In the Trenches: Week 6 OL/DL Matchups (2022 Fantasy Football)

This week we have the Bills and Chiefs as our main matchup, which should be a good one. The Bills have made significant upgrades to their defensive line in recent years, and they are starting to see those moves pay off. How much they can get to Patrick Mahomes will be a big key to the game.

Let’s take a look at three Week 6 matchups.

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Matchup of the Week

Buffalo Bills DL (3rd in FantasyPros OL Rankings) @ Kansas City Chiefs OL (9th in FantasyPros DL Rankings)

This is the marquee matchup of Week 6 in the NFL. The Bills have pointed to this game since last January, and their off-season addition of Von Miller was made for this type of matchup. Patrick Mahomes is one of the best improvisers in all of football, so the Bills have a big task ahead, and their defensive line is one of the keys to the game. This is a strength-on-strength matchup with Buffalo ranking 6th in pass defense DVOA and 1st in yards allowed per pass, while Kansas City is 4th in pass offense DVOA and yards per pass.

The Bills rank 6th in the league in sacks, with 16 on the year. Miller has been as good as advertised, racking up four sacks and 11 QB pressures so far. The real revelation along the front four of Buffalo has been the development of Gregory Rousseau. He has already matched his 2021 sack output (4), and he’s on his way to becoming one of the better defensive ends in the AFC. He and Miller have been arguably the most disruptive pass-rushing combo in the league. When you add A.J. Epenesa (2.5 sacks) to this group, it means tackles Orlando Brown, who has been a disappointment so far, and Andrew Wylie will need to play their best game of the year. Brown has just a 61.7 grade from PFF, and his pass-blocking grade (54.7) ranks 48th at the position, while Wylie has given up three sacks already. If Buffalo can force the issue from the outside, that would go a long way toward bottling up Mahomes.

Inside, Jordan Phillips and Ed Oliver were both able to suit up against Pittsburgh in Week 5, a positive sign for Buffalo. Phillips did leave the game with a sore hamstring, but it looks like he is trending toward playing this week. The same goes for Oliver, who has been nursing an ankle injury since Week 1. Fortunately for Buffalo, DaQuan Jones has been stellar while filling in, holding up well against the run and registering a 72.2 grade from PFF. Buffalo will need all three to play well, as the Chiefs have one of the best interior offensive lines in football. Creed Humphrey anchors things at center with a sparkling 85.4 grade from PFF on the season. The Chiefs should also get right guard Trey Smith back this week after he missed Monday night. He and Joe Thuney (75.2 PFF grade) form one of the better 1-2 punches in the league at guard.

The Bills’ defensive line has wreaked havoc so far this year, and they will need to do so on Sunday to contain Mahomes. To do this, Buffalo’s best bet is to collapse the pocket from the outside in and hope they can swallow him up. The issue, of course, is that Mahomes can be deadly even when pressured. He ranks 9th in the league in pressured completion percentage and 8th in the league in completion percentage when throwing from a clean pocket. Miller, Rousseau, and Epenesa will not only need to hit Mahomes but take him down with the first hit. He excels when he can escape pressure and get outside the pocket, so containing him will be crucial.

This game sets up as a shootout, and the Chiefs will likely need to keep up with the Bills’ offensive output. Travis Kelce is always in play, but Kansas City will need more out of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. JuJu, in particular, has to show up Sunday. Kansas City is in the middle of the pack for rushing offense, and it is hard to determine who will be the main ball carrier. Clyde Edwards-Helaire could pop off, but this could be an offensive environment that lines up for Jerick McKinnon to pop. I would put CEH in low-end RB2 territory while McKinnon is PPR-flex viable.

Defensive Line Matchup to Exploit

San Francisco 49ers OL (14th in FantasyPros DL Rankings) @ Atlanta Falcons DL (1st in FantasyPros OL Rankings)

San Francisco’s ground game got back on track Sunday, rushing for 153 yards as a team. While the Falcons aren’t exactly a sieve, they just traded away Deion Jones and currently rank 27th in rush defense DVOA. As you might expect, San Francisco has one of the most balanced offenses in football. Kyle Shanahan does well to scheme against opponent weaknesses, however, so this sets up well for Jeff Wilson Jr. to continue to roll.

The San Francisco offensive line got veteran Daniel Brunskill back in Week 5, and he saw action at both guard spots. He should take over for struggling rookie Spencer Buford, a welcome change for the 49ers. He and center Jake Brendel will have their hands full with Grady Jarrett (78.4 PFF grade), who is having a career year thus far. He has four sacks and 20 tackles on the season, thriving in Dean Pees’ aggressive scheme. If Atlanta has an advantage, this is where it would be.

On the outside, the 49ers have veteran Mike McGlinchey (70.4 PFF grade) and all-pro Trent Williams (79.5) at tackle, giving them a sizable advantage. The Falcons have one of the worst pass rushes in the league, and they’ve only tallied eight sacks on the season. Outside linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Mykal Walker will have a hard time with McGlinchey and Williams, giving Jimmy Garoppolo plenty of time to work with. Those two should be able to seal the edge, and I would look for the 49ers to work the outside and try to exploit Atlanta this way to avoid Jarrett in the middle.

While the 49ers aren’t explosive, Wilson is a good candidate for 100 yards and a touchdown this week. Although the 49ers aren’t a high-volume passing attack, they have the #1 protection rate in the NFL (92.1%), and Garoppolo surprisingly ranks 8th in the league in yards per attempt. I think we could see some deep shots to Brandon Aiyuk, as Garoppolo should be working with a clean pocket most of the day. George Kittle could also break out this week against a defense giving up 17 points per game to tight ends. Kittle shouldn’t be needed to stay in as an extra pass protector, so I would fire him up with confidence in all formats.

Offensive Line Matchup to Exploit

Tampa Bay Buccaneers DL (5th in FantasyPros DL Rankings) @ Pittsburgh Steelers OL (20th in FantasyPros OL Rankings)

Tampa Bay travels to Pittsburgh Sunday, taking on a reeling Steelers team. Pittsburgh is coming off a 35-3 pasting at the hands of the Bills and is off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. Offensively, the Steelers rank 24th in offensive DVOA, and they rank 29th in yards per carry. Things get no easier this week as Tampa Bay boasts one of the best defenses in the NFL. Vita Vea, Shaquil Barrett, and Devin White should feast here.

The Steelers’ offensive identity has shifted away from the power run game to a more pass-centric game plan. This is a combination of several factors, one of which is that the Steelers lack the talent to line up and beat people across from them. Vea will be a problem for them this weekend, especially with Mason Cole (64.9 PFF grade) banged up. Cole has played well in fits and spurts, but this a bad matchup for him as he gives up almost 50-pounds to the massive Vea. Guard James Daniels (68.9) has been the most consistent performer along the interior, but he had a miserable game last week. Same for Kevin Dotson(59.6), who has regressed over the years. It is hard to see a scenario where Najee Harris has much room to run and he doesn’t have the look of a man who can get to the edge either. In short, this could be another long day for him.

On the edge, Barrett will bring plenty of pressure as the Bucs blitz at one of the highest rates in football. They currently rank 3rd in the league with 19 sacks and, incredibly, have 11 different defenders who have at least one sack on the season. Tackle Chukwuma Okafora (71.9) is the Steelers’ highest-rated offensive lineman, but even he doesn’t inspire much confidence. The Steelers gave up three sacks last week against Buffalo, and a blitz-heavy defense is usually a big challenge for a rookie quarterback. While Kenny Pickett handled himself reasonably well last week, he will see major pressure again on Sunday.

I would be inclined to bench Najee Harris but given your draft capital with him, that might be a tough ask. Rookie Jaylen Warren has been getting some buzz from the Pittsburgh coaching staff, and he’s been excellent in pass protection. He also has the burst to attack the edges of the Tampa Bay defense, which is probably Pittsburgh’s best bet this week. Vea will clog things up in the middle which will make inside running a tough ask. As for Pickett, the Steelers fell behind early against Buffalo, and he threw 52 passes. Pittsburgh has used play-action on 81.2% of Pickett’s attempts so far this year, and I would look for that to continue Sunday. With the Steelers likely to be playing from behind once again, the usual suspects for Pittsburgh should be viable on volume alone. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens should both see 10+ targets, and hopefully, the Steelers can finally get a receiving touchdown from a receiver. Finally, I would be firing up the Tampa Bay defense, as they should feast here.

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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.