RADIO
The most basic aspects of football are blocking and tackling. Of course, the glory, girls, and in some instances paychecks go to the skill players, but the basis of a good offense in the NFL is the offensive line.
Without a competent offensive line, an entire offense can crumble before your very eyes. Running backs will have zero room to run, quarterbacks no time to make their reads and deliver the ball to the wide receivers, and those receivers no time to run deeper routes and gain separation. If any of those things happen to a player on your fantasy team, then your team could be underperforming throughout the season.
I’ll be digging into offensive line play throughout the season for Rotoballer, but wanted to give some preseason takes on exactly how offensive lines stack up heading into the heart of fantasy draft season. This should not be the end-all-be-all when it comes to evaluating who you select on draft day but could be useful when making those close calls between two players.
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Pre-Season Power Rankings
Elite Units - Tier 1
1) Philadelphia Eagles - It’s hard to improve after a Super Bowl-winning season, but the Eagles will be that much better with All-Pro Jason Peters returning at left tackle. Peters has not graded out lower than 82.1 since 2009 according to Pro Football Focus which is a very high-quality grade. Jason Kelce is possibly the best center in the NFL and his guards Stefan Wisniewski and Brandon Brooks provide a strong interior of the Eagles’ line. Last but not least is right tackle Lane Johnson. Johnson has been a strong performer since coming into the league from Oklahoma. The heir apparent to Peters, whenever he decides to retire, Johnson has the athleticism to play on either side of the line. The Eagles also have capable depth in former first-round pick Chance Warmack and Halapoulivaati Vaitai who filled in for Peters when he was out last season.
2) New Orleans Saints
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
4) Atlanta Falcons
5) Oakland Raiders - This group was considered near the topmost offensive line rankings heading into 2017 after a dominant 2016 season. 2017 proved to be more challenging for the Raiders up front as injuries and ineffective play took their toll. Former left tackle Donald Penn has returned to play right tackle, something that Penn refused to do previously and rookie Kolton Miller steps in to protect Derek Carr’s blindside. Miller may have the most impact of any rookie offensive lineman into how his team performs on the field in 2018. After three spectacular seasons in Baltimore, Kelechi Osemele wasn’t quite his old self in Oakland in 2017, but he should still be a top 10 to 12 guard in the NFL. If both Gabe Jackson and Rodney Hudson can return to their 2016 form, the Raiders line can be one to be reckoned with.
6) Tennessee Titans
Plus Performers - Tier 2
7) Dallas Cowboys
8) Detroit Lions
9) Green Bay Packers
10) Los Angeles Rams
11) Jacksonville Jaguars
12) Indianapolis Colts - The fact that the Colts have the opportunity to be a positive for the Colts instead of a total negative is something truly amazing. The combination of Anthony Costanzo and rookie Quenton Nelson should make for a potentially dominating force that can open holes for any of Marlon Mack, Jordan Wilkins or dare I say Christine Michael. Ryan Kelly only played 394 snaps at center in 2017, but he has the pedigree and skill set to be a cornerstone for years to come. The biggest questions will be on the right side of the offensive line with veteran Matt Slauson currently slated to man the right guard position and former Jet and Raider, Austin Howard, tabbed to take the right tackle slot. Both will be challenged by rookie Braden Smith who should be good depth at least to start 2018. Andrew Luck should remain upright much more often this coming season.
Net Neutral - Tier 3
13) Washington Redskins - At some point, it seemed like Washington was signing players off the street to fill in as a spot starter for stretches of last season. Two of the team’s top linemen, left tackle Trent Williams and right guard Brandon Scherff both missed time last year, and their backups did no favors for the skill players playing behind them. That’s not to say Samaje Perine wasn’t great, but an offensive line that ranked 27th in Football Outsiders Power Success metric certainly didn’t help. A healthy offensive line should bring improvement across the board in Washington for their skill players. If the combination of Scherff, Chase Roullier at center, and Shawn Lauvao at left guard can execute in the middle, Washington should have a running game that is at least in the middle of the road even without rookie Derrius Guice.
14) Los Angeles Chargers
15) Chicago Bears
16) Baltimore Ravens
17) San Francisco 49ers
18) New England Patriots - This is no doubt the lowest or near the lowest any Patriots offensive line has been ranked in the past decade. The loss of Nate Solder to the Giants via free agency will certainly leave an impact, but Trent Brown should fill in admirably on the left side. Brown is a mountain of a man at 6’8” and 380 pounds, so having the agility to keep up with speed rushers may be an issue. The middle of the offensive line should remain intact barring any injuries as Joe Thuney, David Andrew, and Shaq Mason all return. Right tackle Marcus Cannon should be ready for week 1 as he’s been dealing with a muscle strain all of training camp. The depth on the offensive line could prove to be an issue with first-round pick Isaiah Wynn going down for the year with a torn Achilles.
19) Cleveland Browns
20) Denver Broncos - After a promising start to the season in 2017, the Broncos offense fell back and underperformed for the back half of the regular season. In 2018 hope springs eternal as Case Keenum is at least the temporary answer at quarterback instead of the combination of Brock Osweiler and Trevor Siemien. The offensive line should be energized playing behind a competent signal caller for the first time since Peyton Manning wore the Orange and Blue. Garett Bolles looks to build off a decent start to his NFL career and develop into a top left tackle in the league. He needs to cut down on penalties for that to become a reality. The Broncos also picked up Jason Veldheer from the Cardinals to help sure up the right side of the offensive line. Veldheer was a strong contributor for the Raiders in years past, but his 2017 season left much to be desired. The middle three of Ronald Leary at left guard, Matt Paradis at center and Connor McGovern at right guard should be enough for the ground game to get going in 2018.
21) Miami Dolphins
Not Helping the Situation - Tier 4
22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23) Cincinnati Bengals - What was a laughing stock a year ago, the Cincinnati Bengals have at least tried to put some talent in front of Andy Dalton and Co. this season. If Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling can remain healthy and solidify the left side of the offensive line, this offense could have the chance to do some damage. Rookie Billy Price steps in at center, which can be a tall task, but Price should be up to at least be serviceable at the position. The right side of the line might be downright scary, however. The combination of Cedric Ogbuehi, Jake Fisher, and Bobby Hart will have to man the right tackle position, which could spell trouble. None of these players have graded out at or above a 70 according to Pro Football Focus during their careers to date which would be at an above average NFL starter level. Fans shouldn’t expect a massive turnaround in offensive line play unless the stars align just right.
24) New York Jets
25) Minnesota Vikings
26) Arizona Cardinals
27) New York Giants
28) Kansas City Chiefs
Duck and Cover - Tier 5
29) Seattle Seahawks
30) Buffalo Bills
31) Carolina Panthers - A solid group from a year ago will be hurting after the losses of Andrew Norwell in free agency and Darryl Williams to an early season injury. Now left tackle Matt Kalil had his knee scoped, so it remains to be seen if he will be ready for week 1. At center, Ryan Kalil has been a rollercoaster ride of inconsistency throughout his career, charting just as many below average seasons as above average according to Pro Football Focus. He will have to be the glue to hold that line together as injuries are piling up. Not only have the Panthers lost at least two starters from 2017, but backup center Tyler Larsen and backup guard Amini Silatolu are both hurting as well. This group has the potential to be scary bad in front of Cam Newton and company.
32) Houston Texans
If you have any other offensive line questions, please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @TheRealHalupka
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