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Fantasy Football: OL/DL matchups to target and avoid in Week 12

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders (26) runs the ball while Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin (44) defends in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

  • Running for Miles: Miles Sanders boasts some impressive numbers on the ground in advantageous matchups in the trenches.
  • Confidence in Jeff Wilson is high: Wilson has been dominant on the ground and has a great matchup to deliver a big-time fantasy performance.
  • Kamara’s ceiling is falling: While still a big fantasy contributor in the passing game and overall volume, Alvin Kamara’s work on the ground has been well below average, limiting his full potential.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Whether fantasy managers are looking for some important tie-breakers in fantasy start/sit decisions, prop bets or a DFS advantage, understanding which teams have the advantage in the trenches can be a key to weekly fantasy football/betting success. These are the most crucial matchups to be aware of as fantasy managers head into Week 12.

NOTE: Click here to see this week’s entire offensive line/defensive line matchup tool.

OFFENSIVE LINE MATCHUPS TO TARGET

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts

The Steelers offensive line has been among the better units in the league in pressure allowed (22.7%), ranking inside the top 10 so far this season. It has also graded in the top half of the league in pass-blocking, earning a 69.4 grade in that category. The Colts defensive line has struggled to generate consistent pressure, ranking 27th in pass-rush grade (62.8) and 20th in win rate (44.2%). While it has been on the right side of variance when it comes to landing sacks, underlying metrics point to a regression in that category.

TOP PLAYER(S) TO TARGET

WR Diontae JohnsonJohnson has been a massive disappointment this season, currently without a single top-24 PPR finish on the year, but this could be the week for him to break through. Johnson ranks fifth among all wide receivers in targets from a clean pocket (70), which is a good sign against a poor pass rush despite his low average depth of target (8.4 yards) and yards per reception (8.4) so far. Johnson also ranks third among wide receivers in first-read targets from a clean pocket (57) so there’s an opportunity for him to outperform his typical stat line this week and push for his first top-24 PPR finish.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers

The Eagles offensive line owns the seventh-best run-blocking grade (73.3), generating 1.63 yards before contact (tied for fifth) for its running backs. The Packers defensive line has allowed 1.52 yards before contact to running backs while also missing 21 total tackles (tied for fourth-most), making the defense susceptible to big plays on the ground.

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