Fantasy Football: OL/DL matchups to target and avoid in Week 8

A new hope in Carolina: D.J. Moore and P.J. Walker have shown a strong connection since Walker has taken over and they’re among the best in the league from a clean pocket.

A significant mismatch in the NFC West: The 49ers‘ defensive line is set to dominate the Rams‘ offensive line this week, which doesn’t bode well for Matthew Stafford and company.

Mostert is a must-start: A positive matchup for Raheem Mostert should lead to a productive fantasy game on the ground.

Estimated reading time: 8 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 the most crucial matchups to be aware of as fantasy managers head into Week 8.

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

OFFENSIVE LINE MATCHUPS TO TARGET

CAROLINA PANTHERS @ ATLANTA FALCONS

The Panthers offensive line has quietly moved into the top-five units in the league in pass-blocking grade (72.5), allowing a bottom-10 pressure rate (20.2%) through seven games. Atlanta’s defensive line is well on the other end of that spectrum, ranking dead last in pass-rush grade (57.3), 29th in pressure rate (20.9%) and 31st in win rate (34.2%).

TOP PLAYER(S) TO TARGET

QB P.J. Walker – Since taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 6, Walker has earned an 85.0 passing grade from a clean pocket, which ranks seventh among quarterbacks in that time. As a result, he also boasts the second-highest big-time throw rate (14.7%) with zero turnover-worthy plays when not under pressure.

WR D.J. Moore – It appears to be safe to rely on Moore again for fantasy purposes, as his 16 targets over the past two weeks since Walker took over rank inside the top-10 wide receivers. The promising thing for this week’s matchup is Moore's 33.3% target rate when he’s on the field and there is no pressure on the play over the past two weeks, which ranks fifth among wide receivers.

MIAMI DOLPHINS @ DETROIT LIONS

The Dolphins may have one of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines in the league, but when it comes to run-blocking, it ranks inside the top 10 with a 66.3 grade. The Lions defensive line has struggled to defend the run with a 52.0 run defense grade through the first seven weeks of the season.