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

Smashmouth - Offensive Lines Impacting Fantasy Football For Week 11

Now is the time in fantasy seasons where owners are adding what they believe will be the final pieces to the puzzle to deliver a fantasy championship. Whether it’s via trade or the waiver wire owners that are really paying attention are able to spot the players that will see increased opportunity as the season go on as other players are ineffective on the field.

The perfect case of this is happening right now in New England where Week 1 fantasy darling Mike Gillislee was a healthy scratch in Week 10 in favor of the combination of Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis. Teams are consistently optimizing their on the field lineups and that should happen in fantasy lineups as well.

This week we take a look at two offensive line situations that are improving as the end of the 2017 season approaches, the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins. The Vikings have improved by leaps and bounds over their 2016 performance with the addition of Left Tackle Riley Reiff and the Redskins are finally getting their top linemen back on the field who missed time of the last three weeks.

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

 

Offensive Line to Watch - Minnesota Vikings

What a difference a year makes. This group was one, if not the, worst offensive line in football in 2016. Additions in the offseason of Left Tackle Riley Reiff and Right Tackle Mike Remmers helped solidify the edges of this group. Remmers has been a consistent performer throughout the season, and even though he has been out of action the last two weeks, he was able to stabilize what was a mess a year ago. Remmers replacement, Rashod Hill has been a stalwart in the pass game, grading out at a 84.3 through his two extended stays in the starting lineup. On this play in the first quarter the combination of the offensive line and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and David Morgan create a totally clean pocket against a five-man rush from the Redskins. Case Keenum is able to let the downfield routes develop and step up to deliver a great ball to Stefon Diggs.

Again, in this obvious pass rush situation on 3rd and 12 in the fourth quarter the Vikings are able to pick up a five-man pressure with the help of a chip from Kyle Rudolph. The pocket is clean enough, even as Reiff starts to lose his man for Keenum to deliver a strike to Adam Thielen.

Not only has their pass protection been cleaned up, but their running game which was near the bottom of the league in 2016 has improved by leaps and bounds. Rookie Center Pat Elflein is nowhere near the top rated center from Pro Football Focus, but he is handling his own in the middle. Right Guard Joe Berger is as solid as they come, grading out as the number 19 guard according to Pro Football Focus. He and the remainder of the right side of the offensive line do a great job in getting push on this power scheme allowing Left Guard Nick Easton to pull through untouched and up in the second level. The running back has a clear vision of who to cut off of and when which delivers a first down for the Vikings.

The overall improvement of this offensive line has been one of the keys to the Vikings offensive turnaround. Their quarterback, whether it was Sam Bradford or Case Keenum or potentially even Teddy Bridgewater should be able to continue to make plays in the passing game after feeding off the progress the team has made in the running game.

 

Fantasy Impact

Stock Up: Jerick McKinnon

McKinnon should see a lot more playing time going forward because he has simply been the better back between him and Latavius Murray throughout this season. Even though he was stopped on a 3rd and 1 in this game, McKinnon is able to take advantage of most of the creases this offensive line can produce for positive gains. He has even been the beneficiary in the passing game, catching five or more passes in three of his last five games. In tighter matchups expect his usage to increase and his production to follow suit.

 

 

Offensive Line to Watch - Washington Redskins

After a few weeks of mixing and matching along the offensive line, the Redskins had the majority of their top group back for their Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings. The difference could be seen in an instant as one of the top pass rushing units in the NFL struggled to get consistent pressure on Kirk Cousins. Left Tackle Trent Williams was back to his typical Pro-Bowl self and Right Guard Brandon Scherff was solid in the running game for the majority of the afternoon. There were some bright spots like this zone run in the first quarter where Scherff is able to ride out the defensive lineman, allowing Center Chase Roullier to get to the second level of the defense. Roullier takes linebacker Eric Kendricks for a ride as the Redskins running back gets a nice gain on first down.

The center position was one of the inconsistencies for the Redskins this past week as prior starter Spencer Long tried to play through his injury, but was unable to do so, giving way to Roullier for most of the game. In the first quarter it is clear that Long can just not get the job done as he tries to pull and lead this running play, but is beaten to the point of attack by the Vikings linebacker for no gain. If Long is able to get his block, he may have created an alley for the running back to turn up for a positive gain. Even though there are some inconsistencies in the run blocking, there are some tried and true Washington Redskin schemes that continue to work today. In the second quarter the Redskins call one of their favorite plays from yesteryear, the “Counter Trey” where the backside guard and tackle pull to the front side to lead for the back. In this instance Scherff and Right Tackle Morgan Moses do a great job of getting out in space and occupying defenders while leading Samaje Perine to the second level of the Vikings defense.  Moses has been a great run blocker this season, grading out even above Trent Williams with an 82.7 run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus versus the 79.8 run blocking grade of Williams.

As the Redskins offensive line comes back fully healthy better days will be ahead for their running game. Samaje Perine was a lot better in gap scheme plays like the counter trey and power runs as he was able to get downhill on those plays and gain some momentum instead of the zone running schemes where he would have to stop and cut. Chris Thompson on the other hand, has the cutting ability to work the zone runs, put his foot in the ground like the clip before and gain positive yardage.

 

Fantasy Impact

Stock Up: Kirk Cousins

It’s so important for a quarterback to feel comfortable in the pocket against a defense, and while he was able to pull out a victory in Seattle in Week 9, Cousins simply wasn’t right without nearly his entire starting offensive line around him. Expect Cousins to continue to deliver QB1 results going forward. The Redskins face a shockingly tough test in the Saints in Week 11, but Cousins should be able to put up some great fantasy numbers as he plays catch-up in New Orleans.

Stock Up: Vernon Davis

Davis has found a great home in Washington and become a presence in an offense that likes to target the middle of the field. He has seen at least nine targets in his last two games without Jordan Reed, and if Reed continues to miss time, expect Davis to deliver low-end TE1 numbers going forward as he will not be asked to block nearly as often with the majority of the Redskins offensive line back and healthy.

 

Top Five Offensive Lines

1) New Orleans Saints
2) Pittsburgh Steelers
3) Philadelphia Eagles
4) New England Patriots
5) Tennessee Titans

 

Bottom Five Offensive Lines

32) Miami Dolphins
31) Cincinnati Bengals
30) Arizona Cardinals
29) San Francisco 49ers
28) Seattle Seahawks

 

For any questions about offensive line play in the NFL, feel free to contact me @TheRealHalupka on Twitter.

 

More Week 11 Lineup Prep




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

Ezequiel Tovar14 mins ago

Placed On 10-Day Injured List
Vaughn Grissom25 mins ago

Swinging A Hot Bat At Triple-A
Pedro Pagés36 mins ago

Jordan Walker, Pedro Pages Sitting On Saturday
A.J. Puk47 mins ago

Hits 15-Day Injured List
Brandon Marsh55 mins ago

Remains Sidelined On Saturday
Ryan Mountcastle1 hour ago

Not In Saturday's Lineup
Chandler Simpson1 hour ago

Batting Leadoff In MLB Debut
John Brebbia1 hour ago

Placed On 15-Day Injured List
Julio Rodríguez1 hour ago

Julio Rodriguez Sitting On Saturday
Irv Smith2 hours ago

Houston Re-Signs Irv Smith Jr.
George Soriano2 hours ago

Patrick Monteverde Promoted To Major Leagues, George Soriano Optioned
MJ Melendez2 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Mark Canha2 hours ago

Activated Off Injured List
Jake Cronenworth5 hours ago

Targeting Earlier Return
Liam Hendriks6 hours ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Jackson Merrill6 hours ago

Not Expected To Return Next Week
Martín Pérez6 hours ago

Martin Perez Will Undergo MRI On Saturday
Casey Schmitt6 hours ago

Expected To Hit Injured List
Brock Stewart6 hours ago

Expected To Return On Sunday
Luke Keaschall6 hours ago

Busy In MLB Debut
Jose Fleury7 hours ago

Continues Strong Start On Friday
AJ Smith-Shawver7 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight In Defeat
Ja Morant17 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams17 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis17 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.17 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince17 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL18 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart18 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson18 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura18 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves18 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL18 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić18 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James18 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard18 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL18 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant18 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen19 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL19 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin19 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam19 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton19 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham19 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart19 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby19 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson19 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL20 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith20 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren20 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL20 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch21 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson21 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews21 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat21 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard21 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL21 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas21 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk21 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
21 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson21 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze21 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL22 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook22 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens1 day ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges2 days ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos2 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock2 days ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants2 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Jakob Chychrun2 days ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau2 days ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson2 days ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot2 days ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux2 days ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover3 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick4 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay4 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth4 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa4 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa4 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
5 days ago

Austin Dillon Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Ryan Blaney's Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Christopher Bell Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
5 days ago

Ty Gibbs Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Chase Briscoe Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
5 days ago

William Byron Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF