Welcome to Week 15, better known as the start of fantasy playoffs. Now is the time to consume the information that will get you to the next round. How are you doing?
Check out this offensive line versus defensive line and the slot versus wide to see exactly where your advantages are. Your studs are your ones, but with the way this season has gone/is going, you might need a serviceable replacement to get you to the next round.
Thanks to Pro Football Focus for the offensive line rankings. Thanks to playerprofiler.com and teamrankings.com for their stats. And particularly hearty thanks to Razzball.com for their stats and players’ analysis.
Offensive v Defensive Lines Week 15
- Philadelphia Eagles v Chicago Bears
No surprise here. The Eagles have been a constant in this position. There is no weak link on this offensive line. Now they get the Chicago Bears’ defensive line with the least effective pass rush in the NFL. The Bears generate pressure on only 20% of the defensive snaps. The defensive line is allowing 4.7 yards per rush.
Jalen Hurts averaging 8.1 yards per attempt. Miles Sanders is averaging 5.2 yards per attempt.
- Green Bay Packers v Los Angeles Rams
The Packers’ offensive line has allowed the third-lowest pressure rate in the NFL. Left Tackle rookie Zach Tom has allowed five total pressures on 168 pass-blocking. The Rams’ Leonard Floyd has had 16 pressures in the last three weeks. He will primarily face Right Tackle Yosh Nijman.
Left Tackle David Bakhtiari is unlikely to play this week.
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Houston Texans
The Chiefs’ offensive line did not allow pressure on 44 pass-blocking plays. The Texans’ defensive line has edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo who has seven pressures in his last two games.
- Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns
The Ravens’ offensive line ranks seventh in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency. They have allowed 90 pressures out of 440 pass-blocking snaps.
Cleveland’s Jadeveon Clowney had his best game since Week 2 last week with six pressures.
Per ESPN, Tyler Huntley has cleared the concussion protocol.
- New England Patriots @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders’ Maxx Crosby has 59 pressures, which is the third-best in the league.
Patriots’ quarterback Mac Jones is 30th in completion percentage when pressured (34.3%) and seventh in completion percentage when throwing from a clean pocket (72.6%).
- Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
The Falcons’ offensive line has allowed only 78 pressures all season, the second-best in the league.
The Falcons are the most run-heavy team in the league. The Falcons call a run play on 52.5% of their offensive snaps.
The Saints’ rushing defense is 19th in the league, allowing an average of 125.0 rushing yards per game.
The Falcons will start rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder, his first NFL start.
- Cleveland Browns v Baltimore Ravens
The Cincinnati Bengals wrecked the Browns’ offensive line last week. The Browns’ offensive line finished with six penalties and dropped to sixth in PFF’s run-blocking grade.
The Ravens’ defensive line allows only 3.8 yards per carry, the third-best in the league.
- San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Thursday Night Prime Time Game
- Detroit Lions @ New York Jets
The Lions rank seventh in yards before contact per carry (1.7). D’Andre Swift averages 5.4 yards per carry and 37.5 rushing yards a game. Jamaal Williams averages 4.0 yards per attempt and 62.0 rushing yards a game.
The Jets’ defense is 13th in rushing yards per game allowed (111.8). But they rank in the top five in pressure rate (37.9%) even though they blitz at the second-lowest rate (16.2%).
- Chicago Bears v Philadelphia Eagles
This offensive line started the season ranked 31st. The offensive line now ranks seventh in run-blocking grade.
The Eagles’ defensive line generates pressure across the defensive front. They have five different linemen with at least 28 pressures.
- Carolina Panthers v Pittsburgh Steelers
The Panthers’ offensive line has allowed the fewest total pressures (71).
Steelers’ TJ Watt has had only one high-quality PFF game grade since returning from his injury.
Week 14 D’Onta Foreman was on the field for 47% of the offensive snaps, Chuba Hubbard was on the field for 32% of the offensive snap counts, and Raheem Blackshear was for 19% of the offensive snaps. Foreman led with 21 carries, Hubbard had 14, and Blackshear had four.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Cincinnati Bengals
Last week Left Tackle Donovan Smith allowed four pressures and had two penalties.
The Buccaneers’ offensive line ranks second in pass-blocking efficiency and fifth in PFF pass-blocking grade.
Tom Brady has the quickest release in the league, averaging 2.33 times to throw.
The Bengals are 20th in passing yards allowed per game (220.1).
- Minnesota Vikings v Indianapolis Colts
Left Tackle Christian Darrisaw has been out with a concussion. Darrisaw’s replacement Blake Brandel allowed 13 pressures and seven sacks.
- Seattle Seahawks v San Francisco 49ers
Thursday Night Prime Time game
- Dallas Cowboys @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Cowboys lost their best-graded offensive lineman Terence Steele to an injury last week.
The Jaguars’ number one pick in the draft, Travon Walker, finished last week with a sack and three pressures.
- Las Vegas Raiders v New England Patriots
The Raiders offensive line is ninth in PFF pass blocking but 24th in pressures surrendered.
The Patriots rank third in pressure rate (38.7%) and have three defensive linemen with at least 30 pressures coming off the edge.
- Denver Broncos v Arizona Cardinals
Both teams will be playing with their second-string quarterbacks.
The Cardinals’ defensive line ranks 23rd in pass-rushing grade and 28th in run-defense grade.
- Pittsburgh Steelers @ Carolina Panthers
The Steelers’ offensive line ranks significantly better as a pass-protecting unit than a run-blocking unit.
Najee Harris is averaging 3.8 yards per attempt.
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bengals’ offensive line ranks 28th in PFF pass blocking grade “and tends to be exposed whenever it faces an elite pass rusher.”
The Buccaneers are not an elite pass-rushing group.
- Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
The offensive line only allowed six pressures last week.
Gregory Rousseau has four pressures in each of his last two games.
- Washington v New York Giants
Washington’s offensive line ranks 30th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency. They rank 22nd in pass-block grade.
Giants’ Dexter Lawrence has a PFF pass-rush grade of 91.5. Lawrence has 48 pressures.
- Jacksonville Jaguars v Dallas Cowboys
Jaguars’ offensive line ranks last in PFF run blocking grade. The offensive line ranks fourth in PRR pass-blocking grade.
Dallas has the best pass rush in the league.
- New York Jets v Detroit Lions
Lions’ rookie Aidan Hutchinson had the best game last week with 39 pressures.
- Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings
The Colts’ offensive line has committed 20 penalties, but only Tampa Bay’s offensive line has committed more.
Vikings’ Za’Darius Smith leads the league in pressures with 70.
Colts’ quarterback Matt Ryan has a 43.2% completion percentage when pressured and a 72.9% completion percentage from a clean pocket.
- Los Angeles Chargers v Tennessee Titans
The Chargers are averaging 0.9 yards before contact per carry, the third-worst mark. They are one of only three teams under a yard.
The Titans allow only 3.6 yards per carry, the second-best in the league.
- Buffalo Bills v Miami Dolphins
This is the Bills’ lowest rank of the season. On average, the Bills’ offensive line is tied for the lead in yards before contact (2.0). The offense is 27th in run rate.
The Dolphins blitz at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL.
- Arizona Cardinals @ Denver Broncos
The Cardinals rank 30th in PFF run-blocking grade.
The Broncos rank sixth in pressure rate, but “they are average in the run game.”
- New Orleans Saints v Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are 31st in pressure rate (only Chicago is worse). They are better against the run.
- Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs
The Texans’ 0.8 yards before contact is tied for the league’s worst.
Chris Jones, that’s it. He is set to destroy the Texans’ offensive line.
- Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers
The Rams’ offensive line has allowed 158 pressures, the fifth most in the league. They are last in pass-blocking efficiency.
Although he hasn’t played since Week 9, Rashan Gary leads the Packers in pressure.
- New York Giants @ Washington
Left Tackle Andrew Thomas has allowed three sacks this season. The three sacks have been in the last three weeks.
Right Tackle Evan Neal gave up eight pressures last week and finished with a pass-blocking grade of 20.2.
Washington blitzes at the fifth-highest rate in NFL. Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen have over 45 pressures each, and Chase Young is scheduled to return this week.
- Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Titans’ offensive line has been penalized 36 times, the third most in the league
The Titans are tied for the lowest average yards before contact, 0.8.
The Chargers are allowing 5.4 yards per carry.
