Ranking the offensive lines, fantasy style
By Michael Fabiano
NFL.com Fantasy Expert
(April 9, 2007) -- Pro football is the ultimate team sport. In fact, success at the NFL level can be difficult to achieve unless a team can work as a cohesive unit on a consistent basis. In the world of fantasy football, we cheer for heroes such as
Peyton Manning and
LaDainian Tomlinson to fill the stat sheets and lead our team to victories, but even the most prominent of names can't be productive all alone.
Down in the trenches, where contests are won and lost, lies the athletes that don't receive much media attention but are still some of the most valuable assets on the field -- the offensive linemen. Without effective pass protection or holes to run through on the line, even the greatest of players can experience decreased value -- owners who drafted
Edgerrin James last season know this well.
In an effort to look ahead to 2007, we've taken a look back at last season and ranked each team's pass and run lines. Since the goal of the offensive line is to afford quarterbacks and runners the time and space to produce solid numbers, our breakdown includes four statistical categories -- touchdowns per carry, yards per carry, yards per pass attempt and sacks per pass attempt.
Much like Rotisserie formats, we then assigned points -- 32 for the best line, 31 for the second-best line and down to one point for the worst line -- for all of our categories. This list can be a useful tool in drafts when it comes time to choice between athletes with similar overall value.
1. San Diego Chargers (109.5 points): It's no shock to see the Chargers atop the list of the best offensive lines after the statistical success of Tomlinson, who was the unquestioned MVP in fantasy football last season. San Diego finished with an NFL-best 32 rushing touchdowns, ranked as the second-best run line with 61.5 points and had the fifth-best pass line with 48 points.
2. Indianapolis Colts (106.5 points): The protection of Peyton Manning is tantamount to success for the Colts, and their line accomplished that mission in what was a championship season. The top pass line on our scale with a total of 63 points, this unit surrendered a mere one sack per 38.1 pass attempts. Indianapolis also finished tied for the 10th-best run line with a solid 43.5 points.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (104.5 points): Pass protection is ultra-important in an Eagles offense that loves to throw the football downfield, and the line did well to watch the backs of both
Donovan McNabb and
Jeff Garcia last season. Philadelphia finished as the third-best pass line with 54.5 points, and it also ranked third as a run line with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average and 50 points.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (99 points): One of the more underrated lines in the league, the Jaguars found success on the ground with
Fred Taylor and
Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield. The top-rated run line on our list with 62 points, Jacksonville averaged 5.0 yards per carry. This unit wasn't as effective as a pass line with 37 points, but it still ranked in the top half of the NFL.
5. New Orleans Saints (96.5 points): The newfound success of the Saints offense had as much to do with
Drew Brees and
Reggie Bush as it did with an effective line that allowed a mere one sack per 26.2 pass attempts and had a total of 61 points on our scale. However, this unit finished in the middle of the pack as a run line with a total of 35.5 points due to a 3.7 yards-per-carry average.
Protection from Jamar Nesbit and Pro Bowler Jammal Brown helped the Saints lead the NFL in passing. 6. Dallas Cowboys (91 points): The Cowboys offense seemed to click with
Tony Romo at the helm, but much of its overall production was based on the success of
Julius Jones and
Marion Barber. With 21 touchdown rushes, this unit scored 48.5 points and ranked fifth as a run line. Romo's mobility also assisted the line in the pass attack, as it finished 10th with 42.5 points.
T-7. New England Patriots (84 points): Head coach Bill Belichick knows the importance of a reliable offensive line, and that's what he has built in his impressive tenure with the Patriots. While its 3.9 yards-per-carry average was tied for 18th, New England still posted 20 rushing touchdowns and 41 points as a run line. Their pass line was solid, as it ranked ninth with 43 points.
T-7. Washington Redskins (84 points): A lot went wrong with the Redskins last season, but their offensive line wasn't one of them based on our scale. Washington boasted a 4.5 yards-per-carry average and scored 37 points as a run line, but its real strength was in pass protection. The 'Skins surrendered the third-fewest sacks (17) and ranked sixth with 47 points as a pass line.
9. New York Giants (82 points): Injuries were an issue for the Giants last season, but the line still held its own overall. While it fielded a middle-of-the-road pass line -- the offense averaged a mediocre 5.8 yards per pass attempt -- Big Blue did rank seventh as a run line with 47.5 points. That should be a positive for the combination of
Brandon Jacobs and
Reuben Droughns in 2007.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (81 points): The Steelers have forever been a franchise whose offense is based on the run, and the success of
Willie Parker last season had much to do with a run line that ranked eighth with 47 points. Quarterbacks averaged a solid 7.1 yards per pass attempt, but the line also allowed one sack every 11.6 pass attempts and finished with a substandard 34 points.
11. Kansas City Chiefs (77.5 points): The retirement of
Willie Roaf hurt the Chiefs line without question in 2006, but it remained a top-10 unit as it pertains to the run with 46 points. Where this unit faltered was in its pass protection, as it surrendered one sack for every 11.9 pass attempts.
12. Tennessee Titans (77 points): An offense with a versatile quarterback like
Vince Young needs a line of solid run blockers, and that's what the Titans fielded last season. The run line ranked fourth with an impressive 49.5 points, but Tennessee's pass protection finished 21st.
13. St. Louis Rams (76.5 points): The loss of
Orlando Pace for half the season was hard to overcome, but the Rams still ranked 12th on our list as a run line with a total of 43 points. Where it faltered was in its pass protection -- St. Louis surrendered one sack for every 13.1 pass attempts.
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14. Cincinnati Bengals (74.5 points): Carson Palmer and the Bengals averaged the fifth-most yards per pass attempt (7.3) and scored 44 points as a pass line, but a mediocre 3.7 yards-per-carry average caused Cincinnati to rank just 19th as a run line with a total of 30.5 points.
15. San Francisco ***** (67.5 points): The ***** are headed in the right direction as a franchise, and the success of
Frank Gore was aided from a run line that tied for tenth on our list with 43.5 points. The pass line was a bit less impressive -- it ranked just 22nd with a mediocre 24 points.
16. Denver Broncos (66 points): The Broncos run line is heralded due to the success of runners under head coach Mike Shanahan, but it ranked 16th and averaged a mere one touchdown rush for every 40.6 carries in 2006. The pass line was a bit worse, as it ranked 20th with 31 points.
17. Baltimore Ravens (65 points): The addition of Willis McGahee was immense for the Ravens, but the team's run line needs serious improvement. It ranked 29th on our list with 12 points, but it was far more effective as a pass line with the fourth-highest point total (53) based on our scale.
18. Green Bay Packers (63 points): Brett Favre remains the centerpiece of the Packers offense, and the pass line did well to protect him last season with 42 points (11th overall). The run line wasn't as effective, however, as the offense averaged one touchdown rush for every 47.8 carries.
19. Chicago Bears (56 points): The combination of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson worked well for the Bears in their run to Super Bowl XLI, but the run line finished just 27th on our scale with 14.5 points. The pass line was far more efficient, as it ranked 12th with a solid 41.5 points.
The Jets will look for more from D'Brickashaw Ferguson next season. 20. New York Jets (55 points): The addition of D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold in the 2006 draft was a terrific long-term move, but the Jets still finished in the lower half of the NFL on our list as a run line (22nd; 22 points) and as a pass line (18th; 33 points) last season.
21. Atlanta Falcons (54.5 points): The Falcons had a league-best 5.5 yards-per-carry average in 2006, but the pass line allowed a sack for every 9.8 pass attempts, and that's with Michael Vick.
22. Carolina Panthers (52 points): In what was a disappointing season across the board, the Panthers run line finished 25th with a mere 17 points. The pass line was far better, as it ranked 14th on our list.
23. Arizona Cardinals (51 points): Believe it or not, but the Cardinals had the seventh-best pass line on our list with 45 points, but the run line was dead last with a miniscule six points.
24. Minnesota Vikings (49 points): The Vikings line was better than the numbers indicate due to a serious lack of talent in the pass attack, but it did allow one sack for every 13.5 pass attempts.
25. Detroit Lions (47 points): Jon Kitna had to run for his life for most of last season, as the Lions surrendered one sack for every 10.4 pass attempts. Their run line ranked 23rd on our scale.
26. Houston Texans (46.5 points): Ron Dayne's late-season success pushed the Texans run line to 18th on our list with a total of 31 points, but the pass line was still ineffective with 15.5 points.
27. Miami Dolphins (45 points): The Dolphins pass line couldn't protect the quarterback (one sack for every 15.4 pass attempts), and the offense produced one touchdown in every 57.4 carries.
28. Seattle Seahawks (35.4 points): Injuries to Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander hurt the Seahawks line last season -- it ranked 24th in the run and scored a mere 16 points as a pass line.
29. Buffalo Bills (34 points): The addition of Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker should improve a line that finished in the lower half of the NFL in both the run and the pass in 2006.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29.5 points): The Buccaneers were ineffective overall, but this unit was plain awful as a run line with 6.5 points and one touchdown rush for every 67.3 carries.
31. Cleveland Browns (20 points): Injuries decimated the Browns line, which finished 30th both as a pass line (11 points) and a run line (nine points) last season based on our points scale.
32. Oakland Raiders (16 points): Oakland quarterbacks were black and blue throughout 2006 -- the pass line surrendered one sack for every 7.7 pass attempts -- and their run line ranked 28th.
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