RADIO
Week 8 provided a glimmer of hope for offensive football in 2022. Eight teams (a 2022 season high!) scored at least 30 points in Week 8. Collectively, offensive line play didn’t improve immensely, but we also dodged any significant long-term injuries for the first time in a long time.
Unfortunately, Week 9 is one of the first significant bye-week waves of the season. Fantasy managers will be without Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, the New York Giants, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco this week, making waiver wire fillers an absolute necessity. Finding an edge in the trenches is a great way to target the right players to supplement the lack of players this week.
Check out the offensive line matchups to target and avoid in Week 9 to keep the winning ways going in your fantasy lineup this week.
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Champ of the Week
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns continue to assert themselves as the best offensive line in the league week after week, once again finishing as the top-rated offensive line in a difficult matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Browns didn’t even need starting right guard Wyatt Teller to blast through the Bengals' defensive line. All three of Cleveland’s interior offensive linemen finished with PFF pass-blocking grades above 80.0. Left guard Joel Bitonio finished the week with a 93.0 overall blocking grade, which was second to Ethan Pocic’s 94.0 grade.
In total, the Browns' offensive line surrendered just three total pressures to a difficult opponent in a Monday night divisional matchup. Cleveland’s five offensive linemen combined to score a 79.6 average PFF grade, finishing nine points higher than the next closest unit.
Chump of the Week
Houston Texans
Conversely, the Houston Texans offensive line (which has looked good throughout this season) was dominated upfront by a strong Titans defensive line. The Texans' tackle duo played well (Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard combined to give up just three pressures, all by Howard). Unfortunately, the interior frequently looked like this:
All three of Houston’s interior offensive linemen finished with a PFF grade below 32.0. The combination of left guard Kenyon Green and center Scott Quessenberry was especially bad, finishing with PFF pass blocking grades under 15.0 thanks to one sack and 14 pressures surrendered.
The Titans' defensive line has been operating on another level lately and the Texans were just the most recent team to get eaten up by the buzzsaw.
Matchups to Target in Week 9
Atlanta Falcons vs Los Angeles Chargers
Atlanta’s offensive line continues to dominate up front. Four of Atlanta’s five offensive linemen finished a difficult matchup against Carolina’s defensive line with a pass-blocking grade above 63.0. They also gave up just 13 pressures, a majority of which came from the interior.
Now, they’ll get a matchup against a Chargers defense missing numerous starters (and backup pass rusher/Joey Bosa replacement Chris Rumph II). Before hitting the bye week, the Chargers got overmatched (especially in the run game) against Kenneth Walker III and the Seattle Seahawks.
Atlanta should be able to impose its will against a defensive line that features just one player (Khalil Mack) that has a run defense grade of 70.0, according to PFF.
Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears
The Miami Dolphins offensive line had a stellar game in Week 8 against the Detroit Lions. Four of Miami’s five offensive linemen finished with a PFF grade above 72.0. Collectively, Miami’s offensive line allowed just two pressures against a perpetually overmatched defensive front.
As bad as Detroit’s defense has been, the Bears might have the least amount of talent in their box defenders after the trade deadline deals including Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith. Chicago’s remaining defenders have generated just 82 pressures and 15 sacks in eight games.
Tua Tagovailoa should have more than enough time to take his shots down the field to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. More importantly, expect a bounce-back performance from Raheem Mostert after an underwhelming Week 8.
The Bears are fresh off allowing Tony Pollard to rush for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Miami’s offense is considerably more explosive than Chicago’s, which can only mean bad things for an underwhelming Bears defense.
Matchups to Avoid in Week 9
Houston Texans vs Philadelphia Eagles
The Texans are coming off an absolute beatdown across the offensive line against the Tennessee Titans. Things won’t get much better with arguably the best defense in the NFL on deck.
Philadelphia features five different players with at least 17 pressures this season. Five different players on the defensive line have at least 3.0 sacks, including a team-high 6.0 sacks from Haason Reddick. None of that even includes a full-time Robert Quinn, who registered two pressures in just 20 snaps on Sunday.
The Texans were physically overwhelmed up front against the Titans in Week 8 and the Eagles have more than enough depth and firepower up front to make it a second consecutive bad game.
Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Rams' offense is in disarray and part of the issue stems from injuries and ineffectiveness along the offensive line. The Rams had just one player (right tackle Rob Havenstein) finish with a PFF grade above 70.0 in any blocking category, according to PFF.
The Rams line will catch a break considering Shaq Barrett’s season-ending Achilles injury, but they are still facing a daunting task. Tampa Bay features three other rushers with at least 15 pressures and three sacks this season.
Los Angeles will have their work cut out for them again, especially on the interior against Vita Vea.
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