RADIO
The 2023 season is coming to a close with many leagues holding their championship in Week 17. If you’re in the championship, that means you need to pull out all of the stops to end the season with a victory.
There were some really bad performances from offensive lines in Week 16 and several other injuries. The most impactful injury could be with the San Francisco 49ers, who not only suffered an embarrassing loss to the Baltimore Ravens but also lost Trent Williams to a groin injury.
Check out the best and worst offensive line matchups in Week 17 below to identify the players to target and avoid bringing home the championship in Week 17.
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Champ of the Week
Detroit Lions
Another week, another dominant showing in the trenches for the Detroit Lions. The Lions are healthy and imposing their will on opposing defensive lines, creating time in the pocket for Jared Goff and opening up big rushing lanes for their tandem backfield.
The Lions' five offensive linemen averaged a 78.6 pass-blocking grade, a 76.3 run-blocking grade, and a 79.9 overall grade against the Minnesota Vikings. The unit collectively surrendered just five pressures against the Vikings. There were plenty of strong performances, but right guard Graham Glasgow deserves a special shoutout after finishing the game with a 93.2 overall grade.
Week 16 presented a mismatch for the Lions, but they will face an excellent test for the playoffs against the Cowboys vaunted defensive line in Week 17.
Chump of the Week
Cincinnati Bengals
There were plenty of teams in the running for the worst offensive line performance in Week 16. In the end, the team that stood out as the worst offensive line was none other than the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati’s offensive line all finished with average pass blocking, run blocking, and overall grades under 51.0 in a tough divisional matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh was able to exploit and expose the Bengals’ tackle tandem. The combination of Orlando Brown Jr. and Jonah Williams combined to surrender one sack and nine pressures. Williams especially struggled, finishing with a 44.2 PFF grade.
They are still in the playoff picture despite the injuries to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but if the offensive line continues to struggle then they won’t have much of a chance to earn a wild-card game this season.
Week 17 Matchups to Target
Philadelphia Eagles vs Arizona Cardinals
The Philadelphia Eagles offense has been struggling recently, but the team is still getting strong play across the offensive line. Philadelphia was missing left guard Landon Dickerson against the New York Giants in Week 16, but still allowed just three pressures against the New York Giants.
The Eagles will have another soft matchup in Week 17 against a Cardinals defense that is just waiting to get to the offseason. Arizona features just one player (Dennis Gardeck) with more than 30 pressures this season. The team does have five different players with at least four sacks, but nobody has more than six.
Fantasy managers will be starting Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith regardless of their matchup, but should be taking upside shots at other players as well. D’Andre Swift should have big running lanes against a fantasy defense allowing 24.2 fantasy points to running backs. Kenneth Gainwell has also been getting more runs in the backfield and could be a viable FLEX option in a pinch.
Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants
The Rams' offensive line has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, thriving despite using several players with little to no NFL experience coming into the season. Their strong play has allowed the offense to function in both the run and pass game this season.
The Rams come into Week 17 with PFF’s top-ranked average pass-blocking offensive line (69.2 grade) and ninth-ranked run-blocking offensive line (62.9 grade). The Giants feature two strong defenders in Dexter Lawrence (60 pressures and six sacks) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (40 pressures and 13 sacks), but little else to generate pressure.
Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua should all have a chance to thrive against a Giants defense surrendering 24.3 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. Kyren Williams also has a fantastic matchup against a defensive line that gives up 19.5 points per game to fantasy running backs.
Week 17 Matchups to Avoid
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
The Cardinals' offense continues to struggle after another slow offensive game against the Chicago Bears. Chicago hasn’t gotten much from their defensive line this season, but they still found a way to generate a sack and 11 pressures in their win against Arizona.
Unfortunately for Arizona, they will have a much harder matchup in Week 17 when they travel to Philadelphia. The Eagles feature one of the deepest defensive line rotations in the NFL thanks to four different defensive linemen with at least 40 pressures. They also have four different players with at least six sacks on the season.
It’ll be tough to trust Kyler Murray and James Conner in their matchups this week, but fantasy managers should be able to plug in Trey McBride. Murray will need to get the ball out fast and the second-year tight end could rack up targets in a hurry against a bad secondary.
Seattle Seahawks vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle’s offensive line has struggled to gel this season thanks to a series of injuries that have cost them several games from young tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas and guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes. The group is largely healthy but is facing an uphill battle to earn their way into the playoffs.
This group will be tested against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. Pittsburgh features two of the best edge rushers in the NFL T.J. Watt (76 pressures and 18 sacks) and Alex Highsmith (58 pressures and seven sacks). The team is also performing well against the run.
It will be tough to trust Geno Smith against the Steelers pass rush since the Steelers are surrendering just 14.5 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Unfortunately, the boom upside of D.K. Metcalf, Kenneth Walker, and Tyler Lockett is too enticing to ignore, but they could have lesser performances in a difficult matchup.
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