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
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Smashmouth - Offensive Lines Impacting Fantasy Football For Week 14

It’s finally here, the fantasy football playoffs. All of the countless hours avoiding our “real” jobs researching who to pick up on the waiver wire, wondering if that potential trade really makes your team better and if you should cut that rookie third string running back for a quarterback streaming option come down to this week.

It’s very important to realize that even though fantasy owners are playing for a potential fantasy championship in a few weeks, not all NFL teams will share that thought process. Some teams will be benching veterans for younger players to see if they deserve more prominent roles for next season, which could make a big difference in the outcome of a fantasy playoff matchup. This can not only impact skill position players, but also offensive lines as well, which can lead into a host of communication issues and timing issues up front.

This week’s Smashmouth is going to focus on two teams’ offensive lines going in opposite directions, the Dallas Cowboy and the Washington Redskins. For Dallas, it looked like rinse and repeat from earlier in the season with Ezekiel Elliott, while Washington was concerned with having enough healthy bodies to field a full five-man line.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Offensive Line to Watch - Dallas Cowboys

It took an entire quarter against Washington, but the Dallas Cowboys finally started to resemble the Cowboys offense from earlier this season.  They were able to establish an early lead thanks to numerous Washington turnovers and after establishing the lead, pounding Washington into submission with their running game. Left tackle Tyron Smith was particularly impressive throughout this game in pass protection and in the run game. He essentially neutralized the Washington pass rush throughout the game from the left side. He did have one holding penalty after Dak Prescott scrambled to his left, but was nearly flawless besides that penalty.

Smith is having a “down season” compared to his All-Pro reputation in 2017, grading out at and 81 according to Pro Football Focus (his lowest grade in six seasons), but appears to be as healthy as he can possibly be heading into the stretch run. He was looking athletic in the pass and run game like in this clip from the second quarter. The Cowboys are running a zone run to the right side and Smith is able to stay on his track and cut off the backside linebacker. This gives Alfred Morris a clear running lane into the second and third levels of the Washington defense and pick up a first down. Being able to reach and cut off that linebacker who is lined up inside of Smith prior to the snap is no easy feat, and Smith is able to with relative ease.

Earlier that drive, the Cowboys established the zone run to the right behind right guard Zack Martin and right tackle La’el Collins. Martin has been amazing once again this season, grading out at the number two guard in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus with a grade of 89.3. Again on this zone run Martin is able to occupy the down lineman and Tyron Smith and left guard Jonathan Cooper are able to get to the second level and create a good lane for Morris to run through.

One of the biggest reasons for the success of Alfred Morris and the running game last week was how the combination of La’el Collins and tight end Jason Witten were able to slow down Washington’s star outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. Kerrigan did not record a sack on the day and was only able to add in three total tackles. In this example in particular, Collins is able to take a pass set and force Kerrigan slightly upfield. Collins positions himself to wall off Kerrigan allowing Morris to cut back and exploit a massive hole after Zack Martin is able to pick up a blitzing safety. Morris does a great job cutting this run back. Holes like these allowed for Morris to compile 127 yards and 27 carries.

 

Fantasy Impact

Stock Up: Alfred Morris

In positive game scripts like the one that is projected coming against the Giants, Alfred Morris can be viewed as a high-end RB2 or low end RB1 in non-PPR formats. He is the clear rushing downs back and the player the Cowboys trust to run out the clock when they are leading. When the Cowboys offensive line is in a matchup where it gets to wear down the opposing defensive line, they can prove to be a dominant force. Fantasy owners should expect to see some of that this week against the New York Giants.

 

Offensive Line to Watch - Washington Redskins

As one offensive line is getting healthy and looking like a potentially dominating unit, the Washington Redskins are going in the opposite direction. This line is certainly patchwork at this point of the season with their first two centers, Spencer Long and Chase Roullier sidelined, leading to Tony Bergstrom attempting to fill in. Left guard Shawn Lauvao hasn’t played since Week 11, leading to Arie Kouandjio seeing increased reps at left guard. In addition to Lauvao being out, right tackle Morgan Moses went down the middle of the game against the Cowboys. Ty Nsekhe who was starting for Lauvao at left guard was moved to right tackle and struggled mightily. Nsekhe has earned a grade of 48.6 so far in the 2017 season and should continue to play inside versus outside at tackle. Early in the third quarter Nsekhe is simply too slow out of his stance and does not move his feet to try and keep up with DeMarcus Lawrence. Nsekhe does not kick/slide back to meet the defender and try to stay square and get to Lawrence who just runs around Nsekhe. This poor effort was characteristic of the entire day for Nsekhe in both the pass and running game, allowing consistent pressure on Kirk Cousins.

Even in the instances that Nsekhe was in position to hold down the fort against the Dallas pass rush, he runs into unfortunate circumstances. He is able to get his hands on the defender and adjust back as his slides back until running back Samaje Perine knocks Nsekhe off the block allowing a sack and forcing a fumble.

There is a hope that Morgan Moses can return next week and that would certainly boost for this group. While Moses is not an elite pass blocker like left tackle Trent Williams (80.2 pass blocking grade according to PFF for Williams versus 67.3 of Moses), he is certainly more competent at the position than Nsekhe. In this clip Moses and right guard Branden Scherff are able to pick up the Cowboys twist with ease allowing a clean throwing lane for Kirk Cousins.

Health will continue to be an issue for this team throughout the season with missing pieces especially in the middle of the offensive line with their center and left guard positions still in flux. This weakness in the middle of the line will not only impact the running game, but also the passing game as pressure will be in the face of Kirk Cousins consistently.

 

Fantasy Impact

Stock Down: Kirk Cousins

Run Kirk, run for your life. That was exactly what Cousins was doing this past week against the Cowboys and now he faces the dynamic pass rushing duo of Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa of the Chargers. In all likelihood Cousins and the Redskins will be trailing in this game (Washington is a near touchdown underdog at the time of this writing) which will lead to plenty of pass rushing opportunities for the Chargers duo. Things will look especially bleak if right tackle Morgan Moses cannot play this weekend. Cousins can be benched this week in most formats.

Stock Up: Jamison Crowder

Fantasy owners have seen the best and worst of times for Jamison Crowder over the past few weeks. Crowder dominated the Giants for 141 yards and a touchdown and then came back down to earth against the Cowboys, catching five passes for 67 yards with a fumble. Cousins will have to continue to throw the ball quickly with his reduced time to work the ball down the field from the lack of pass protection. This should allow Crowder to continue to see around nine targets per game (he’s seen 36 in his past four games), and provide a safe floor as a WR3 or flex option for the fantasy playoffs.

 

Top Five Offensive Lines

1) New Orleans Saints
2) Philadelphia Eagles
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
4) Minnesota Vikings
5) Dallas Cowboys

 

Bottom Five Offensive Lines

32) Miami Dolphins
31) San Francisco 49ers
30) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29) Cleveland Browns
28) New York Giants

 

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

 

More Week 14 Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

3 hours ago

Cade Otton Leads Tampa In Receiving In Week 9 Loss On Monday
3 hours ago

Pete Alonso Receives Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 hours ago

Clayton Kershaw Declines 2025 Option
4 hours ago

Titans Hopeful Will Levis Will Return In Week 10
4 hours ago

Titans Looking To Reduce Tony Pollard's Workload?
Dallas Cowboys5 hours ago

Micah Parsons Expected To Play In Week 10
Dereck Lively II6 hours ago

A Late Scratch On Monday
6 hours ago

Amari Cooper Listed As Day-To-Day
6 hours ago

Joe Flacco Named Week 10 Starter
Robert Williams III6 hours ago

Returning On Monday
Jordan Hawkins6 hours ago

Out Versus The Blazers
Zion Williamson6 hours ago

Sidelined Again Versus Portland
Rudy Gobert6 hours ago

Available For Minnesota On Monday
Immanuel Quickley6 hours ago

Still Out On Monday
Jalen Smith7 hours ago

Available Against Jazz
Brandon Miller7 hours ago

Will Play Versus Minnesota
Josh Giddey7 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
Lauri Markkanen7 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Monday Night
7 hours ago

Browns "Highly Unlikely" To Trade David Njoku
John Konchar7 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday Versus Nets
7 hours ago

Chase Brown Appears To Be OK Despite Suffering Bruised Rib
7 hours ago

Tee Higgins Estimated As DNP On Monday
7 hours ago

Jameson Williams' Suspension Is Lifted
8 hours ago

Alex Bregman Given Qualifying Offer
8 hours ago

Saquon Barkley Will Be Ready For Week 10 Despite Back Soreness
8 hours ago

Juan Soto Receives Qualifying Offer
Anthony Davis8 hours ago

Available Monday Versus Detroit
8 hours ago

A.J. Brown Considered "Day-To-Day"
Austin Reaves8 hours ago

Suiting Up Monday
8 hours ago

Tyler O'Neill Not Given Qualifying Offer, Headed To Free Agency
Ryan Blaney8 hours ago

Wins At Martinsville And Has Chance To Earn Second Straight Championship
8 hours ago

Bucky Irving Officially Active Against Chiefs
Christopher Bell8 hours ago

Penalized At Martinsville, Removed From Championship Four
D'Angelo Russell8 hours ago

Available Monday
8 hours ago

Nick Pivetta Receives Qualifying Offer
8 hours ago

Colin Rea Heading To Free Agency
8 hours ago

Tigers Decline Casey Mize's 2025 Club Option
8 hours ago

Drake London Considered Day-To-Day
Dean Wade8 hours ago

Won’t Play Against The Bucks
Caris LeVert9 hours ago

Remains Out Versus Milwaukee
Noah Clowney9 hours ago

Won’t Suit Up Versus Memphis
Ben Simmons9 hours ago

Out Against The Grizzlies
Kevin Huerter9 hours ago

Still Out On Monday Night
Jake Allen9 hours ago

Faces Oilers On Monday
Stephen Curry9 hours ago

Back For Monday’s Game
BOS9 hours ago

Tyler Johnson Signs One-Year Deal With Bruins
Giannis Antetokounmpo9 hours ago

Won’t Face The Cavs
Zach Benson9 hours ago

Considered "A Possibility" For Tuesday's Game
Artem Zub9 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Monday
Bryan Rust10 hours ago

Will Join Penguins Road Trip
10 hours ago

Braves Exercise Marcell Ozuna's 2025 Option
Juraj Slafkovsky10 hours ago

Practices On Monday
Macklin Celebrini10 hours ago

Ready To Return On Tuesday
10 hours ago

David Fry To Miss 6-8 Months After Having Elbow Surgery
10 hours ago

Gerrit Cole, Yankees Agree To Stick Together
Samuel Ersson11 hours ago

Misses Monday Practice
Carolina Panthers11 hours ago

Panthers Haven't Decided Starting QB For Week 10
Connor McDavid11 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule In Recovery
12 hours ago

Panthers Optimistic Jonathon Brooks Will Debut In Week 10
Philip Broberg12 hours ago

Will Miss Several Weeks With Lower-Body Injury
12 hours ago

Derek Carr To Start In Week 10 For Saints
Valeri Nichushkin12 hours ago

Will Return When First Eligible
12 hours ago

Texans Non-Committal On Nico Collins For Week 10
12 hours ago

Erick All Jr. Officially Out For The Year With Knee Injury
12 hours ago

Mike Macdonald "Optimistic" DK Metcalf Returns In Week 11
12 hours ago

CeeDee Lamb Tagged As Week-To-Week, Optimism He Can Play In Week 10
Tyler Reddick13 hours ago

Not A Factor At Martinsville And Looks Ahead To Phoenix
Kyle Larson13 hours ago

Misses Advancing Through Playoffs Despite Top-Three Finish
Brad Keselowski13 hours ago

Has A Solid Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
Chase Elliott13 hours ago

Loses Out On Winning At Martinsville
14 hours ago

Nathan Eovaldi Declines His Player Option
14 hours ago

Brewers Decline Option On Devin Williams
14 hours ago

Michael Wacha, Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
14 hours ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Rose Namajunas17 hours ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield17 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus18 hours ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Zach Hyman18 hours ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Marc-Andre Barriault18 hours ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy18 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon19 hours ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles19 hours ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin19 hours ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Dmitry Orlov19 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Capitals
Jeremy Swayman19 hours ago

Collects First Shutout Of The Season
Connor Bedard19 hours ago

Records Three Assists In Sunday's Win
Mike Malott19 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
NASCAR1 day ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen1 day ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
MMA1 day ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius1 day ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi1 day ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen1 day ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ1 day ago

Nathan Bastian To Miss "Several Weeks"
Brayden Point1 day ago

Exits With Injury Sunday
2 days ago

Austin Barnes Returning To Los Angeles
2 days ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
2 days ago

Giants Exercise Club Option On Wilmer Flores
2 days ago

Owen Miller Shipped To Colorado
2 days ago

Merrill Kelly Staying In Arizona
2 days ago

Eloy Jimenez Headed To Free Agency
Daniel Suarez2 days ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith2 days ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano2 days ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar2 days ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric2 days ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman2 days ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield3 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott3 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado4 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz4 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

Video: MUST ADD Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 10! Fantasy Football 2024

Our top 2024 fantasy football Week 10 waiver wire pickups for RB, WR, TE, and QB. This week's must-add fantasy football free agents -- potential waiver wire winners heading into Week 9 for running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and quarterbacks. Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) - every […]


Rachaad White - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 9 MNF? Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Baker Mayfield, Jalen McMillan, Kareem Hunt, Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins, Sterling Shepard, more

Who Should I Start for MNF? Who Should I Sit for MNF? Some of the most common Week 9 fantasy football lineup decisions for Monday Night Football are regarding players like Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Baker Mayfield, Jalen McMillan, Kareem Hunt, Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes, DeAndre Hopkins, Sterling Shepard, more. But not to worry, we […]


Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, WR, Waiver Wire, NFL DFS, Rookies

Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of The Week - Fantasy Outlooks For C.J. Stroud, Tank Bigsby, Marvin Harrison, Brian Thomas, Kyle Pitts, Nick Chubb, more

The ninth Sunday of the 2024 NFL season has come and gone. Hopefully, you woke up on Monday morning feeling very good about how your matchup went. However, this week's slate of games was certainly stress-inducing for many fantasy football managers. Part of that stress was caused by a group of players who drastically underachieved […]


Quentin Johnston - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups (QB, RB, WR, TE): Free Agent Adds Include Justin Herbert, Isaac Guerendo, Quentin Johnston, Demarcus Robinson, Taysom Hill

RotoBaller's Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire pickups article for 2024 will cover everyone you need to know that could help your team find replacements for injured players, fill in for players you want to drop, or even help you win a championship. Every week, new players are breaking out. From bench stashes in the […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Waiver Wire Express - Week 10 Lightning Round Including Quentin Johnston, Xavier Legette, Ray-Ray McCloud III, Ray Davis, Jauan Jennings, Cedric Tillman, Bo Nix

October is in the past and many of you are here with shifted clocks, seeking help at wide receiver. Amidst the usual chaos of Sunday's football, we absorbed several high-profile losses at wideout. We're all doing our best to stay hot in November with our fantasy football waiver wire pickups lightning round heading into Week […]


Tyler Allgeier - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 10 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Quentin Johnston, Jalen Tolbert, Ricky Pearsall, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Mike Gesicki

Week 10 will be here in a few days, and it's time to start bolstering those rosters for the fantasy football playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help build those fantasy rosters with our Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire rankings for 2024. There were more crucial […]


Justin Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Top Week 10 Quarterback Pickups - Best Fantasy QB Adds, Streamers Include Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and more

It was not a banner week for the quarterback position in fantasy football. There wasn’t a single quarterback that surpassed 300 passing yards between Thursday and the main Sunday slate. We did get a five passing touchdown performance (Joe Burrow) and three quarterbacks with three passing touchdowns, but that was it. Four teams have a […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances Including Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Alvin Kamara And More

The running back renaissance is truly upon us in 2024. While rushing touchdowns were down this week, matching the lowest number of the season thus far (23), the top-10 RBs had their best week yet. Week 9 was the first time all season that each athlete to be featured on this list all hit 21 […]


Mike Gesicki - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Unexpected Boom Performances: Fantasy Football Risers Include Mike Gesicki, Quentin Johnston, Ray Davis, Demarcus Robinson, Josh Oliver

Week 9 of the NFL regular season provided fans with some exciting action. The Bills defeated the Dolphins in an AFC East clash thanks to Tyler Bass' game-winning 61-yard FG in the final moments. The Titans and Rams also contributed a pair of overtime victories that enthralled audiences. Many big names showed out for fantasy […]


Ray Davis - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Running Back Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 10: Top Free Agent Adds Include Ray Davis, Jaylen Warren, Tyler Allgeier, Justice Hill

As you read this week’s recommendations from the waiver wire, the planning process for Week 10 roster construction has begun. You have already navigated a collection of obstacles that have emerged through the first nine weeks of the regular season, and should now sustain your efforts to minimize the impact of additional injuries, underwhelming production, […]


AJ Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Top Fantasy Football Injuries From Sunday's Games: Chris Olave, Drake London, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, More

The Week 9 injury report was pretty light compared to the rest of the season. Even still, some big names went down, and they will definitely affect fantasy rosters everywhere. We saw several wide receivers leave games early and had another injury to a starting quarterback. Let’s get into the injury report from yesterday's games […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Buccaneers vs. Chiefs MNF Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, DeAndre Hopkins, Kareem Hunt, Rachaad White, Jalen McMillan, Cade Otton

Week 9 is already here, and setting optimal lineups has never been more crucial as the fantasy football playoffs near. Read our Monday Night Football matchups analysis article for the Buccaneers vs. Chiefs game to help make any fantasy football lineup decisions for both season-long and DFS. This week's MNF contest sees the undefeated Kansas […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Buccaneers vs. Chiefs MNF Showdown (Week 9)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have a matchup between a pair of banged-up teams in this one, as Baker Mayfield and the shorthanded Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) head up to Kansas City to take on the final remaining undefeated team in the league in the Chiefs (7-0). Both teams are missing key offensive pieces, and let's […]