RADIO
Dan Fornek evaluates the best and worst offensive lines in the NFL to provide insight to fantasy football managers ahead of Week 4 of the 2021 season.
The unders struck again in Week 3 with 11 of 16 NFL games failing to hit their projected point total. Thankfully football fans were still treated to big plays thanks to a 109-yard kick return in the Jacksonville and Arizona game and a game-winning crossbar bank shot by Justin Tucker to fight off an upset attempt from the Detroit Lions on the road. Through three weeks we have had some signature performances in the NFL, but by and large many teams still seem to be finding their way.
Unlike Week 2, we didn’t see as many widespread injuries at the offensive line position this past week, although there are a few that could have major impacts in the real and fantasy football world. For one, Quentin Nelson suffered a high ankle sprain for the Indianapolis Colts, a move that hurts arguably the Colts' best player and could stifle the run game. The Saints (Terron Armstead) and Jaguars (Cam Robinson) also saw injuries to their left tackles, although it would seem both escaped season-ending injuries at this time. These shakeups can have some big impacts in the short term though considering both offenses are trying to find their footing in 2021.
The purpose of this article is to break down the different impactful offensive line performances (good or bad) to make a decision on which teams we should be targeting for starts, sits, or waiver wire pickups. While we are working with a limited sample size at this point in the season, a lot can be learned, especially considering offensive linemen rely on consistency to perform at their best. The data pulled for this article (from PFF.com) and general observation will hopefully help fantasy managers looking to make a run for their fantasy championships in 2021.
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Champs
Champ of the Week: Los Angeles Rams
From a numbers standpoint, the Rams were the second-best offensive line in the NFL by their overall grade in Week 3 (behind Dallas). However, given the fact that the Rams played Tampa Bay in Week 3, they get the nod for the top overall champ. Across the board, Los Angeles allowed just one sack, three hits, seven hurries, and 11 pressures against a Tampa Bay front that has given teams fits throughout the early season. Three of the Rams’ offensive linemen had at least a 70-pass blocking grade according to PFF and all five offensive linemen scored at least a 60-run blocking grade. In total, the Rams line scored a 73.64 average overall grade for the entire unit.
The offensive line was able to generate great pockets which allowed Matthew Stafford to take deep shots to the various Rams weapons and secure a convincing victory (see play below). The Rams will have another challenge against the Cardinals’ pass rush in Week 4, but so far they have shown they are up for the challenge. It remains to be seen if Darrell Henderson will be cleared from his rib injury in Week 4, but he (or Sony Michel) should have ample room to run in a game that should be a shootout.
Dallas Cowboys
I am this close to retiring the Cowboys’ offensive line from this article considering we could count on them to be among the top units each week as long as everyone is healthy. The Eagles front was hit with some rough injuries the past week (Brandon Graham is out for the season and Fletcher Cox came into the game with nagging injuries), making Dallas’ assignment a bit easier. Tyron Smith finished as the top-rated offensive lineman across the entire league in Week 3, scoring an 87.2 pass grade, a 92.5 run grade, and a 92.7 overall grade against Philadelphia. He is healthy again and seemingly back to his dominant ways. Terence Steele bounced back from a rough first start (59.3 overall) to score an 84.3 against the Eagles.
The Cowboys’ offensive line will face a new challenge against the Carolina Panthers and their uber-athletic defensive front that has given opposing offensive lines problems consistently this season. Carolina has created havoc, generating 17 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and 44 hurries on the season. This should be an excellent matchup that determines where each team is in the playoff pecking order heading into the next part of the season. Dallas’ offensive line will have their hands full upfront, but the Carolina secondary took some serious hits in Week 3 and could be exploited by Dak if he has time to throw.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona was hit hard by injuries along the offensive line in Week 3 against Jacksonville, but they didn’t miss a beat (and performed better with their backups). Both Justin Pugh and Justin Murray, the starting guards, left the game with back injuries. Their backups both scored better than them in terms of pass blocking grade, run blocking grade, and overall grade according to PFF’s metrics. More importantly, they combined to allow zero hurries, quarterback hits, or pressures. While Pugh and Murray aren’t projected to miss significant time, it is a good sign that Arizona has capable backups on the interior offensive line in an offense that is going to throw the ball as much as they do. Through three weeks, Arizona has the 2nd best pass-blocking offensive line in the NFL according to PFF.
Arizona’s line will be tested in a big way against Aaron Donald’s interior pressure in Week 4 in a big divisional matchup against the Rams. No team has stopped Donald from creating havoc so far this season, so Arizona will have a test to show if their offensive line improvements are due to talent or an early run of weak defensive linemen. You should be starting your Cardinals offensive players regardless of matchups, but be ready for a challenge.
Underrated Champ: Washington Football Team
Washington came into Week 3 with questions along their offensive line and promptly got blown out by the Buffalo Bills. However, their offensive line stood up to a quality opponent and gave Taylor Heinicke a chance to put up some strong fantasy stats. Washington didn’t allow a sack or a hurry against Buffalo and only gave up a total of five hurries and five pressures. Four of their offensive linemen scored at least an 82 pass-blocking grade and three linemen had at least a 60 run-blocking grade. Through three games, the Washington Football Team’s offensive line has been the top pass blocking unit in the NFL this season according to PFF.
Washington has a great matchup against an Atlanta defense that has generated zero interceptions and has just six sacks through two games. Heinicke should have every opportunity to get the ball out to Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas in Week 4. Look for Antonio Gibson to have success on the ground as well.
Chumps
Chump of the Week: Chicago Bears
Chicago’s offensive line was embarrassed on Sunday in Justin Fields’ first NFL start. When the dust settled, Chicago averaged just 1.1 yards per play and gave up nine sacks to Cleveland, 4.5 of which came from Myles Garrett.
Chicago will look to bounce back in Week 4 against a Detroit defense that has put together a solid year compared to their expectations coming into the season. Detroit has generated 49 pressures, eight sacks, eight hits, and 33 hurries through their first three games thanks to the edge pressure by Romeo Okwara and Charles Harris. If Justin Fields (or whoever starts at quarterback) has time to throw, Detroit’s skeleton secondary can be exploited in a big way. However, the Detroit front is stout against the run (ask Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ rushing attack) and could cause problems. It’s hard to trust any offensive player in Chicago heading into Week 4.
Houston Texans
Houston came into Week 3 starting a rookie quarterback with minimal mobility (Davis Mills) and was promptly overwhelmed by a freakishly athletic Carolina pass rush. While the left side of the line (Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard) performed well in the passing game, everyone else failed to score above a 60 pass-blocking grade in a tough matchup. Justin Britt, the Texans’ center, was the only offensive lineman to break the 60 mark in the run blocking metric. No Texans linemen had an overall grade above a 54 in Week 3 after putting together two average weeks to begin the year. Houston didn’t give up any sacks but did surrender two hits, seven hurries, and nine pressures. Houston will be without Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) again this week, meaning the Texans will need to have more success in the blocking department to keep Mills upright.
Houston will have their work cut out for them in Week 4 against Buffalo’s stout defense. The only fantasy player worth starting on Houston is Brandin Cooks, but even he may be worth a fade against a strong defensive front and a suffocating secondary roaming the field.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders secured another victory to start with a surprising 3-0 record, but this one was far from pretty. The Raiders' offensive line struggled against the Dolphins, allowing one sack, five hits, six hurries, and 12 pressures in their Week 3 matchup. Alex Leatherwood was especially brutal in pass blocking, allowing four hits, two hurries, and six pressures in Week 3. Even with those statistics, he still finished ahead of center Andre James in pass blocking score (19.8). The Raiders are the 30th ranked offensive line in average PFF grades across pass blocking scores, run blocking scores, and overall grades through the first three weeks. Hard to believe a team that overhauled their entire offensive line could struggle this badly out of the gate, right?
Life won’t get much easier in Week 4 for Vegas with the Chargers coming to town. Los Angeles has a strong defensive line and can generate a solid pass rush that could give Derek Carr fits. The Raiders’ skill players are still worth starting (especially at the running back position), but Carr could struggle to find time to get the ball downfield to Henry Ruggs III.
Overlooked Chump: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had an impressive win against a quickly tanking Pittsburgh Steelers team in Week 3. Despite that, their offensive line struggled mightily even though they didn’t have to face off against T.J. Watt (groin injury). Three of the Bengals’ offensive linemen scored below a 53 pass blocking grade despite the team giving up only two hurries and two pressures in Week 3. Quinton Spain was the worst graded pass blocking lineman in the NFL, scoring just a 5.6 grade. Things weren’t much better in the run game for Cincinnati either. Only Jonah Williams and Riley Reiff were above a 60 grade as run blockers. Three of Cincinnati’s five offensive linemen failed to secure an average grade of 50 on the week. Despite the win, the Bengals’ offensive line is last in PFF grading in terms of their combined average in pass blocking, run blocking, and overall grade.
In Week 4, the Bengals will get a Thursday night matchup against a Jacksonville front-seven that features several freak athletes that could give them trouble. For Joe Burrow (and the passing game as a whole) to have success, the ball will have to get out in a hurry. Cincinnati has shown that ability before, but it could be a long day for Burrow in Week 4 if they can’t.
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