While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.
The "serviceable" group is akin to a pack of trusty white Hanes beefy tees. They don't necessarily add a whole lot, but they work well for most situations and won't let you down very often. Just be careful not too rely too heavily upon them, because they'll stain your armpits and turn into something that resembles yellow bulletproof glass. Maybe we better just get started.
The Jacksonville Jaguars: Any team that can rack up 2,391 rushing yards and average 4.6 yards per carry with Fred "It's Pronounced Frahgeelay" Taylor leading the way must have a decent offensive line. Despite being a group of pretty obscure names with zero Pro Bowlers, this is a reliable unit. Brad Meester is a solid center and Tony Pashos, a free agent signing after the Jags waived Chris Naole due to injury (nice right?), should do well at right tackle.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 31
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.6
Continue reading for the rest of the "Serviceable" offensive lines.
The Philadelphia Eagles: It's hard to see 49 sacks allowed in 2007 and feel too excited about Philadelphia's prospects, but don't forget what the quarterback situation looked like last year. They Eagles are still operating with Tra Thomas and John Runyan, two of the best tackles in the NFL, despite getting up in their years at 34 and 35 respectively. You could say the same thing about Bryant Westbrook, but you know you'll regret trying to game that old age question. Right guard Shawn Andrews is a Pro Bowler as well, but the rest of the line is a bit less secure.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 49
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.7
The Carolina Panthers: The Panthers offensive line basically sucked last season, but Jeff Otah is fixing to change that in 2008. If he plays like he is capable, the line should see dramatic improvement. Matt Kalil at center is pretty solid and Jordan Gross will move to left tackle where he will help prevent Jake Delhomme from getting murdered again from the blind side. Speaking of, simply having a stable quarterback situation will make this unit better as well. This group definitely got an upgrade in the offseason.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 33
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.0
The New York Jets: Here goes another gamble, but I think the Jets offensive line is going to be good this year. I am playing it a bit more conservative than originally anticipated, but still this is an upgrade from a 2007 "bunk" rating. The Jets picked up Alan Faneca and Damien Woody to DRASTICALLY improve this piece of crap from 2007. They also paid over $60 million samoleans or the two of them, so it better improve or someone will be in trouble. I hate giving up all my secrets, but guess who just might kick some ass this season? Yep, Thomas Jones.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 53
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.8
The Indianapolis Colts: Most people probably assume the Colts have a great line, because they have a great offense, but this is really an average bunch. Besides Jeff Saturday, who is one of the best linemen in the game (with the best name), it's just mediocre. Injuries played a detrimental role last year, so the health of right tackle Ryan Diem and left tackle Tony Ugoh is a key factor. Also, the Titans snaked starting right guard, Jeff Scott in the offseason, so keep an eye on the progress here as one of the three rookies will probably start here.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 23
2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.8
The Oakland Raiders: The Raiders offensive line managed to support the sixth best ground game in the league with a rag tag group of running backs like Justin Fargas and Lamont Jordan. The Raiders followed the trend of converting to zone blocking and it paid quick dividends. Imagine what they could do if JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden show up this year. Dare I say the offense could be dangerous? To further reinforce the trench, the Raiders added two new linemen who are both expected to start in left tackle Kwame Harris and center John Wade. This could be interesting, folks.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 41
2007 Yards Per Carry: 4.1
The San Diego Chargers: Here is another unit that people just assume to be strong. They are decent, but nothing to rev your engine about. Nick Hardwick at center is expected to miss time due to a foot injury and they have some inexperience right tackle in Jeromey Clary. Left tackle Marcus Neill is a Pro Bowler who provides a solid blind side protectorate and guard Mike Goff is a skilled old hand.
2007 Sacks Allowed: 24 2007
Yards Per Carry: 4.2
