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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Offensive Line Rankings Analysis: Week 5

Richard King ranks the best & worst offensive lines in the NFL heading into Week 5 of the 2019 NFL season. This could impact fantasy football value at QB, RB, and WR.

Week 4 had some great games, and it was nice to see that some of the comments I'd made on offensive line play seemed to take effect. I just hope you read my article and took action on it! The Detroit Lions were my offensive line to watch last week, with Kerryon Johnson being the player to benefit most. Luckily for me, that came true with the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he ran for 125 yards. Johnson looked great in the game, and as the lead running back for the Lions behind that line should have fantasy relevance all season.

Equally, the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff really struggled at the start of the against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. The running game was effectively absent for the whole game, although Todd Gurley did score two rushing touchdowns he was limited in rushing yards and opportunity. The Rams did get their offense moving in the end, but the offensive line still has work to do.

Good offensive line play gives a team the best chance to be effective. However, a lot of fantasy owners completely overlook its importance to identify if it is a player that's struggling, or if he's being handicapped by the protection ahead of him and actually performing as well as they can. Using PFF's player grading tool, each week I will identify an offensive line that has been trending up, and one trending down and more importantly, how that will affect your fantasy roster over the next few weeks. If you want to look at the raw data and my applied method, feel free to message me on Twitter @RichKingFF - I'm happy to share!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Offensive Line to Watch - Indianapolis Colts

Last season the Colts were looking like a perennial contender for the AFC title. Then Andrew Luck shockingly announced his retirement. Fans and analysts alike downgraded all of the offensive fantasy pieces, but their offensive line remained intact. This week, after their matchup against the Oakland Raiders, the team broke into the top-five O-line rankings. So I thought I'd delve into their offensive line to mark that milestone.

Pass Blocking

The Colts are not the best in the league in pass blocking. In fact, they are just in the lower half of the league (ranking 17th). Ryan Kelly in the middle of the line is around average in the league where the line is effective is elite is the tackle position. The Colts have two great tackles, with Anthony Castonzo ranking third in the league and Braden Smith ranking 20th. The Colts also have a good left interior of their line, with Quenton Nelson ranking fifth in the league at the position. Their difficulty is Mark Glowinski who is 50th at guard in pass blocking.

The struggles of Glowinski are highlighted in the inconsistency of Jacoby Brissett's performances this season. The team may have been set up for Luck to lead them, but now the team has committed to Brissett, it's important that they continue to keep their quarterback upright.

Run Blocking

The offensive line isn't the most effective pass-blocking unit, but it makes up for that in its effectiveness in run blocking. The Colts are an elite unit in that regard, with Mark Glowinski ranking in the top 25 at the guard position.

The Colts are currently 2-2, but the important factor is that they have been competitive in all of the games they have played. The ability to protect their running back has been a key part of that success; the Colts have rushed the ball 114 times so far this season (ranking them eighth in the league). The Colts clearly rely upon the run as part of their offense, and their offensive line is a great weapon to aid them.

 

Fantasy Impact

Trust: Marlon Mack

Marlon Mack is the lead running back for the team. Yes, he's struggled in two of the games he played this season, but both the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders have given up an average of 16 points to the position- making them some of the more effective units against the position. In fact, during the matchup against the Raiders, Mack wasn't even able to finish the game after suffering an ankle injury. The team opted to hold him on the sideline, especially since they were in pass-first mode anyway. With the protection that Mack is given by his offensive line unit, there is no reason why he can't match the 125 yards that Kerryon Johson achieved in his matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cause for Concern: T.Y. Hilton

Typically, Hilton has been a downfield threat for the Colts, so he has needed time to get downfield. This season, with the offensive line struggling and Luck retiring in the offseason, that has forced a change in Hilton's usage. Hilton has now scored four touchdowns in three games, after missing last week's game through injury. If you can sell him high, the time is now. Hilton has never scored more than seven touchdowns since he entered the league in 2012. Outside of those touchdowns, Hilton's yards aren't enough to keep him in your lineup. So, act fast and get some trades in the works before they dry up and his fantasy value nosedives.

 

Offensive Line to Avoid - Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are struggling this season to get anything going. The Bengals finally made a coaching change after years of disappointment in their recent history, but are yet to see any tangible improvement at all. At the moment, the team is winless and looks to be battling it out for the first pick in the draft. The team is trying to instill a new offense but seems to be struggling with it. A major contributing factor for their struggles is the ability of their offensive line.

Pass Blocking

Andy Dalton is constantly under threat from opposing defenses and has been sacked 19 times already this season. That mark has only been beaten by rookie Kyler Murray, and the struggles of the Arizona Cardinals line have been widely known for some time. The only player who seems to have any level of effectiveness is center Trey Hopkins (ranked eighth at the position). Outside of that, they don't have any player inside the top 50.

The team is yearning for some consistency on offense. The offense is missing their elite receiver A.J. Green due to injury, but he might struggle to make an impact if Dalton is on his back or fighting for space to make a pass.

Run Blocking

The Bengals' ability to make blocks on running plays is limited, but it is at least better than their pass blocking. The main issue is that the defense is struggling so much, they are forced to pass the ball early in matches. Again, their center, Trey Hopkins, is the only player that has shown above-average ability this season.

The Bengals offensive line was not an effective unit last season and did try to make amends in the offseason. However, first-round selection Jonah Williams has been unable to take to the field after suffering a shoulder injury requiring surgery, and stalwart Cordy Glenn is yet to clear the league-mandated concussion protocol.

Until the line sees some new blood, it's likely the team will continue to suffer.

 

Fantasy Impact

Trust: No one

I tried to think of a player that would truly benefit from the lack of protection, and I struggled to think of one. A team that is unable to protect their quarterback limits the opportunity for effective passing plays and the team can't keep it close enough to rush the ball effectively either. If I could get a decent offer for any Bengals player, I'd take it.

Cause for Concern: Andy Dalton/ Joe Mixon/ Tyler Boyd

Really the list should be any player that is likely to be on a fantasy roster. This roster looks like it can't compete in the league. They may have nearly toppled the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, but since then they have scored a total of 37 points to their opponents' 89. The Bengals haven't found a formula to stop offenses, and can't score points to keep up.

 

Top Five Offensive Lines

1) Philadelphia Eagles
2) Baltimore Ravens
3) Dallas Cowboys
4) Indianapolis Colts
5) Detroit Lions

 

Bottom Five Offensive Lines

32) Los Angeles Rams
31) Miami Dolphins
30) Cincinnati Bengals
29) Jacksonville Jaguars
28) New York Jets

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Michael Lorenzen

Tosses Quality Start
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
A.J. Puk

Likely To Miss Multiple Months
Marquis Grissom Jr.

Notches Fifth Save At Double-A
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Records Third Save
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Shane Smith

Tosses Five Shutout Frames
Roman Anthony

With Home Run No. 5 On Thursday
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Andrés Muñoz

Andres Munoz Secures Ninth Save
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall

Matthew Golden Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants
Jakob Marsee

Up To 18 Steals At Triple-A

Omarion Hampton Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jeff McNeil

Activated From Injured List
Brett Baty

Optioned To Minors
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Gabriel Landeskog

Delivers Six Hits In First Game Since 2022
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha

Recovering From Small Procedure
Nikolaj Ehlers

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Miro Heiskanen

Still Out On Wednesday
John Klingberg

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Evander Kane

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF