players and offensive linemen and this fantasy season could be turning into a headache in a hurry. Thankfully, this article will break down the best and worst offensive line performances to help you make the best decisions for your fantasy team.
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Champs
Champ of the Week: Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team had a rough game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, losing 31-13. However, Washington’s offensive line had a very successful day despite missing their starting right guard Brandon Scherff and starting right tackle Samuel Cosmi. All five offensive linemen had at least a 65-pass blocking grade according to PFF. In total, the Football Team allowed just one quarterback hit, five hurries, and six pressures against the Chiefs. Washington was also strong in the run game, three of their five offensive linemen (including both backups) scored at least a 75-run blocking game. In total, Washington led all offensive line units in average overall blocking score (77.14) despite the underwhelming scoring performance of their offense. Wes Schweitzer, their backup right guard, finished the week as the third highest graded offensive linemen throughout the NFL (89.5) in Week 6.
Washington will have a great fantasy matchup in Week 7 on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is coming off a week where they were able to generate 23 total pressures against the Chicago Bears’ inconsistent offensive line, but they allowed Khalil Herbert, a sixth-round rookie, to rack up 97 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in his first NFL start. Washington’s fantasy producers should be in a fantastic position in Week 7.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas’ offensive line continued to perform well without La’el Collins, and thankfully they will be getting him back after their Week 7 bye. On the surface the Dallas offensive line had a solid, but not spectacular day. Three of their linemen graded out below a 65 in both run blocking and overall blocking grades. However, Tyron Smith (86.7 overall grade) and Zach Martin (93 overall grade, best of any offensive linemen in Week 6) were strong enough to elevate the unit to the second-best blocking performance of the week according to PFF. Terrence Steele had another solid performance as the starting right tackle, scoring a 61.4 overall grade despite giving up one quarterback hit, three hurries, and four pressures on the day. Steele will be moving back to a swing tackle/backup role after the bye week with several games of starting experience, giving the Cowboys’ offensive line depth they didn’t have last season.
One thing worth noting, Tyron Smith left the game against the Patriots late with an ankle injury. He was able to walk off the field under his own power, but ankle injuries can linger, so it is worth monitoring. He will have two weeks to heal up before the Cowboys play again (hopefully with their entire offensive line intact) in Week 8.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers' offensive line continues to provide excellent performances on a weekly basis, keeping Tom Brady clean in the pocket and the offense moving.
The Buccaneers came into their game against the Eagles on a short week of rest against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Tampa Bay’s offensive line responded well with four linemen scoring above a 70-pass blocking grade according to PFF. The Buccaneers also had four linemen score above a 74-run blocking grade and five linemen finish the week with at least a 63-overall blocking grade. The Tampa Bay offensive line allowed Philadelphia to generate just one quarterback hit, five hurries, and six pressures on their way to dominating performance and a close Buccaneers’ victory.
The Buccaneers will have their hands full once again in Week 7 against a Bears’ front-7 that is starting to get healthy. Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, and Akiem Hicks combined to generate seven pressures, three sacks, and four hurries against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Sunday’s loss. The Buccaneers' offensive line has proven they can handle almost anything thrown at them, so fantasy players should feel safe starting Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, and Leonard Fournette despite the challenge they will face this week.
Underrated Champ: New England Patriots
Outside of a few mistakes at the most inopportune times, the Patriots' offensive line had a strong week despite missing several key pieces. New England was once again without Shaq Mason and Trent Brown in Week 7, and Isaiah Wynn was limited to just nine snaps. Even without those pieces, New England’s offensive line combined to give up just eight total pressures, two sacks, three quarterback hits, and three hurries against an athletic Dallas front-7. Those aren’t great numbers, but New England was able to provide Mac Jones time to make some big plays throughout the game.
The more impressive aspect of the Patriots' makeshift offensive line came through their efforts in the run game. Four of the New England offensive linemen received at least a 63-run blocking grade against Dallas. New England was able to run the ball 27 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by a 100-yard performance from Damien Harris. All told, three offensive linemen (center David Andrews, right tackle Ted Karras, and right tackle Michael Onwenu) scored at least a 76-overall blocking grade this week. New England will face the Jets again in Week 7, giving their offensive line an easier task than they’ve had in recent weeks. Mac Jones, Damien Harris, Hunter Henry, and Jakobi Meyers are all excellent starts against a Jets team searching for their second win on the season.
Chumps
Chump of the Week: Houston Texans
Houston’s offensive line has generally struggled this season, and the loss of starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and center Justin Britt didn’t help matters in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts. Geron Christian Sr. and Justin McCary, their replacements, scored a 48.5 and 43.4 overall blocking grade respectively in their starts. The Texans offensive line unit averaged a 51.3 pass-blocking grade, a 49.8 run-blocking grade, and a 52.8 overall grade according to PFF. All three of those averages ranked in the bottom-2 of all offensive lines across the NFL in Week 6. Through six weeks, Houston features the 31st ranked offensive line in terms of average run-blocking grades and is 29th in average overall offensive line grades.
Unfortunately for Houston, things aren’t going to get much easier in Week 7. Arizona is coming off a week against a depleted, but still solid Cleveland Browns’ offensive line. Arizona was able to generate 21 pressures, five sacks, one quarterback hit, and 15 hurries on Baker Mayfield, leading to a huge win for Arizona. The Texans’ haven’t been an offense to target in fantasy often this season, but even Brandin Cooks is a tough sell in a game that should have shootout conditions.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins showed some life on offense against the Jacksonville Jaguars despite a poor day along the offensive line. Miami was actually solid across the middle in Week 6 with the combination of Austin Jackson, Greg Mancz, and Robert Hunt. According to PFF, all three linemen had a pass-blocking grade, run blocking grade, and an overall grade of at least 64. Hunt was especially productive, scoring a 71.3 overall grade, the ninth-best among all right guards in Week 6. However, the Dolphins had a rough day out on the edges against Jacksonville’s athletic pass rushers. Rookie Liam Eichenberg finished the game with a 15.2 pass-blocking score thanks to one quarterback hit, four hurries, and five pressures on the day. His overall grade (32.2) was the second-worst mark of any offensive lineman at any position throughout the week. Jesse Davis wasn’t much better on the other side, finishing with a 32.5 pass-blocking grade thanks to two hits, four hurries, and six pressures. Like Eichenberg, his overall blocking grade of 38.7 was a bottom-5 mark in Week 6.
Miami gets a much better matchup in Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons defensive line. Atlanta has only generated nine sacks and 66 total pressures on the season. Given the bye week situation in Week 7, Tua Tagovailoa, Mike Gesicki, and Jaylen Waddle all have a strong enough floor to be starting options this week.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings continue to win in spite of questionable offensive line play. Minnesota had just two offensive linemen finish Week 6 with an overall blocking grade above a 60. Right guard Oli Udoh continued to struggle to block, finishing with a 41.4 run-blocking grade and a 40.3 overall blocking grade on the week. One positive for the Vikings is that Christian Darrisaw, their first-round pick in 2021, made his first career start after missing the beginning of the season with an injury. Darrisaw played well at left tackle in his first game, finishing with a 70.3 pass-blocking grade, a 58.4 run-blocking grade, and a team-high 64.8 overall grade in Week 6. The rookie gave up just one hurry and one pressure against a Carolina defensive line that has created chaos all season.
Minnesota will have a bye week in Week 7, giving them time to figure out their offensive line and continue to get Darrisaw repetitions. The Vikings need more consistency from their interior line if they want to be competitive in the NFC North, but all of their main fantasy players should be lineup staples once again starting in Week 8.
Overlooked Chump: Cleveland Browns
In terms of PFF grades, the Cleveland offensive line performed well against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. All five of Cleveland’s starters finished Week 6 with at least a 65-pass blocking grade. Four of their starting offensive linemen had a 65-overall blocking grade. Rookie James Hudson, starting at right tackle for Jack Conklin, struggled mightily against the Arizona Cardinals. Hudson gave up three hurries and pressures and finished the day with a 51.5 overall grade. Cleveland will likely be playing without Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin again on Thursday night. Additionally, Nick Chubb will likely be out once again, Kareem Hunt was moved to the IR with a calf injury, and Baker Mayfield is attempting to play through a left shoulder injury.
To make matters even worse, Cleveland will be coming into a short week to face off a Denver defensive front that has generated 91 pressures, 15 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 60 hurries through their first six games. This game is a recipe for disaster for the Cleveland offense, and a nightmare for fantasy managers trying to navigate the bye weeks with pieces of the Browns’ offense on their roster.
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