X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Matchups to Target, Avoid (Week 1) - Offensive Line Champs and Chumps

Baker Mayfield - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

The NFL season is finally upon us. Teams have gone through the offseason and finished training camp. This week, we will finally get live NFL action.

Fantasy drafts have likely come to a close (or will shortly), meaning it is time to start making lineup decisions each week. One facet of NFL football that can give fantasy gamers an edge is understanding the matchups happening in the trenches.

Here at RotoBaller, we will again have a weekly article dedicated to the matchups to target and avoid along the offensive and defensive lines. Check out the Week 1 matchups below.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Offensive Line Matchups to Target in Fantasy Football

Buffalo Bills vs. Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo’s offensive line doesn’t feature much blue-chip talent, but it is a solid collection of veterans with experience. Even without much star power, this group should have no problem getting movement and providing protection against the Arizona Cardinals.

Buffalo returns four starters from the 2023 unit, but one of them (Connor McGovern) has shifted from left guard to center to replace Mitch Morse. Former Rams starter David Edwards will take his place at guard. Even with the change in the trenches, the Cardinals defensive line doesn't have the talent to push this group.

The Bills offensive line enters 2024 with an average PFF grade of 67.8, a run-blocking grade of 65.5, and a pass-protection grade of 65.4. They should have no problem against a Cardinals defensive line featuring Bilal Nichols, Roy Lopez, and Justin Jones. It also helps that rookie Darius Robinson is on the IR to start the season.

The Bills have plenty of turnover on their offense heading into 2024, but Week 1 against Arizona’s defense should be a low-stakes opportunity to see how the offense will work without Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Commanders

The Buccaneers enter 2024 with a blue-chip left tackle (Tristan Wirfs), a strong right tackle (Luke Goedeke), and the hope that the interior offensive line has been elevated with a 2024 first-round pick (Graham Barton).

Wirfs and Goedeke each finished 2023 with a PFF grade above 72.0 and combined to allow just 10 sacks and 64 pressures. Barton was a left tackle at Duke (with some center experience) who was kicked inside due to a lack of measurables. He finished with a 75.9 PFF grade in his final season and allowed just two sacks and nine pressures.

Tampa Bay will need veteran Ben Bredeson and second-year right guard Cody Mauch to provide steady play in 2024, but this should be a much better unit regardless. Mauch's struggles as a rookie are understandable since he made the jump from the FCS level to starting in the NFL, but he will need to show growth in his second season for this unit to take a true next step.

They get an excellent matchup against the Commanders in Week 1. The interior combination of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen remains strong, but the team will need former role players (Clelin Ferrell and Dorance Armstrong) to play above their means next season. Tampa Bay should have little problem attacking the edges in the run game with Baker Mayfield having ample time to find his weapons in the passing attack.

 

Offensive Line Matchups to Avoid in Fantasy Football

Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns

The Cowboys let two longtime starters walk in free agency (left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz). They were able to replace each of those positions through the draft in the first round (Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton) and third round (Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe).

Both players have looked good throughout training camp; however, they will start the 2024 season with the Cleveland Browns defensive line. Guyton will either see a steady dose of Myles Garrett (15 sacks and 86 pressures) or Za’Darius Smith (six sacks and 60 pressures) coming at him off the edge.

There are also some concerns about Guyton transitioning from just one year of starting at right tackle at Oklahoma to replacing Tyron Smith at left tackle. He's done well throughout the preseason in his repetitions to show that he can make not only the move to the NFL but has the athleticism to win at left tackle.

Beebe won’t have it as bad (especially being flanked by Tyler Smith and Zack Martin), but will still face off against Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris.

There are a lot of questions about how well Dallas’ offense will function, especially with a questionable rushing attack behind Dak Prescott. Week 1 will certainly provide plenty of “welcome to the NFL” moments for its young offensive linemen.

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals

New England’s offensive line is a mess. Its starting left tackle (Chukwuma Okorafor) was benched in Pittsburgh in 2023 at right tackle and struggled this preseason. Its starting right tackle (Mike Onwenu) was slated to start at guard.

The depth behind those players (Vederian Lowe and Caedan Wallace) are both raw players who also struggled to protect the quarterback in the preseason. 2023 left guard Cole Strange is still working his way back from a knee injury, leaving Sidy Sow and rookie Layden Robinson at guard.

The area to focus on is the mismatch on the perimeter. Both Sam Hubbard (six sacks and 40 pressures) and Trey Hendrickson (20 sacks and 79 pressures) should have no problem collapsing the pocket and making plays in the backfield.

Fantasy gamers likely weren’t leaning heavily on the Patriots this season regardless, but this team is an absolute avoid in all fantasy-relevant positions until the offensive line can get figured out.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jalen Johnson26 mins ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
Bilal Coulibaly32 mins ago

Could Be Ready To Return Against Houston
Malcolm Brogdon41 mins ago

Will Not Play Tuesday
Jordan Poole46 mins ago

Uncertain Against Houston
Bub Carrington51 mins ago

Listed As Questionable For Tuesday
Jalen Green58 mins ago

Questionable Against Washington
Tari Eason1 hour ago

Doubtful Tuesday Against The Wizards
Josh Richardson1 hour ago

Downgraded To Out
Lauri Markkanen1 hour ago

Could Return Tuesday Against Atlanta
Keyonte George2 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
John Collins2 hours ago

Out Tuesday Against Atlanta
Jordan Clarkson2 hours ago

Will Miss At Least Two Weeks
Yuki Kawamura2 hours ago

Available To Play Monday Against The Mavericks
Luke Kennard2 hours ago

Available To Play Monday
Desmond Bane2 hours ago

Downgraded To Out Against Dallas
Jalen Brunson2 hours ago

Cleared To Face Orlando
Karl-Anthony Towns3 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Michael Lorenzen3 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Kansas City
Luke Kennard3 hours ago

Available For Monday's Game
Andre Drummond3 hours ago

Unavailable Against Suns
Gavin Lux3 hours ago

Traded To Cincinnati
Deandre Ayton3 hours ago

Available On Monday
Ben Simmons3 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Kyler Murray3 hours ago

"100 Percent" Chance That Kyler Murray Will Start For Cardinals In 2025
Brock Purdy4 hours ago

Wants Contract Done Sooner Than Later
Christian McCaffrey4 hours ago

"Definitely Close" To Being Fully Recovered
Jayden Daniels4 hours ago

Commanders "Not Concerned" With Jayden Daniels' Leg Soreness
Amari Cooper4 hours ago

Bills Hopeful Amari Cooper Will Be Available In Wild-Card Round
Erik Haula4 hours ago

Expected To Miss "A Few Weeks"
Patrik Laine4 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game
Adam Larsson4 hours ago

Available Monday
Dakota Joshua5 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Elias Pettersson5 hours ago

Remains Out On Monday
Quinn Hughes5 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision For Monday
Aaron Ekblad5 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Monday
Chicago Bears6 hours ago

Bears Seek Permission To Interview Mike McCarthy For Head-Coaching Job
Jalen Hurts6 hours ago

Still In The Concussion Protocol
Anthony Richardson6 hours ago

Will Be Colts Starter In 2025
Luis Arraez7 hours ago

Yankees Talking With Padres About Luis Arraez
Las Vegas Raiders7 hours ago

Antonio Pierce Expects To Return As Raiders Head Coach
Chicago Bears8 hours ago

Chicago Requests Interview With Mike Kafka For Head-Coaching Job
Geno Smith9 hours ago

Expected To Return To Seattle
Christian Watson9 hours ago

Believed To Have Suffered A Torn ACL
Seattle Seahawks9 hours ago

Seahawks Fire Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb
Chicago Bears9 hours ago

Bears Formally Request To Interview Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn For Head-Coaching Job
Zay Flowers10 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Michael Pittman Jr.10 hours ago

Dealing With Fracture In His Back
Brian Thomas Jr.10 hours ago

Tops Century Mark In Loss To Colts
New England Patriots11 hours ago

Patriots Request To Interview Ben Johnson
New York Jets11 hours ago

Jets Request Interviews With Arthur Smith, Bobby Slowik, Joe Brady
Jonnu Smith11 hours ago

Catches Touchdown In Season Ending Loss To Jets
Deshaun Watson11 hours ago

Suffers Setback In Achilles Recovery
Frank Vatrano14 hours ago

Nets Two Goals On Sunday Evening
Sebastian Aho14 hours ago

Leads Carolina To Victory With Three-Point Night
Bo Horvat14 hours ago

Scores Game-Winner On Sunday
Filip Chytil14 hours ago

Scores Twice On Sunday
Jake McCabe15 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Philip Tomasino15 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Kris Letang1 day ago

Returns To Penguins Lineup
William Carrier1 day ago

Misses Sunday's Game With A Lower-Body Injury
Aaron Ekblad1 day ago

Sits Out Sunday's Practice
Travis Hamonic1 day ago

To Miss Up To Four Weeks
Linus Ullmark1 day ago

Out Week-To-Week
Frank Vatrano1 day ago

Signs Three-Year Extension With Ducks
Clayton Kershaw2 days ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Thatcher Demko2 days ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov2 days ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Charlie Morton3 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Pete Alonso4 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk5 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa5 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap5 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa5 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA5 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley5 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day5 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia5 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg5 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo5 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy5 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners5 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland5 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau5 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Terry McLaurin - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wild Card Weekend PPR Rankings for Fantasy Football: Puka Nacua, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown, Nico Collins, Terry McLaurin, Mike Evans

You might think fantasy football leagues are done until next September, but that is not the case! All sorts of new playoff league contests are kicking off this week, along with DFS contests, and our coverage will continue as always through the Super Bowl. If there's a fantasy or DFS contest to win, we'll have […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Wild Card Weekend PPR FLEX Rankings for Fantasy Football: Jalen McMillan, DeVonta Smith, Quentin Johnston, Jaylen Warren, Jayden Reed, Amari Cooper

Traditional fantasy football leagues have come to an end, but there are still ways to win with playoff league and DFS contests starting this weekend. Our coverage at RotoBaller will continue as always through the Super Bowl. Like in the regular season, we're here to help you crush any contest or tournament you're interested in […]


James Cook - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wild Card Weekend PPR Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: Bucky Irving, James Cook, J.K. Dobbins, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones, Jaylen Warren

Hopefully, you captured a fantasy football championship or had big DFS wins during the 2024 NFL regular season. However, whether you had plenty of success or struggled, there are more ways to compete during the NFL postseason! With Playoff league contests starting this week and DFS contests, our coverage will continue as always through the Super […]


Jordan Addison - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Wild Card Weekend PPR Wide Receiver Rankings for Fantasy Football: A.J. Brown, Nico Collins, Jordan Addison, Ladd McConkey, Cooper Kupp, Khalil Shakir

Running backs stole the show during the 2024 fantasy football season, but there were several wideouts who exceeded expectations and could make a difference in fantasy football playoff leagues. Our coverage for playoff leagues and DFS contests will continue throughout the Super Bowl. Let's kick things off with our Wild Card fantasy football PPR wide receiver […]


Pat Freiermuth - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Wild Card Weekend PPR Tight End Rankings for Fantasy Football: T.J. Hockenson, Zach Ertz, Cade Otton, Tucker Kraft, Dallas Goedert, Will Dissly

The NFL regular season and traditional fantasy football season might be over, but there are still ways to compete. Whether you have joined a playoff league over at the FFPC or are navigating rankings for DFS purposes, we have you covered. Like regular fantasy leagues, tight ends are always difficult to navigate. We've got you […]


Baker Mayfield - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Wild Card Weekend Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football: Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Justin Herbert

It's NFL playoff time for 14 franchises, and it's fantasy football playoff league time for fantasy managers still looking to compete! Whether you're scanning Wild Card rankings ahead of your playoff-league draft or are just looking for another source to build your DFS lineups, we have you covered. Let's dig into the Wild Card QB […]


Justin Tucker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Kicker Streamers

Wild Card Weekend Kicker Rankings for Fantasy Football: Justin Tucker, Chase McLaughlin, Tyler Bass, Jake Elliott, Will Reichard, Cameron Dicker

Sadly, the fantasy football regular season is over. However, if you're still itching to compete, RotoBaller will provide coverage for playoff leagues through the Super Bowl. To get things kicked off, find out where kickers such as Justin Tucker, Chase McLaughlin, Tyler Bass, Jake Elliott, Will Reichard, and Cameron Dicker are ranked for the Wild Card […]


Bills Defense - Von Miller IDP Rankings, D/ST Streamers, Fantasy Football Team Defense

Wild Card Weekend Team Defense Rankings for Fantasy Football: Ravens D/ST, Chargers D/ST, Bills D/ST, Eagles D/ST, Buccaneers D/ST, Rams D/ST

The 2024 fantasy football season flew by in a hurry, and as always, there were plenty of surprise breakouts and duds. With those leagues in the rearview mirror, it's time to turn our attention to fantasy football playoff leagues. RotoBaller will cover these setups through the Super Bowl with a special focus on FFPC leagues. […]


Will Levis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

2025 NFL Draft Order: Where Every Team Picks in the 1st Round

While fans of 14 NFL franchises are looking forward to competing for the Super Bowl, the other 18 are set to begin grinding mock drafts to see who their team could take in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. It's never fun to miss the playoffs, but the idea of adding a high-end […]


Jordan Love - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Sunday Injury Report: Updates for Jordan Love, Zay Flowers, Christian Watson, More

Well, the 2024 fantasy football season is officially in the books. It feels like just yesterday we were discussing sleepers, breakouts, and busts as we eagerly awaited the start of the year. I’m always amazed at how fast the season goes. The injury report from this weekend was relatively small, but the injuries that occurred […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

What Are Fantasy Football Playoff Leagues? How To Play, Join and Draft A Playoff League Team

The 2024 NFL regular season is over. After Week 18, there won't be any way to play more fantasy football, and managers will be forced to sit down and watch normal playoff football with absolutely nothing on the line... right? Not really! There are actually ways to play fantasy football throughout the playoffs. And we're […]


Jahmyr Gibbs - Fantasy Football, Rankings, Draft, Sleeper, DFS, Running Back

2025 NFL Playoffs Bracket: Predictions, Picks for the Entire NFL Postseason and Super Bowl LIX

The playoff matchups are finally written, and the exciting home stretch is upon us. It's been a thrilling 2024 regular season, but the postseason brings a special competitive edge to every snap. Several familiar faces and a few new ones are looking to dazzle in their first taste of the playoffs. Teams are hitting the […]


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of The Week - Fantasy Outlooks For Sam Darnold, Tyreek Hill, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, George Pickens, Jordan Addison, More

The 18th and final Sunday of the 2024 NFL regular season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers. Part of that stress was caused by a group of players […]