This year’s NFL draft was a boring one for fantasy football freaks as lineman after lineman got their name called. In fact, many of you were probably thinking this.
Get to the skill positions already! The ones that are going to score my points!
Those big boys up front don’t directly contribute to your final score, but they do impact the players around them.
With so many linemen taken in the first round, which ones help the fantasy players around them most?
Eric Fisher, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
Along with Brandon Albert, Fisher will bookend the offensive line to protect new franchise QB Alex Smith. But wait, who cares? Smith’s best fantasy season was in 2011 when he racked up only 255.1 fantasy points. That’s not going to win my league Eric! True, but now, more importantly, Smith will be better protected. Better protection equals more completions/yards/TDs for WR Dwayne Bowe, who should easily rebound from a disappointing 2012 campaign.
Oh, and an ultra-talented offensive lineman of any kind will help RB Jamaal Charles, an easy first-round fantasy draft choice.
Jonathan Cooper, G, Arizona Cardinals
Larry Fitzgerald, a fantasy mainstay, had his worst fantasy season ever last year and it’s mostly because the cardinals couldn’t keep any of their QBs on their feet. The Cardinals gave up a league worst 58 sacks last year and due to poor offensive line play in general no Cardinal (aside from IDP player Daryl Washington) scored more than 108 fantasy points for the year.
That won’t happen this year. Cooper should at least help reduce the number of sacks on new QB Carson Palmer. With Palmer not having to run for his life on every snap, Fitzgerald should see himself put up 150+ points this season.
Finally, Cooper made his reputation at North Carolina as a punishing run blocker. That’s good news for new Cardinals RB Rashard Mendenhall. In Bruce Arians’ system, running the ball won’t be the first choice but Mendenhall is at least a low-end RB2 choice or a guy you can store for a rainy day.
D.J. Fluker, OT, San Diego Chargers
Philip Rivers didn’t play well in 2012, partly because he just awful, but also because he found himself in the dirt a lot. Along with signing free agent OT Max Starks, Fluker will help keep Rivers upright and allow him to get the ball to some receivers with real potential.
Malcolm Floyd and Denario Alexander both had solid if unspectacular years with 111 and 107 fantasy points respectively (167 and 144 in PPR leagues). Both of them look like they will improve as Rivers does.
Finally, RB Ryan Matthews could play a whole season and live up to the hype around him, he could have a big year behind a revamped offensive line that now includes Fluker.
Eric Smith is an MMA and fantasy football contributor with Craveonline.com. Follow him on twitter or @EricSmith_SP or email him at ejmith7@asu.edu.
