RADIO
Week 8 is the mid-point of the fantasy season, where owners are either turning one eye to the playoffs or looking over their shoulder as they hope to avoid finishing last in their league. More importantly to our article today, we now have strong evidence of the ability of the offensive lines and the impact they are having on the effectiveness of their offenses. However, a lot of fantasy owners completely overlook the importance of identifying the reasons behind a player's struggles. Is he being handicapped by the protection ahead of him and actually performing as well as they can given the situation, or are they struggling despite effective play from their offensive line?
Using PFF's player grading tool, each week I will identify an offensive line that has been trending up, and one trending down. More importantly, I will analyze how those trends might be affecting, or might be about to affect your fantasy roster over the next few weeks.
Please Note: When determining individual player ranks I will only be looking at players that have played over 300 snaps, as well as those on IR. 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!
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Offensive Line to Watch - Green Bay Packers
Pass Blocking
The Packers offense in recent weeks has unleashed their quarterback on the league, after previously relying on the running game to lead their attack. A major part of that has been the effectiveness of their offensive line to allow Aaron Rodgers to make the right read and find the right pass in the pocket.
That protection starts from the outside with both Bryan Bulaga (20) and David Bakhtiari (4) in the top-20 overall for tackles. Center Corey Linsley has also been great in pass blocking this season, ranking in 8th at the position.
Those three positions are the keys to having an effective offensive line. It allows the guards to focus fully on their own individual assignments, rather than have to help their teammates on theirs. That chemistry and understanding are both factors that allow the line to have become a real advantage for the Packers, giving Rodgers time in the pocket
However, even with that strength, the Packers guards are hovering (at best) at an average level in the league. Left guard Elgton Jenkins ranks 17th in the league since taking over for Lane Taylor, who is now on injured reserve. The issue for the team is the protection that Billy Turner at right guard is able to offer. Turner is one of the worst guards in the league, ranking 52nd at the position.
Despite the play of their guard, the effectiveness of the other three positions has the Packers in the top-10 pass-blocking units in the league.
Run Blocking
Run blocking is a slightly different story, as the unit ranks slightly lower across the board.
Once again, right tackle Bulaga (6) ranks one of the best tackles in the league. However, in this facet of the game Baktiari (25) falls outside of the top-20 at the position. Despite both of the tackles featuring lower in the run-blocking rankings than they are when it comes to pass blocking, they are still one of the better duos in the league, giving the unit foundations for effective results. Center Linsley also takes a dip here, as he ranks slightly below average, which should, in theory, put more pressure on the guards to improve their play.
However, the results from the guards when it comes to run-blocking is a big step up on their pass-blocking numbers. This is mainly down to Turner being far more effective as a run-blocker. Turner actually just edges his teammate, ranking 14th in the league, with Jenkins ranking 15th. Getting this effective guard play really is the icing on the cake in making a top unit in the league, and also helps make up for the slightly lower results coming from the other three positions
The Packers' success at the start of the season was predicated on getting the running game going, something that the Packers were unable to do at times last season. The improved blocking has allowed the Packers to be able to rush the ball often and effectively, which has been great for the fantasy value of Aaron Jones and in spurts, Jamaal Williams.
Fantasy Impact
Trust: Aaron Jones & Davante Adams
Honestly, it was tough to choose just a couple of players. There are a number of options that I could have chosen here. The running back duo of Jones and Jamaal Williams benefits from the offensive line blocking defenders and creating gaps for them to run through to get to the next level of the defense. Both of these runners have proven in recent weeks that if they can get the opportunities to make plays in space then they can produce devastating results.
The ability of the offensive line in pass blocking allows the route runners to focus on creating separation, and not feel rushed to force a window for a catch. That has been shown by the deep threat of Marquez Valdes-Scantling in several games this season, but also the ability of players on short and medium routes to be effective. For example, backup receivers Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow have both been productive in the offense since filling in for Adams. If those players can find success right now then Adams just be good bet to have success once he returns from injury.
Cause for Concern: Jimmy Graham
Graham has struggled for consistency in the offense this season. Too often he has been following up a big game with a disappearance in the next. That is due to his inability to be the dynamic route-runner he was earlier in his career, but also the ability of the offensive line to allow Rodgers to not need to rush to pass the ball. That time that Rodgers has meant that he is able to allow plays to develop, whch means he does not need the safety valve of Graham quite so much. When he is forced to dump the ball off under pressure the pass-catching ability of his running backs soaks up many of the available targets. This has left Graham playing the role of almost a deep shot type of receiver, which makes consistency tough to come by.
Offensive Line to Avoid - Cleveland Browns
I've already written a little bit about the struggles that the Browns have had this season and the offense simply hasn't pushed on since. When I looked at how the offensive line was performing it made total sense that this offense was struggling to make any significant impact on the better defenses they have faced.
Pass Blocking
The Browns were rumored to be looking to bring in Washington Redskins tackle Trent Williams. However, looking at the chart below it was not unlikely to be simply as a replacement for Greg Robinson, and more likely to allow them to shore up the right side of their line.
The biggest issue for this team is their right tackle, Justin McCray. McCray is one of the worst starting tackles in the league when it comes to pass blocking. As you start to move inside from McCray you can start to see more issues on that side of the line. Right Guard Eric Kush is again a below-average player for the Browns, which is unsurprising, given he has bounced around several teams in the league. His struggles are unlikely to sit squarely at the door of McCray, but having to aid in setting the edge for the team as well as trying to make his own blocks would make it a tough job for the best of guards, let alone a journeyman.
Typically if one side of the line is really struggling, then the other side would need to slide over in an attempt to help make the line effective as a unit. However, having J.C. Tretter at the center position allows the two halves of the line to operate independently. Tretter is the best center in the league when it comes to pass blocking, meaning that he is essentially able to prevent the struggles of the line spreading further across the field. That allows the left side of the line to focus on their required protections, and allow some space for the quarterback to that side. Unfortunately, Baker Mayfield has tended to drift towards the right side of the pocket so far in his young career.
Joel Bitonio's ability in pass protection is a show of that split of the line. Bitonio ranks 12th in the league at the guard position, as he is able to rely on Tetter to do his job effectively, and is therefore able to focus solely on the task at hand. That protection, in turn, allows Greg Robinson to set the edge on the left. Robinson struggled when he previously played for the Los Angeles Rams (then in St. Louis) but actually ranks at 29th in the league for the Browns. While he isn't perfect or the long term solution for the team, he certainly isn't the biggest problem this team has on its offensive line.
Run Blocking
The Browns are a much more effective run-blocking offensive line and actually rank just inside the top-10 in the league when it comes to run blocking.
The line is more effective because they have two tackles in place that allow them to set the edge on run plays. It really cannot be understated how important that is in stopping the opposition defenders cutting a run play dead early with outside penetration. McCray hasn't played enough snaps on running plays to be properly ranked but would be ranked 13th given his current grading. Robinson himself ranks just outside of the top-20 at the position when it comes to run blocking. Once again Tretter is ranked in the top-10 at his position, with those three spots giving the foundations of a solid offensive line.
The guard play is once again led by Bitonio who ranks fifth in the league, with Kush proving the be the only real glaring weakness, as he currently ranks 58th in the league. The struggles of Kush are offset by the effectiveness of the center and right tackle, allowing the team to be effective running the ball.
Fantasy Impact
Trust: Nick Chubb & Jarvis Landry
Chubb's inclusion was simple, the Browns have a top-10 run-blocking unit and a dynamic tackle-breaking running back. Those two things tend to result in fantasy production, and while there some fantasy owners that will be concerned with the imminent return of Kareem Hunt, Chubb will likely still be an effective running back for the rest of the season.
Landry's inclusion is due to the inability of the offensive line to protect their quarterback. Normally, the outlet would be the team's tight end but with David Njoku on IR the Browns have been using somewhat of a committee approach at the tight end position. Therefore, Landry operating out of the slot has been Mayfield's go-to target. While it isn't likely to allow Landry to have any big games for fantasy owners, it does allow a solid floor with the target share he is able to attract.
Cause for Concern: Odell Beckham Jr.
The trade for Beckham at this point in the season doesn't look like it has benefitted the Browns at all. They lost an important part of their offensive line, and are therefore unable to give Baker Mayfield the time he needs to allow plays to develop. That hurts the fantasy value of Beckham, who typically has been an effective medium to deep route runner. If the Browns' pocket collapses on one side and therefore forces Mayfield to break out of the pocket, that lessens the opportunity and reduces the time available for Beckham to be able to get separation downfield. That means that either Beckham doesn't get that target opportunity, or he is forced to curl back, limiting his ability to make big plays and score long touchdowns.
Top Five Offensive Lines
1) Dallas Cowboys
2) Philadelphia Eagles
3) Indianapolis Colts
4) New Orleans Saints
5) Baltimore Ravens
Bottom Five Offensive Lines
32) Miami Dolphins
31) Los Angeles Rams
30) Los Angeles Chargers
29) Jacksonville Jaguars
28) Cincinnati Bengals
