Week 14: Bills Offensive Line Dominant

From pass protection to run blocking, every aspect of the modern NFL offense runs through the offensive line. As the first week of fantasy playoffs kicks off, let's look at which O-lines around the league are trending up and down.

Risers

Buffalo Bills – RT/LT Ty Nsekhe (ankle)

• The Skinny: It's certainly notable that Nsekhe, one of the league's better backup swing tackles, still isn't practicing, but Buffalo's dominant O-line play  the last few weeks overshadows those concerns. Rookie second-round pick Cody Ford is thriving as a full-time player, even coming off two tough defensive line matchups against Denver and Dallas. If the offensive trench opens running lanes and protects against the rush as well as it has the last two weeks, Sunday's game against the Ravens likely will prove closer than anticipated.
• Impact: Buffalo boasts a unique three-headed rushing attack consisting of Devin Singletary, Frank Gore and QB Josh Allen, a combination that has averaged 178.6 rushing yards per game  the last three weeks and been held to less than 100 rushing yards just twice this season. Gore and Singletary have already exceeded 550 rushing yards apiece, and Allen leads all QBs with eight rushing TDs (one more than MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson). Expect Gore to take a decisive back seat to Singletary during Sunday's contest, as usual for the veteran  the last few weeks. Singletary has come on tremendously as a chain mover, totaling 484 scrimmage yards and two TDs in the last five games.

Los Angeles Chargers –  LT Russell Okung (groin) and RT Sam Tevi (knee) both healthy

• The Skinny: For the first time in weeks, the Chargers can boast an injury report without any offensive linemen listed. C Mike Pouncey and LG Forrest Lamp are still on IR, of course, but the team's starting tackles now appear back to full health after playing through injuries Week 13.
• Impact: Philip Rivers' recent struggles can't be entirely blamed on protection issues, but it's no coincidence that he improved across just about all metrics Week 13 following the return of both starting tackles. The veteran signal-caller logged a positive TD:INT ratio for the first time since Week 8, and his 9.1 YPA was a clear improvement upon the 6.8 mark he'd averaged in last two games. Rumors that the 37-year-old could potentially be benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor should his struggles continue may also serve to inspire Rivers, who is a mid-tier option in formats that start multiple quarterbacks.

Atlanta Falcons – LG James Carpenter (concussion), RT Ty Sambrailo (hamstring), RG Chris Lindstrom (foot - IR) back at practice

• The Skinny: The situation surrounding Atlanta's O-line is a mixed bag. On one hand, Carpenter entered the concussion protocol during Week 13's loss to the Saints and can't be considered a lock to suit up against Carolina on Sunday. On the other, Lindstrom — who is recovering from early-September foot surgery — returned to practice Monday and looks on track to retake the field soon. The rookie first-round pick's Week 1 injury played a part in kickstarting the Falcons' offensive line woes, and he'll be locked into a spot in the starting rotation if/when he manages to gain full medical clearance. For a team looking ahead to next season, the boost that Lindstrom will provide to the current offensive front is a secondary bonus to getting him more in-game experience.
• Impact: Despite the recent memory of Week 13's poor showing against the Saints, who boast a solid defensive front, Atlanta's O-line has become somewhat more consistent down the stretch. Even in the event that Lindstrom doesn't return this week, the unit should be capable of opening sizable rushing lanes Sunday against a Panthers team that recently allowed 248 rushing yards to the Redskins — over 100 yards more than Washington's previous season-high. Devonta Freeman has a realistic shot at a top-12 week due to his matchup against a run defense that ranks last in the league in DVOA, per Football Outsiders.

Fallers

New England Patriots – C Ted Karras (knee), RT Marcus Cannon (illness)

• The Skinny: Cannon can reasonably be expected to get healthy in time for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, but the severity of Karras' MCL sprain will almost certainly sideline him for Week 14, even if he manages to retake the field after just a one-game absence. For the time being, career journeyman James Ferentz will start at center. Ferentz is as solid a backup as New England could ask for, but the team will have to make do with very little depth until Karras manages a full recovery.
• Impact: In addition to worries surrounding the O-line's ability to provide reliable protection, New England's aerial attack is facing a multitude of hurdles this week: the unit lacks a downfield threat, Julian Edelman (shoulder) and Mohamed Sanu (ankle) are both limited in practice, and veteran signal-caller Tom Brady is operating at a career-low 6.7 yards per attempt. In conjuncture with a matchup against the Chiefs' secondary, which allows just 17.0 fantasy points per game to wide receivers (tied with the Chargers and 49ers for second fewest in the league), it's difficult to have confidence in a single Patriots' pass catcher save for Edelman. That could realistically pave the way for the rushing game to thrive, which fantasy managers rostering Sony Michel could direly use. It's certainly difficult to rely on Michel in the fantasy playoffs — he's been held to less than 50 yards in three of his last four games and hasn't scored since Week 7 — but the stage appears set for him to receive heavy usage against a Kansas City defense allowing 25.0 PPG to running backs, which ranks just behind the Panthers as the highest rate in the league.

Oakland Raiders – C Rodney Hudson (ankle), RG Gabe Jackson (knee), RT Trent Brown (pectoral)

• The Skinny: Hudson, Jackson and Brown each have a realistic shot to play through their injuries against the Titans on Sunday — as they've done in recent weeks — but the impact of those lingering nicks is becoming somewhat worrisome coming off consecutive blowouts.
• Impact: After a strong start to the season, Derek Carr has compiled a down stretch heading into the fantasy playoffs. He's failed to surpass 230 yards in three of the last four games, across which stretch he's logged a measly 3:4 TD:INT ratio. Carr's regression hasn't only hampered the aerial attack, but also rookie running back Josh Jacobs (who's incidentally been playing through a fractured shoulder). Although Jacobs rampaged for 100-plus rushing yards and 6.1 YPC in in Week 13, his lack of TD production resulted in a mediocre fantasy day. Why? As a product of Oakland's lessened pass protection, the blame for which falls both on the O-line and QB, the team has struggled to move the chains and get into scoring range in consecutive games. After averaging 5.8 red zone runs per game in his first 11 contests, Jacobs has logged just one such attempt the last two weeks.

New York Jets – LT Kelvin Beachum (ankle), LG Alex Lewis (elbow), RT Chuma Edoga (knee)

• The Skinny: Edoga is on track to sit out Sunday's divisional tilt against the Dolphins as he continues to nurse a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Beachum and Lewis are trending toward playing through each of their injuries, but coming off a loss to the Bengals in which the O-line gave up four sacks (three to Carlos Dunlap, who had just 2.5 through the last nine games) and accounted for seven penalties, that isn't tremendously encouraging. Beachum had three penalties alone, one of which wiped out what would've been New York's first appearance in the red zone midway through the second quarter. The other gave an automatic safety to the Bengals, putting the game out of hand for the Jets.
• Impact: Second-year signal-caller Sam Darnold looked like a great streaming candidate for Week 14, but his performance last week (239 yards, no TDs or INTs) puts a fair damper on those expectations. O-line play as sloppy as was evidenced Week 13 made consistently moving the chains a pipe dream for the Jets, and essentially verified the common assumption that complete overhaul will hit the unit this offseason. He's got a favorable matchup at home against the Dolphins, but poor protection up front means that Darnold should be considered a low-floor, high-ceiling option.

New Orleans Saints – LT Terron Armstead (ankle), LG Andrus Peat (forearm)

• The Skinny: Peat is a near guarantee to miss Sunday's game against the 49ers while he nurses a fractured forearm, while Armstead has chance to retake the field but should realistically be considered week-to-week — high-ankle sprains, such as he suffered Nov. 24, often require a recovery timetable of around a month.
• Impact: Losing the left side of the O-line has certainly had an impact on Drew Brees, who had his worst game of the season Week 13, but further detraction to Alvin Kamara carries a larger fantasy impact. The star running back hasn't exceeded 75 rushing yards since Week 1 or scored since Week 3, though he has made up for that in PPR formats by averaging more than six catches per game. Kamara remains a weekly must-start, of course, but a banged-up offensive line further reduces the chances that he'll churn out a dominant game on the ground.

Top 10 Offensive Lines

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Tennessee Titans
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Detroit Lions
10. Green Bay Packers

You can find RotoWire's full offensive line rankings list here. Rankings are updated every Thursday, prior to kickoff of Thursday Night Football.