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

Great Running Back-Offensive Line Pairs to Target

J.K. Dobbins - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, Draft Sleepers

Antonio Losada finds running backs working behind the best O-lines in the NFL. Offensive lines can have a huge impact on rushing performance, so try to target these players on fantasy football draft day.

Sometimes fantasy GMs focus too much on raw, counting stats for running backs. How many yards did they rush for? How many touchdowns did they score? Perhaps, taking it one step further, they end up looking at some "manufactured" numbers such as yards per carry, yards after contact, etc... But there is something more that correlates to running back performance that is often overlooked: the strength of the offensive line they play under.

It is definitely hard to assess how much impact any OL has on running back performance on a play-by-play basis, but at the end of the year, it's easy to look at season-long data and make a strong correlation between the strength of offensive lines and the production that comes from the backfield. While quarterbacks and wide receivers are also affected by how good the OL that protects them or gives them time to work their routes is, the biggest impact any good or bad OL causes is on running backs.

Today, I will hand you a few top-tier OLs (per Lineups.com ranks) and the rushers that will benefit from playing under them. Let's get to it!

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

 

Baltimore Ravens (No. 5 OL)

J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Mike Davis

Whatever the hell happened to the Ravens before the start of last season was a very shady and obscure thing. All first-tier members of their backfield got molly-vanished from the depth chart because of injuries and none of Dobbins and Edwards could even appear in a single Baltimore snap. That sucked. But that's also now fixed (or should) with both players expected to feature healthy in 2022 and the kinda-good addition of Mike Davis to back them up in the event of another rush (no pun intended) of injuries.

The most interesting thing about the comeback of Dobbins and Edwards is not only that they have always looked promising (they have) but also that the Ravens have gone from having a meh-OL (21st-best) in 2021 to a massively upgraded unit in 2022 with a top-five OL entering next season. Uh oh, the improvement--which, by the way, is the largest (+16) among all NFL franchises from last season to the next.

The Ravens snatched the best center in the last draft (Tyler Linderbaum) and will have Kevin Zeitler playing for the second year as a Raven, which is no joke either. Everything looks to be in place and very well set up going forward, and if the OL boost wasn't reason enough to chase this backfield, well, then maybe a certain scrambling QB doing it in Baltimore these days and taking the eyes of the D off his backfield mates might do it for you? It certainly will for me.

 

Green Bay Packers (No. 9 OL)

Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill

The Packers backfield looks phenomenal out of context, but things get even better when looked at from the widest possible angle. Green Bay (somehow) found a way to improve on the trenches going from having the 14th-best OL to the ninth-best entering next season and thus a legit top-10 unit in front of QB Aaron Rodgers and the members of the backfield.

On top of that, Green Bay is coming off an offseason in which the Pack lost WR1 Davante Adams and WR3 Marquez Valdes-Scantling, re-inked reigning MVP and QB Aaron Rodgers, and did pretty much... nothing (?) to fix their offensive woes when it comes to pass-catchers. Only Sammy Watkins and rookie Christian Watson were added to the receiving corps while Robert Tonyan keeps recovering from a season-ending injury sustained last season.

The backfield has stayed put and that's probably the best thing Green Bay could hope for, even more considering how things went at other positions. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are a ridiculously productive pair while keeping things uncannily balanced on the field. While Jamaal Williams was the Robin to Jones' Batman until he left for Detroit, Dillon became the bonafide RB2 of the Pack last season and I don't think Green Bay regrets handing him a heavy role at all. Dillon rushed the ball 187 times to Jones' 171 (albeit on two more games played) and also got 37 targets catching 34 (!) of them; all in all, it was an RB23 season for Dillon averaging 10.9 FPPG in PPR leagues to go with Jones' RB12 finish at 15.3 FPPG.

 

Miami Dolphins (No. 17 OL)

Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Sony Michel

Looking at the Dolphins' depth chart entering the 2022 season and comparing it to the one featured in 2021 is a true out-of-mind experience. They have changed pretty much everything about it with the exception of their quarterback and even though it doesn't show in fantasy-league DCs, that also means they've bolstered the offensive line. Miami, in fact, has the second-highest bump-up in the OL ranks as they've got a 15-position bump going from absolute worst (32nd) to a middle-of-the-pack 17th position. Not bad.

That's mostly because of the additions of Terron Armstead and Connor Williams while not truly losing legit performers (perhaps other than Jesse Davis). The OL might or might have not impacted the rushing numbers of the Fins last season, but it definitely didn't help at all. Only Myles Gaskin got more than 330 yards rushing the ball on the ground, and Tua himself could only get 128 yards on 42 carries.

The Dolphins are going to boast a rather improved line while having a fully healthy Tua (at least when Week 1 kicks off) along with an entirely revamped backfield now featuring former Cardinal Chase Edmonds, injury-returnee Raheem Mostert, and Super Bowl champ Sony Michel. When you bring three guys to your team while retaining your last RB1, and the latter goes all the way down to the RB4 slot in the pecking order, you know you have improved. Pair that with the bolstered OL and you have a very nice backfield to chase (though keep in mind that all of those three might eat from each other's opportunities, lowering the individual production they put up).



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

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

Tetairoa McMillan

Signed By Panthers
Kris Bubic

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Bobby Witt Jr.

Posts Four-Hit Game
Jayden Higgins

Inks Rookie Deal
Ashton Jeanty

Secures Rookie Deal With Las Vegas
Colston Loveland

Chicago Signs First-Round Pick Colston Loveland
Stephen Curry

Unsure When He Can Return From Injury
De'Andre Hunter

Iffy For Friday
Evan Mobley

May Miss Another Game
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 3
Adin Hill

Looks To Return To Winning Ways Thursday
Johnathan Kovacevic

Won't Be Ready For Training Camp Following Surgery
Anthony Stolarz

Not Traveling With Maple Leafs For Game 3
Logan Stanley

Could Return To Action Friday
Josh Morrissey

Will Be A Game-Time Decision Friday
Alex Pietrangelo

A Game-Time Decision Thursday
Pavel Dorofeyev

Won't Play In Game 2
Hunter Greene

Diagnosed With Grade 1 Groin Strain
Victor Dimukeje

Dealing With Torn Pec
Quinn Ewers

Inks Rookie Deal With Dolphins
Nic Scourton

Panthers Expect Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen To Make Immediate Impact
Dax Milne

Dax Milne Let Go By Panthers
Cade Horton

Joining MLB Roster This Weekend
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Fire Derek Shelton
Tay Martin

Kyron Johnson Waived By Titans
Joe Bachie

Colts Sign Joe Bachie
Jonathon Brooks

Placed On PUP List, Out For 2025
Jadeveon Clowney

Panthers Release Jadeveon Clowney
Jordan Matthews

Panthers Release Jordan Matthews
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Held In Check Wednesday
Chet Holmgren

Logs Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads Thunder To Blowout Win
Derrick White

Close To Another Double-Double In Game 2
Jaylen Brown

Struggles In Second Half Wednesday Night
Josh Hart

Leads All Scorers With 23 Points In Game 2 Against Celtics
Mikal Bridges

Makes Late Impact Again
Eetu Luostarinen

Stretches Point Streak To Four Games
Morgan Rielly

Registers Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Max Pacioretty

Extends Multi-Point Streak To Three Games
Travis Etienne Jr.

Jaguars Not Very High On Travis Etienne Jr.
Bhayshul Tuten

Could Make Impact In First Season
Mitchell Marner

Hits Game-Winner Wednesday Night
Arian Smith

Jets Expected To Use Arian Smith Early
Mark Scheifele

Returns With A Goal Wednesday
Jalen Ramsey

Rams Involved In Jalen Ramsey Trade Talks
Jake Oettinger

Collects Victory With 29 Saves
James Cook

Bills GM Expects James Cook To Be Ready
Mikko Rantanen

Nets Another Hat Trick Wednesday
Max Fried

Keeps Rolling With Seven Strong Innings On Wednesday
Framber Valdez

Shuts Down Brewers On Wednesday
Sonny Gray

Tosses Gem Against Pirates
Joe Ryan

Scratched From Thursday's Start With Illness
TJ Friedl

Blasts Two Home Runs
Wilyer Abreu

Launches Two Home Runs
Cam Skattebo

Giants Plan To Use Cam Skattebo As Rusher And Receiver
Dylan Cease

Dealing With Forearm Cramp
Karl-Anthony Towns

Turns It Around In Game 2
Jalen Brunson

Leads The Knicks To Another Win
Kristaps Porzingis

Logs Only 14 Minutes In Game 2
Jayson Tatum

Has Another Rough Shooting Night
Pat Bryant

Broncos Sign Rookie Third-Rounder Pat Bryant
Dylan Cease

Makes Early Exit On Wednesday
J.J. McCarthy

Kevin O'Connell Non-Committal On Potential Competition For J.J. McCarthy
J.T. Realmuto

Exits Early On Wednesday With Foot Injury
Juan Soto

Smacks Two Homers
Hunter Greene

Leaves Wednesday's Outing With Groin Injury
Kris Bryant

To Have Surgery On His Back
Rob Dillingham

Remains Out For Game 2 Against Warriors
Al Horford

Starts Game 2 Against Knicks
Giancarlo Stanton

Could Return In Late May
Sam Hauser

Out For Game 2 Against Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis

Available Wednesday
Stephen Curry

Ruled Out For At Least One Week
Mark Jankowski

To Be A Game-Time Call Thursday
Connor Hellebuyck

Puts Home Win Streak To Test Wednesday
William Contreras

Expected To Return On Friday
Miro Heiskanen

Continues To Sit Wednesday
Anthony Stolarz

Won't Play In Game 2
Mackie Samoskevich

Rejoins Panthers Lineup Wednesday
Aaron Ekblad

Set To Return Wednesday
Clayton Kershaw

Might Need Just One More Rehab Start
Teoscar Hernández

Dodgers Hopeful Teoscar Hernandez Will Return In Two Weeks
Will Zalatoris

Looking To Find Consistency Heading Into Philadelphia
Justin Rose

In Solid Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Russell Henley

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At Truist Championship
Brian Harman

In Great Form Heading Into Philadelphia
Corey Conners

Red-Hot Heading Into Truist Championship
Daniel Berger

In Great Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Sahith Theegala

Struggles Continue Ahead Of Truist Championship
Xander Schauffele

Eyeing Strong Finish At Truist Championship
Jaccob Slavin

Extends Point Streak With Overtime Winner
Collin Morikawa

Poised To Rebound At The Truist Championship
Tony Finau

Trying To Find Form In Philadelphia
Justin Thomas

Looking To Keep Winning Ways Going Art Truist Championship
Maverick McNealy

In Great Form Ahead Of Truist Championship
Michael Kim

Looking To Recapture Elite Form In Philadelphia
Rory McIlroy

The Headlining Favorite At Truist Championship
Ty Jerome

Struggles As Starter Tuesday
Tommy Fleetwood

Eyeing First Victory At Truist Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Looking To Stay Hot In Philadelphia
Andrew Novak

Looking To Keep Hot Stretch Of Play Going In Philadelphia
Shane Lowry

Still Having An Amazing Season Ahead Of Truist Championship
Stephan Jaeger

Trying For Top-10 Result In Philadelphia
Aaron Rai

Heads To Philadelphia Playing Well
Lucas Glover

Hot And Cold Heading To Truist Championship
Deiveson Figueiredo

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Cory Sandhagen

Gets Back In The Win Column
Reinier de Ridder

Extends His Win Streak To Four
Bo Nickal

Suffers His First Loss At UFC Des Moines
Santiago Ponzinibbio

Suffers TKO Loss At UFC Des Moines
Daniel Rodriguez

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Daniel Marcos

Undefeated No More
Montel Jackson

Extends His Win Streak
Serhiy Sidey

Gets Decision Win At UFC Des Moines
Jeremy Stephens

Unsuccessful In His UFC Return
Mason Jones

Wins Decision At UFC Des Moines
Joey Logano

Steals The Victory At Texas On Sunday
Kyle Larson

Strong Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish At Texas
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

. Quietly Obtains A New Career-Best Finish At Texas
Josh Berry

Spins His Way To A Poor Result At Texas
Ross Chastain

Picks Up Second-Place Finish
Carson Hocevar

Bad Pit Strategy And Late-Race Crash Spoil Carson Hocevar's Top-10 Run
Erik Jones

Improbably Finishes Fifth Despite Speeding Penalty
Michael McDowell

Despite Crashing Out At Texas, Michael McDowell Surprisingly Fights For The Win
John Hunter Nemechek

Brilliant Pit Strategy Lifts John Hunter Nemechek To Eighth Place
Ryan Blaney

Frustrated After Fumbling Away Potential Win At Texas
Brad Keselowski

Woeful Season Continues With Wreck At Texas
Kyle Larson

Has One Of The Best Cars In The Field At Texas
William Byron

Will Be Tough To Beat At Texas
Chase Elliott

A Slam-Dunk DFS Pick At Texas
Austin Cindric

Could Austin Cindric Legitimately Contend At Texas This Weekend?
Ryan Blaney

Is Worth Rostering For Texas DFS Lineups On Sunday
Joey Logano

Struggling To Find Speed At Texas
Tyler Reddick

Should Be Highly Considered For DFS At Texas This Week
Daniel Suarez

Has Been One Of The Best At Texas In Next Gen Car
Denny Hamlin

Might Have Another Quality Texas Start This Week
AJ Allmendinger

Has Shown Speed At Texas This Weekend
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF