Assessing offensive line and defensive line matchups is integral to understanding how fantasy football players will fare against their opponent. If a player’s offensive line is injured or playing poorly, such as the Giants, Commanders, Titans, and Jets, then the chances a running back produces at a high-level on these teams is unlikely unless elite volume is earned, like Saquon Barkley (RB – Giants).
Conversely, defensive lines that consistently fail to disrupt and generate pressure against opposing offenses create plus-matchups to exploit in fantasy football. Teams with some of the lowest pressure rates through nine weeks include the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, and Titans. There are some surprisingly good defenses that rely on their secondaries more than their defensive lines to generate pressure and hurry opposing quarterbacks, like the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns, who all register a 5.2 percent hurry rate or worse. The Jaguars, Giants, Bears, Texans, and Panthers are all bottom-five in total sacks, which boosts opposing passing attacks due to increased time to operate in the pocket.
The battle in the trenches always determines the outcome of NFL games, so in this article, we make sure to stay focused on how their play impacts fantasy football player production as well. NFL fantasy analyst Matt MacKay is back to share his latest offensive and defensive line rankings and matchups to give fantasy managers an advantage toward maximizing points in their lineups ahead of a busy Week 10 NFL slate.
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Offensive Line Rankings & Matchups
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Detroit Lions
4. Cincinnati Bengals
5. Minnesota Vikings
Key Week 10 Matchups
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns
This AFC North divisional clash projects to be a low-scoring affair for both teams. Lamar Jackson (QB – Ravens) scored two rushing touchdowns in a 28-3 win against Cleveland on the road back in Week 4, while Mark Andrews (TE – Ravens) scored two touchdowns himself. The Browns and Ravens both specialize in neutralizing opposing running backs, ranked as the third (Browns) and ninth (Ravens) toughest matchups for fantasy running backs this season.
In the last three games played, the Ravens have held opponents under 85 total rushing yards in two of these contests, while the Browns have been much more vulnerable until facing the anemic Clayton Tune (QB – Cardinals)-led Cardinals offense in Week 9. Don’t discount Jackson, Edwards, or rookie Keaton Mitchell (RB – Ravens) in a matchup that is much more favorable that it appears on the surface. Baltimore’s defense has held two consecutive opponents, Detroit and Seattle, to nine combined points during their last two home games, so fading most Browns skilled players is a good choice in Week 10.
Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Two teams that win ugly will face off in Pittsburgh in Week 10. T.J. Watt (LB/DE – Steelers), Alex Highsmith (LB/DE – Steelers), and Cameron Heyward (DT – Steelers) are a force to be reckoned with on the Steelers’ defensive line, while Green Bay’s offensive line is missing its start left tackle, David Bakhtiari for the remainder of the season. The Packers have managed to keep Love relatively clean in the pocket, but his poor decision-making and throwing mechanics won’t fare well against an elite Steelers pass rush.
Expect a ton of designed screens and dump offs to Aaron Jones (RB – Packers). Pittsburgh has allowed over 100 total rushing yards in five straight games, so Jones and A.J. Dillon (RB – Packers) are viable lineup prospects, but Christian Watson (WR – Packers) and other Packers wideouts are suffering from Love’s inefficient play, making them a tough start despite drawing a top-five fantasy wide receiver matchup in Week 10.
Tennessee Titans vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee continues to deal with injuries to its offensive line, which was already bad to start the season. Now, they face Tampa Bay, which is an elite run-stopping defense that tends to give up big explosive plays against the pass, as witnessed during C.J. Stroud’s (QB – Texans) epic 470-yard, five touchdown outing in Week 9.
Derrick Henry (RB – Titans) becomes an RB2 against the Bucs, who are a bottom-five fantasy running back matchup, especially with Vita Vea (NT – Buccaneers) back in the mix. DeAndre Hopkins (WR – Titans) is the best player to roll out for the Titans into fantasy lineups in Week 10, while Will Levis (QB – Titans) has shown us his floor and ceiling during his first two starts, so expect somewhere in the middle if he can manage to buy time in the pocket.
Defensive Line Rankings & Matchups
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Cleveland Browns
5. Miami Dolphins
Key Week 10 Matchups
New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
New England’s defense is its strength, so it’ll be interesting to watch how they perform against Jonathan Taylor (RB – Colts) and Zack Moss (RB – Colts) in Week 10. Despite being the backbone of the Patriots’ identity, New England is still surrendering the 14th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.
Its pass defense is even more vulnerable, ranking as a top-eight matchup for Gardner Minshew (QB – Colts) to bounce back, so Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – Colts) climbs into high-end WR2 territory, especially with Josh Downs (WR – Colts) questionable to play due to injury. Taylor has three straight games with double-digit production, scoring two touchdowns across this stretch, so he’s a low-end RB1 overseas in Frankfurt, Germany during the Week 10 morning game. The absence of Matt Judon (LB/DE – Patriots) looms large for the Patriots’ defensive line, which has 18 total sacks, tied for fifth-least in the league, giving the Colts’ offense a chance to improve the team to .500.
Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Chargers
One of the best matchups of the Week 10 slate is between the Lions and Chargers. Detroit’s defensive line was stymied by Baltimore in Week 7 but dominated Las Vegas in Week 8, so it’ll be interesting to watch how they perform against the Chargers’ offensive line in Week 9. Los Angeles is 16th in sack percentage allowed (6.6%) which is pedestrian, while the Lions defensive line, led by Aidan Hutchinson (DE – Lions), ranks top-ten in pressure percentage and hurry percentage.
Detroit is surrendering the second-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this season, but there’s no way Austin Ekeler (RB – Chargers) gets benched, especially since he’s heating up across the last couple of games played. Herbert likely returns to 250-plus passing yards after a down week against the Jets secondary, so all Chargers pass catchers get a slight uptick in production and value against Detroit’s 18th-ranked defense against fantasy wideouts.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans
Amongst the more underrated games of Week 10 features two red-hot quarterbacks in the same stadium, as C.J. Stroud and Joe Burrow (QB – Bengals) face off in Cincinnati. The Bengals and Texans’ secondaries have been stifling opposing passing attacks, but it’s actually Houston which is the fourth-toughest matchup for fantasy wideouts, compared to the Bengals being 13th-toughest.
This means we can keep Tank Dell (WR – Texans) and Nico Collins (WR – Texans) in lineups, while Dalton Schultz (TE – Texans) is a must-start against the best tight end fantasy matchup in the league right now. Ja’Marr Chase (WR – Bengals) and Tee Higgins (WR – Bengals) could get blanketed, meaning Tyler Boyd (WR – Bengals) could see increased targets, while Joe Mixon (RB – Bengals) will be leaned on heavily to exploit Houston’s porous run defense, which is a top-12 fantasy matchup for running backs in 2023.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.