The fantasy football world has long had a significant gap in measuring the impact that blocking has on fantasy production.
Last season, I aimed to help close that gap via the introduction of a new blocking rankings system that used a variety of metrics to project future blocking performance.
This season's blocking projections use a very similar methodology to that of last year, but they include the value of all returning offensive linemen snaps (as opposed to only starters and top backups in last year's measurements) and provide additional value for impactful offseason personnel moves. The schedule analysis also has been color-grade adjusted, with a green-rated matchup indicating a highly favorable opponent in that category and a red-rated matchup indicating an unfavorable foe. A chart including a full breakdown of each team's scheduled matchups and their color rating is included below.
Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, let's take a look at how each team's blockers are slated to impact fantasy football scoring during the 2018 season.
Overall grade: A-
Pass blocking: A-
Run blocking: A-
Stability/consistency: A
Schedule: D+
Alvin Kamara's fantasy coaches might have concerns about a sophomore slump, but those worries should be largely offset by the best blocking wall in the NFL. New Orleans was one of only two teams to register A-level grades in pass blocking, run blocking and stability/consistency. The schedule does present some upside concerns, as the Saints have only two green-rated rush-defense or pass-rush matchups all season.
Overall grade: A-
Pass blocking: A-
Run blocking: A-
Stability/consistency: A
Schedule: F
Atlanta's blocking wall is the model of stability and consistency in large part because the Falcons return 100 percent of their offensive line snaps from the 2017 campaign. That should help Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman get closer to the elite fantasy form they showed in 2016, yet there are matchup concerns against the third-toughest schedule in the league.
Overall grade: A-
Pass blocking: B+
Run blocking: A
Stability/consistency: A-
Schedule: D-
The Rams bring back all five starters from an offensive line that led this team to rank third in good blocking rate (GBR, a measure of run-blocking consistency) last season (49.1 percent). This is part of why Todd Gurley is rightfully giving Le'Veon Bell a run for his money as the top fantasy running back in average draft position (ADP). Let's not forget about the B-plus pass-blocking grade, as it should propel Jared Goff back to his borderline QB1 production rate and could allow vertical threat Brandin Cooks to outperform his borderline WR2/WR3 ADP.