Offensive Line Rankings: Middle class (20-11)

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Offensive Line Rankings
32-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

20. Minnesota Vikings

• The Vikings were expecting to have first-round tackle Christian Darrisaw manning the left side, but he was forced to undergo surgery on his groin for the second time this year. His recovery timetable is unknown at this point and could keep him out early in the season.
• Third-rounder Wyatt Davis will be pushing to start at guard, but for the time being, he has yet to crack the starting lineup. It might be a while before we see any returns from Minnesota's rookie class of linemen.
• That's bad news for the Vikings' offense that needed an infusion of blocking talent after a disappointing 2020 campaign. Assuming Darrisaw and Davis can eventually get onto the field in the regular season, this should be a league-average unit - keeping the fantasy outlook for the skill position players intact.

19. Denver Broncos

• The Broncos received a high ranking from us ahead of last season due to the combination of youth and the presence of offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who had helped the Steelers establish one of the league's best offensive lines for years. Despite their subpar performance, Denver's blocking is still positioned well with a mix of improving young talent and reliable veterans Graham Glasgow and Bobby Massie.
• Lloyd Cushenberry dealt with the kind of growing pains you'd expect from a third-round rookie center thrust into the starting lineup. There's still hope he can get better as a sophomore who turns 24 during the season, but the Broncos hedged their bet on him by drafting third-round center Quinn Meinerz this year.
• The line should be aided by a soft schedule in 2021. The Broncos quarterbacks face the third-most favorable slate by our metric, while the running backs encounter the second-easiest crop of opponents, including the Lions, Bengals, Raiders, and Chargers during the fantasy playoffs from Week 14 to 17.

18. Arizona Cardinals

• The Cardinals' line appeared to overachieve in 2020 as a sum greater than its parts. D.J. Humphries emerged as a solid left tackle, but they got the most out of middling guards Justin Pugh and Justin Murray as well as an ageing Kelvin Beachum on the right side.
• However, by acquiring one of the best centers in the league this offseason, Arizona should have no problems matching or even outproducing their effort from a year ago. The Raiders' offensive line purge sent Rodney Hudson to the desert where he'll be the new leader in the middle after grading out as Pro Football Focus' eighth-best center last season.
• Kyler Murray will enjoy having an experienced center like Hudson. The Cards went from allowing 50 sacks in 2019 (sixth) to just 29 sacks taken in 2020 (21st). All signs are pointing to a top-three fantasy season from Murray - if he can stay healthy.

17. Washington Football Team

• Washington no longer has continuity on their side, as they brought in two new tackles this offseason in veteran Charles Leno Jr. and rookie Sam Cosmi. The upside is that Leno has been a steady left tackle for several years in Chicago and Cosmi has a chance to be a steal in the second round.
• When paired with first-team All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff, underrated interior linemen Chase Roullier (sixth-highest-graded center by PFF in 2020), and Wes Schweitzer (18th-highest-graded guard), you have a formidable front.
• Combine that with the arrival of veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is capable of pushing the ball downfield when given the time in the pocket, and you have a potentially dangerous offense. Fantasy managers should be investing heavily in Washington's skill position players.

16. Buffalo Bills

• The Bills' ability to rebuild the offensive line on the fly without using first-round draft capital has been an underrated aspect of their recent success. Dion Dawkins and Cody Ford are second-round selections, while Mitch Morse, Daryl Williams, and Jon Feliciano were signed in free agency. Ultimately, Morse was the only one who received a lucrative deal to join the team.
• Williams is a perfect example of Buffalo's front office pulling someone off the scrap heap and rejuvenating a career. Next in line on that trajectory could be guard Forrest Lamp, a former second-rounder who fizzled out with the Chargers. The team also drafted Spencer Brown (third round) and Tommy Doyle (fifth round) in hopes the rookies could help provide depth.
• The line has facilitated the uncanny development we've seen from Josh Allen, as well. They went from 23rd (7.8%) in Football Outsiders' adjusted sack rate in 2019 to fifth (4.8%) in 2020. The area they need to focus on next is run blocking, where they've been an average to below-average unit in recent seasons.

15. Tennessee Titans

• The Titans will get back Taylor Lewan, who was limited to just five outings in 2020 after tearing his ACL in October. Combined with the competent trio they have on the interior, Tennessee should field a strong wall of blockers with their only unknown resting at right tackle.
• The team thought they had the answer on the right side when they chose tackle Isaiah Wilson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, he only appeared in one game before his career took a turn for the worse and he eventually fell out of the league. For the time being, the competition for that spot is between veterans Ty Sambrailo and Kendall Lamm. Second-rounder Dillon Radunz may eventually factor in, but he was getting reps at both guard and tackle in camp.
• Even without Lewan for most of the season, Derrick Henry was still a dominant force - rushing for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns. With Lewan back, there's little doubt this unit will perform at a high level once again.

14. Los Angeles Rams

• Andrew Whitworth continues to be a top-tier left tackle, which is particularly impressive considering he turns 40 in December. However, after missing seven games in 2020, it's safe to wonder how long he can keep this up.
• The development of David Edwards, Austin Corbett, and Rob Havenstein is what really helped this group take a step forward last year. If they pick up where they left off, the Rams' line might deserve a spot in the top 10.
• We've talked all offseason about the impact Matthew Stafford will have on the skill position talent in Sean McVay's offense, but having a experienced veteran quarterback should be a boon for the blocking, as well. We're all-in on the Rams for fantasy this season and you should be, too.

13. Los Angeles Chargers

• The Chargers will be a good test of the importance of continuity since they've done a complete makeover of their line. The team has brought in high-end talent like first-round tackle Rashawn Slater and first-team All-Pro center Corey Linsley, as well as mid-level starters Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi at guard. The moves come just one year after signing right tackle Bryan Bulaga in free agency.
• Increasing the protection around young franchise quarterback Justin Herbert is a wise course of action. Even if it takes time for the new pieces to synchronize, the ceiling has been raised significantly for this unit.
• The only issue now is that the margin for error is thin due to the lack of depth. If a starter goes down - like Bulaga did when he missed six games last year - it could be catastrophic for their effectiveness. Injuries were a big part of the reason why they graded out as PFF's 32nd-ranked line immediately following the 2020 campaign.

12. Philadelphia Eagles

• Speaking of offensive lines and injuries, few depth charts have been hit as hard as the Eagles' in recent years. In addition to losing left tackle Andre Dillard and stellar guard Brandon Brooks prior to last season, right tackle Lane Johnson was limited to seven games where he often played at less than 100%.
• Dillard wasn't performing like a first-round pick before missing last year and now will have to compete with Jordan Mailata, who was at least an adequate starter in relief duty last season.
• If the Eagles can shore up that left tackle position and keep the rest of their starters off the trainer's table, there's still potential for this group to be a premier unit in front of dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts. Despite their injury woes, the right side of the line with Johnson, Brooks, and center Jason Kelce is as good as any blocking trio in the NFL.

11. Green Bay Packers

• David Bakhtiari's return from a December ACL tear will have a big impact on the 2021 outlook for the Packers' offensive line. It will be a major blow if he's forced to start the year on the PUP list, costing him the first six games. In his absence, Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins has temporarily moved to left tackle.
• Green Bay is already without center Corey Linsley, who left in free agency. The team used their second-round pick to draft his replacement Josh Myers, who's already penciled in as a Day 1 starter.
• Having Aaron Rodgers back in the fold is maybe the biggest win of the offseason for this blocking crew. Not only is Rodgers a great resource to help a rookie center like Myers get acclimated to the pros, but his awareness in the pocket and ability to anticipate pressure helps the Packers' line look better than it might be on paper.

INJ - Injury that may affect Week 1 availability

Offensive Line Rankings
32-21 | 20-11 | 10-1