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The NFL season has finally arrived! Months of pouring through depth charts, social media posts, and preseason games have finally led us to the best part of the year: Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.
Once again, I will be handling the weekly offensive line breakdowns for RotoBaller for the 2022 NFL season. For those of you discovering this article for the first time, you’ll find a recap of the best offensive line performances as well as a breakdown of the matchups to target in your fantasy leagues for the upcoming week.
We don’t have a ton of actionable information to utilize in Week 1, but there are still plenty of observations that can be used to determine matchups and tiebreakers heading into this week’s games. Below you’ll find a rundown of the matchups to target and avoid as the 2022 season gets underway.
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Fantasy Football Matchups to Target
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons
The Saints' offensive line took a hit this offseason with Terron Armstead leaving in free agency and first-round left tackle Trevor Penning suffering a foot injury, but this is still a pretty talented offensive line. The team still returns Ryan Ramczyk (PFF’s seventh graded tackle in 2021) and also has solid contributors in left tackle James Hurst, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and center Erik McCoy. The interior offensive line struggled last year but has shown the ability to be at least league-average players in their careers.
Even if you aren’t bought in on the Saints’ offensive line talent, it is hard to believe that the Falcons will be able to generate much pressure with their defensive line. Grady Jarrett has been a solid defensive tackle throughout his career, but the rest of the front is littered with journeymen players like Lorenzo Carter and Ta’Quon Graham a second-round pick in Arnold Ebiketie.
Time will tell if the Saints' offensive line will be effective without Armstead and Penning, but odds are the Falcons just won’t have the talent to make a huge impact. This could be a big game for Alvin Kamara as a runner and Jameis Winston should have plenty of time to get the ball to a healthy Michael Thomas and new additions like Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
The Colts offensive line took a step back last season which ultimately led to a minor overhaul this offseason. Indianapolis let left tackle Eric Fisher walk in free agency after an inconsistent season and lost right guard Mark Glowinski to the Giants in free agency. For most teams, those would be significant losses, but the Colts’ offensive line is still extremely talented.
Left tackle Matt Pryor, left guard Quenton Nelson, and right tackle Braden Smith all finished 2021 as top-30 players at their respective positions. Center Ryan Kelly struggled with health and personal matters throughout the year, but he should also bounce back. The team’s new right guard, Danny Pinter, played situationally as a rookie and held his own.
Indianapolis’ offensive line should be able to dominate up front against a Houston Texans defensive line that plays hard but lacks top-end talent. Jonathan Greenard had a solid second season in Houston (8.0 sacks), but the team lacks top-end talent outside of him. Jonathan Taylor should have ample space to run and Matt Ryan will have time to deliver the ball to the perimeter playmakers.
Fantasy Football Matchups to Avoid
Chicago Bears vs San Francisco 49ers
The Bears' offensive line is an absolute work in progress. In Week 1, they’ll be starting a 2022 fifth-round pick at left tackle (Braxton Jones) and a 2021 fifth-round pick at right tackle (Larry Borom). They will flip their projected starting left guard (Cody Whitehair) and center (Lucas Patrick) so that Patrick can play with a broken thumb without snapping the ball. Their starting right guard (Teven Jenkins) was a second-round pick at left tackle last season. Needless to say, there is a lot of uncertainty across the Bears’ offensive line.
Unfortunately for Chicago, their offensive line will be put to the test in a hurry. The 49ers feature 2021’s seventh-ranked defensive end (Nick Bosa) and 12th-ranked defensive tackle (Arik Armstead), according to PFF’s data.
Additionally, Javon Kinlaw flashed potential last season before suffering an injury and Samson Ebukam will look to build off his first season in San Francisco where he generated 6.0 sacks and 34 total pressures. The 49ers also invested a second-round pick in Drake Jackson and have added depth on the interior with Hassan Ridgeway.
The Bears may have found a wealth of talent on their offensive line, but odds are that they will struggle mightily against a defensive line featuring plenty of talent. Justin Fields' mobility makes him an interesting upside play (after last season’s performance against this same defense), but be wary of starting David Montgomery in a bad matchup.
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
As bad as Chicago’s offensive line is, one could argue that the Raiders unit is worse. Left tackle Kolton Miller has established himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the NFL (PFF’s fifth-ranked tackle in 2021), but outside of that are a litany of question marks.
Left guard John Simpson and center Andre James struggled as starters last season. The team will also be breaking in total question marks Lester Cotton Jr. and Jermaine Eluemunor on the right side of the line after cutting 2021 17th overall pick Alex Leatherwood at the end of training camp.
Meanwhile, the Chargers poured assets into their defensive front this offseason. The Chargers acquired Morgan Fox, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and Austin Johnson to bolster their defensive line after a poor showing against the run in 2021.
They also traded for Khalil Mack to play outside linebacker opposite Joey Bosa. This is a nightmare matchup for the Raiders rushing attack and potentially Derek Carr. Carr should be able to get the ball out fast to Davante Adams and Darren Waller but expect huge struggles by Josh Jacobs and Zamir White in the backfield.
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