Sometimes, the most important players for your fantasy team aren’t on your fantasy team. The offensive line and head coaches play a gigantic role in affecting fantasy players and teams.
The fantasy football community needs to give the big guys some love. For the offensive line, 2022 is a very, very good draft class. Possibly even historic. Watching an NFL team with a new head coach in this year’s draft can serve as a useful glimpse into the team’s plans and how they will be running their offenses.
It is proven that a single high-caliber center, tackle, or guard can make a big difference in offensive productivity. An extra second to throw or a block held for a moment more which lets the RB free are impactful on the field. Even a draft pick’s great footwork and motor suddenly make the screen game a formidable weapon. I’ve selected a few teams below who have major needs on their offensive line and the widely held players who could benefit.
Dynasty Offensive Line Draft Prospects
New York Giants
The G-Men have a new head coach in Brian Daboll. The hiring of coach Daboll is likely related to his past success with QBs. Desperate for Daniel Jones to become an elite, or at least decent, NFL QB, the Giants are excited to have coach Daboll. But his time with Bill Belichick and Nick Saban means that Giants fans can be confident that he will help the whole offense improve.
The Giants have two picks in the top ten this year and it’s almost certain that one of them will be a center or a guard. I personally am hopeful they select Tyler Linderbaum. Does he fit with Brain Daboll’s vision? If you are a Saquon Barkley owner you are hoping for a lineman such as Linderbaum who can get outside or downfield. Whereas if you have a Giants WRs like Kenny Golladay or Kadarius Toney then you’re hoping for a great pass blocker like Jaxson Kirkland.
Overall I’m bullish on Daboll’s chances of improving the Giant’s offense. I would look for Daniel Jones’ efficiency to improve and for both Golladay and Toney to have more targets and production. Barkley could benefit as well but more by not having to deal with eight defenders in the “box” than any run game improvement.
Minnesota Vikings
New Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell inherits an offense that saw their average points per game decline almost two whole points since 2020. Whatever your feelings about Kirk Cousins, we have seen this offense do much better with the same skill players. The Vikings don’t have as intense a need for O-line help as the two other teams featured in this article but they do need an upgrade at guard.
Holding pick 12 in the first round, it is likely that some of the top five guards will be gone. I would love to see them select either Darian Kinnard or Kenyon Green. If you are a Justin Jefferson or Adam Thielen dynasty manager you would prefer Green but a Dalvin Cook owner would likely rather see Kinnard. I feel that with an improved offensive line and Kevin O’Connell at the helm the passing game will improve but the new combo will have less of an impact on Dalvin Cook’s production.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins’ new head man Mike McDaniel and his staff are contending with a lack of high draft picks and a glaring need at tackle. Fortunately for them, this draft class has a very tackle heavy top ten. So some of the better options may still be available when the Fins get their time on the clock. McDaniel has a strong track record at improving a team’s run game.
During his time in San Francisco, their offense ranked 11th in rushing yards, with the fifth-highest percentage of runs that picked up 10 or more yards. This is potentially good news for Myles Gaskin’s managers. But will they spend the 29th pick on that tackle like Bernhard Raimann or Daniel Faalele? Or will they wait till the later rounds and hope to unearth a hidden gem?
Another key question is will they deemphasize the RPO game? An RPO offense requires a different skill set than a West Coast offense. If you are a manager of Mike Gesicki, Jaylen Waddle, or Tua Tagovailoa then you need to pay close attention to these first three rounds as the names called may tell you the answer to that question.
My suspicion is that this is one of those occasions where even a great selection may have less of an impact. As we all watch the draft most of the commentary will focus on the flashier positions but don’t sleep on the big men. They can have just as much of an impact on your fantasy fortunes as the guys who get the ball. Become a subscriber today and check out our dynasty rankings!
Thanks for reading. Please follow me on Twitter @sethfriederman and check back for more of my work dropping soon.
