- Fly Eagles Fly: Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has been about as good as it gets from a clean pocket in 2022, which is great news for his pass-catchers this week against a poor Arizona Cardinals defensive line.
- Lock it in: Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook is in a great matchup to exceed 100 rushing yards for the first time this season against one of the lowest-graded defensive lines in the league.
- Mismatch for Miami: The Miami Dolphins’ defensive line has been dominant in run defense and is looking to keep it going against the New York Jets.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Whether fantasy managers are looking for some important tie-breakers in fantasy start/sit decisions or a DFS advantage, understanding which teams have the advantage in the trenches can be a key to weekly fantasy football success. These are some of the more crucial matchups to be aware of as fantasy managers head into Week 5.
NOTE: Click here to see this week’s entire offensive line/defensive line matchup tool.
OFFENSIVE LINE MATCHUPS TO TARGET
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES @ ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Eagles' offensive line enters the week with the highest pass-blocking grade (82.6) in the NFL while the Cardinals' defensive line ranks 27th in pass-rush grade. Arizona’s defensive line is tied for the second-lowest sack total (four) in the league heading into this week, and the Philadelphia offensive line is tied for the league-low in sacks allowed (two) entering Week 5.
TOP PLAYER(S) TO TARGET
QB Jalen Hurts: Hurts is the NFL's highest-graded passer so far this season from a clean pocket (89.8). He also ranks inside the top-three quarterbacks in passing yards (985) and yards per attempt (10.5) while touting a top-five big-time throw rate (4.9%). Hurts is already a locked-in starter in most fantasy leagues, but he’s in a prime position to smash his expectations this week.
WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith: Brown (90.4) and Smith (80.9) account for two of the top-10 receiving grades when there is no pressure on a given play, which has helped Philadelphia's WR corps rank second in total receiving yards (710) when Hurts isn’t pressured. Brown ranks first among all WRs in explosive plays (11) when there is no pressure on the play. Smith is tied for first among WRs (min. 10 targets), hauling in a perfect 100% of catchable passes on 17 targets when Hurts is kept clean in the pocket.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS VS. CHICAGO BEARS
Minnesota’s offensive line currently ranks fourth in run-blocking grade (73.6) and is going up against the second-lowest run-defense grade (41.0) in Chicago’s defensive line. There aren’t many mismatches much bigger than this on a given week, so the expectation is that the Vikings dominate on the ground in Week 5.
TOP PLAYER(S) TO TARGET
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