There might not be anything more important to the success of a running back than his offensive line. The RB always gets the credit, but the line is often times the true reason for the success. Therefore, opportunities exist to find sleeper RB’s for your fantasy team that currently do not have a “big” name, but are set to run behind a quality O-line.
In attempt to identify a few key candidates, here were the top 5 best offensive lines in football last season (as determined by Football Outsiders innovative statistic “Adjusted Line Yards” you can find here)
1. Miami
2. New Orleans
3. Dallas
4. Baltimore
5. New England
In addition, when looking at it from the opposite direction, it is very difficult for a running back to succeed behind a poor offensive line. Here were the bottom 5 O-lines from the past season:
28. St. Louis
29. Detroit
30. Kansas City
31. Tampa Bay
32. San Francisco
To transition these statistics from last season into predictions for this season is challenging however since teams area able to add/subtract players from year to year. For instance, although the 49ers ranked at the bottom of this statistic last year, they added 2 first round offensive lineman, who by all accounts will be able to step in and contribute immediately. This statistic also does not account for RBs who contribute in the passing game. For instance, while Detroit and Kansas City statistically do not run the ball that well, their running backs this season (Jahvid Best and Jamaal Charles) are very good receivers out of the backfield which therefore increases their fantasy value.
For a detailed breakdown on each NFL offensive line going into the season as well as the sleeper RB’s that will be running behind them visit www.FantasyFootballRiches.com and subscribe to the RED ZONE.
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