RADIO
Week 8 was a welcomed break from the bye weeks, but it was short-lived with four teams on bye in Week 9. Fantasy managers who have been relying on teams like Denver, Detroit, San Francisco and Jacksonville will certainly be working to fill some gaps in their lineups in Week 9.
Understanding which teams will have advantages in the trenches could be pivotal for teams attempting to navigate the teams on bye in Week 9. Plenty of teams across the league are still trying to find their way through injuries and ineffective play through eight weeks.
Check out the offensive line matchups to target or avoid in Week 9 for your fantasy lineups below.
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Champ of the Week
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens offensive line paved the way for the offense against the Arizona Cardinals, finding their form and taking down the top offensive line spot in Week 8.
Baltimore got solid performances from their two tackles (each had a 64.0+ PFF grade and gave up a combined six pressures), but the real story of this game was the interior offensive line. All three of Baltimore’s interior offensive linemen combined to allow just one pressure while putting together PFF grades above 72.0. Collectively, Baltimore surrendered just one sack and six pressures on 37 pass-blocking snaps.
The Ravens’ offensive line group is finally healthy and seems to be in midseason form which is dangerous for opposing defenses against Baltimore’s new-look offensive system.
Chump of the Week
New York Jets
The Jets' offensive line was decimated by injuries in Week 8, which led to the worst offensive line performance of the week against the New York Giants.
The Jets were already starting backups at right tackle (Max Mitchell: 55.4 PFF grade) and guard (Wes Schweitzer: 49.1 PFF grade) before suffering injuries to Schweitzer and center Connor McGovern (26.4 PFF grade). Both players already landed on injured reserve, leading the Jets to play a lot of backups to secure an overtime win.
The Jets' reserves didn’t hold up well against a solid but unremarkable Giants defense. Four of the five offensive linemen finished with grades below 56.0. The collective group surrendered three sacks and 18 pressures to the Giants in what should have been a relatively easy matchup.
The Jets are down to just two starting offensive linemen from Week 1 and are now working through third-stringers as they try to stay competitive in the AFC. Things could get ugly quickly on offense in New York.
Matchups to Target in Week 9
Cleveland Browns vs Arizona Cardinals
The Browns' offensive line has been far from dominant to start the season, but this is still a solid unit that has talent across the board. The Browns have gotten by without Jack Conklin since Week 1 but may have taken another hit with Dawand Jones getting knocked out of Week 8’s loss against the Seahawks with a shoulder injury.
Thankfully, that shouldn’t matter much against the Arizona Cardinals' defense in Week 8. Arizona has generated just 111 pressures and 27 sacks through the first eight weeks of the season. Arizona does feature four different players with double-digit pressures, but just one player with more than 15 pressures on the season.
The Cardinals don’t fare much better against the run game either (just two defensive linemen with over 250 snaps played and a 65.0 PFF run grade), which means the Browns should have no problem generating big plays regardless of their quarterback.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans
The Buccaneers' offensive line has exceeded expectations to start the season, ranking as PFF’s top average pass-blocking grade (76.5) and 17th overall grade (61.3) despite losing veterans like Donovan Smith and Ryan Jensen in the offseason. Thankfully, Tristan Wirfs is arguably the best left tackle in the NFL, surrendering just seven pressures on 394 pass-blocking snaps despite flipping to left tackle.
Tampa Bay will have an awesome matchup in Week 9 against a Texans defensive line that has some bright spots but is still very much a work in progress. The combination of Will Anderson Jr. (25 pressures and one sack) and Jonathan Greenard (22 pressures and seven sacks) is formidable, but the Texans are underwhelming in the middle of the defense. Neither interior defensive lineman has a PFF run defense grade of 37.0 this season.
The Buccaneers offense has been a nice surprise to start the season and they should be able to continue their hot streak against a weak Texans front in Week 9.
New England Patriots vs Washington Commanders
Consider this an obligatory “start your offensive players against the Commanders” entry. The Patriots' offensive line has struggled while trying to get healthy but gets a matchup against a Commanders' defense that just traded away 65 pressures and 14 sacks in the form of Chase Young and Montez Sweat.
Washington still has two talented interior linemen (Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne), but this defense has lost plenty of bite during the trade deadline.
Matchups to Avoid in Week 9
New York Jets vs Los Angeles Chargers
The Jets injury woes were detailed above and now they will have to go against two of the better edge rushers in the NFL when the team travels to Los Angeles to face the Chargers.
The Chargers are getting the expected production from Khalil Mack (30 pressures and eight sacks) and Joey Bosa (17 pressures and four sacks), but have also added unexpected production from rookie Tuli Tuipulotu (22 pressures and five sacks). All three of the Chargers' edge rushers are also stout against the run with run defense grades above 73.0.
Los Angeles can be susceptible to opposing running backs, but that may not be as much of an issue against a team starting their third-string center and right guard. Be hesitant starting Jets players (outside of Breece Hall) in Week 9.
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns
The Cardinals' offensive line has been underwhelming to start 2023. Arizona has the 31st average PFF run blocking grade (56.6) and average grade (56.3) while they attempt to integrate new pieces like free agent center Hjalte Froholdt and rookie right tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
The Cardinals will have their work cut out for them against the Browns and their stellar pass rush in Week 9. The combination of Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith has generated 61 pressures and 10 sacks to start the season. Additionally, three of four of Cleveland’s starting defensive line have run defense grades above 56.0. Expect the Cardinals offense to struggle whether Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray make their 2023 debut.
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