RADIO
Week 4 had some great games, and it was nice to see that some of the comments I'd made on offensive line play seemed to take effect. I just hope you read my article and took action on it! The Detroit Lions were my offensive line to watch last week, with Kerryon Johnson being the player to benefit most. Luckily for me, that came true with the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he ran for 125 yards. Johnson looked great in the game, and as the lead running back for the Lions behind that line should have fantasy relevance all season.
Equally, the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff really struggled at the start of the against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers. The running game was effectively absent for the whole game, although Todd Gurley did score two rushing touchdowns he was limited in rushing yards and opportunity. The Rams did get their offense moving in the end, but the offensive line still has work to do.
Good offensive line play gives a team the best chance to be effective. However, a lot of fantasy owners completely overlook its importance to identify if it is a player that's struggling, or if he's being handicapped by the protection ahead of him and actually performing as well as they can. Using PFF's player grading tool, each week I will identify an offensive line that has been trending up, and one trending down and more importantly, how that will affect your fantasy roster over the next few weeks. 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!
Offensive Line to Watch - Indianapolis Colts
Last season the Colts were looking like a perennial contender for the AFC title. Then Andrew Luck shockingly announced his retirement. Fans and analysts alike downgraded all of the offensive fantasy pieces, but their offensive line remained intact. This week, after their matchup against the Oakland Raiders, the team broke into the top-five O-line rankings. So I thought I'd delve into their offensive line to mark that milestone.
Pass Blocking
The Colts are not the best in the league in pass blocking. In fact, they are just in the lower half of the league (ranking 17th). Ryan Kelly in the middle of the line is around average in the league where the line is effective is elite is the tackle position. The Colts have two great tackles, with Anthony Castonzo ranking third in the league and Braden Smith ranking 20th. The Colts also have a good left interior of their line, with Quenton Nelson ranking fifth in the league at the position. Their difficulty is Mark Glowinski who is 50th at guard in pass blocking.
The struggles of Glowinski are highlighted in the inconsistency of Jacoby Brissett's performances this season. The team may have been set up for Luck to lead them, but now the team has committed to Brissett, it's important that they continue to keep their quarterback upright.
Run Blocking
The offensive line isn't the most effective pass-blocking unit, but it makes up for that in its effectiveness in run blocking. The Colts are an elite unit in that regard, with Mark Glowinski ranking in the top 25 at the guard position.
The Colts are currently 2-2, but the important factor is that they have been competitive in all of the games they have played. The ability to protect their running back has been a key part of that success; the Colts have rushed the ball 114 times so far this season (ranking them eighth in the league). The Colts clearly rely upon the run as part of their offense, and their offensive line is a great weapon to aid them.
Fantasy Impact
Trust: Marlon Mack
Marlon Mack is the lead running back for the team. Yes, he's struggled in two of the games he played this season, but both the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders have given up an average of 16 points to the position- making them some of the more effective units against the position. In fact, during the matchup against the Raiders, Mack wasn't even able to finish the game after suffering an ankle injury. The team opted to hold him on the sideline, especially since they were in pass-first mode anyway. With the protection that Mack is given by his offensive line unit, there is no reason why he can't match the 125 yards that Kerryon Johson achieved in his matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cause for Concern: T.Y. Hilton
Typically, Hilton has been a downfield threat for the Colts, so he has needed time to get downfield. This season, with the offensive line struggling and Luck retiring in the offseason, that has forced a change in Hilton's usage. Hilton has now scored four touchdowns in three games, after missing last week's game through injury. If you can sell him high, the time is now. Hilton has never scored more than seven touchdowns since he entered the league in 2012. Outside of those touchdowns, Hilton's yards aren't enough to keep him in your lineup. So, act fast and get some trades in the works before they dry up and his fantasy value nosedives.
Offensive Line to Avoid - Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are struggling this season to get anything going. The Bengals finally made a coaching change after years of disappointment in their recent history, but are yet to see any tangible improvement at all. At the moment, the team is winless and looks to be battling it out for the first pick in the draft. The team is trying to instill a new offense but seems to be struggling with it. A major contributing factor for their struggles is the ability of their offensive line.
Pass Blocking
Andy Dalton is constantly under threat from opposing defenses and has been sacked 19 times already this season. That mark has only been beaten by rookie Kyler Murray, and the struggles of the Arizona Cardinals line have been widely known for some time. The only player who seems to have any level of effectiveness is center Trey Hopkins (ranked eighth at the position). Outside of that, they don't have any player inside the top 50.
The team is yearning for some consistency on offense. The offense is missing their elite receiver A.J. Green due to injury, but he might struggle to make an impact if Dalton is on his back or fighting for space to make a pass.
Run Blocking
The Bengals' ability to make blocks on running plays is limited, but it is at least better than their pass blocking. The main issue is that the defense is struggling so much, they are forced to pass the ball early in matches. Again, their center, Trey Hopkins, is the only player that has shown above-average ability this season.
The Bengals offensive line was not an effective unit last season and did try to make amends in the offseason. However, first-round selection Jonah Williams has been unable to take to the field after suffering a shoulder injury requiring surgery, and stalwart Cordy Glenn is yet to clear the league-mandated concussion protocol.
Until the line sees some new blood, it's likely the team will continue to suffer.
Fantasy Impact
Trust: No one
I tried to think of a player that would truly benefit from the lack of protection, and I struggled to think of one. A team that is unable to protect their quarterback limits the opportunity for effective passing plays and the team can't keep it close enough to rush the ball effectively either. If I could get a decent offer for any Bengals player, I'd take it.
Cause for Concern: Andy Dalton/ Joe Mixon/ Tyler Boyd
Really the list should be any player that is likely to be on a fantasy roster. This roster looks like it can't compete in the league. They may have nearly toppled the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, but since then they have scored a total of 37 points to their opponents' 89. The Bengals haven't found a formula to stop offenses, and can't score points to keep up.
Top Five Offensive Lines
1) Philadelphia Eagles
2) Baltimore Ravens
3) Dallas Cowboys
4) Indianapolis Colts
5) Detroit Lions
Bottom Five Offensive Lines
32) Los Angeles Rams
31) Miami Dolphins
30) Cincinnati Bengals
29) Jacksonville Jaguars
28) New York Jets
