What Are The Best Offensive Lines To Invest In For Fantasy Football?

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 09: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles and his offense line up against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

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Your running back duo can make or break your Fantasy Football season.

Sure, the top-six point producers last year were all quarterbacks, which was the most since 2022.

Or a wide receiver like Ja’Marr Chase last year, CeeDee Lamb in 2023, or Justin Jefferson in 2022 could be enough separation to put Fantasy Owners into the championship.

And even a standout tight end could be enough of a bonus every week to make up for other shortcomings on the roster.

But consistently in Fantasy Football, regardless of how much passing offenses continue to grow in volume, the running back will always be the most important position on your roster.

This is due to the number of consistent running backs to wide receivers, and the higher likelihood of those consistent running backs getting hurt due to their amount of touches.

Even if a ten-team league were to nail the top-20 running backs in 2024, which is nearly impossible given the volatility of the position group, the difference between the rankings of these top-20 is drastic.

This is why, when the first and second rounds have passed in your fantasy football draft, and the top-tier running backs like Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs are off the board, the decision process should focus less on predicting which running backs may be undervalued.

Instead, players should look into who is going to be blocking for these running backs.

For example, the best run-blocking teams in 2024 were the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, and Arizona Cardinals.

With running attacks like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions dominating on the ground last season, this may not be the top three you expected.

However, the Cardinals are a perfect example of this premise.

This is how 29-year-old James Conner was able to average 12.93 fantasy points per game, and 206.8 on the season, which was 10th-best last year.

While all three of these teams also have a running threat at quarterback, another consideration that goes into analyzing the best offensive lines is the consistency of these teams to give the ball to the running back, and a reasonable assumption that the teams will consistently stick to the ground game for all four quarters.

With those caveats, here are the top-three offensive lines to draft running backs from in your Fantasy Football draft.

Denver Broncos

According to Pro Football Focus, the Denver Broncos have the second-best overall offensive line in the NFL.

Highlighted by Quinn Meinerz, who ranked third among guards as a run blocker, and left tackle Garett Bolles, who the Broncos signed to a four-year, $82 million extension, Denver has a reliable front-five.

While the Broncos ranked just 13th-most in the NFL last season, a lot of that blame could be due to their positional group of Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

With a revamped backfield of J.K. Dobbins & RJ Harvey, and McLaughlin, Head Coach Sean Payton should have plenty of opportunities to use this backfield efficiently.

It will likely stay a running back committee due to Dobbins’ injury history. However, when Dobbins has been able to stay on the field, he has consistently been one of the most effective backs in the NFL.

In 37 games, Dobbins has a career average of 5.2 yards per attempt and 60.9 yards per game.

While a small sample size, Dobbins is one of thirteen running backs since 2000 to average at least 5.2 yards per attempt.

The Broncos are also excited about rookie RJ Harvey, who earned his second-round draft pick after producing 1,577 yards and 22 touchdowns his senior year at Central Florida.

Both of these options, behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, are being drafted in the seventh round or later of most drafts.

Harvey is getting drafted above Dobbins, despite being on the depth chart as RB2.

This is likely due to his second-round draft pick selection and the fact that Harvey could be a starting-caliber fantasy running back whether Dobbins is on the field or not.

Dobbins could be a league-winning running back if healthy, and he could be drafted in as late as the ninth round.

Either of these backs, or the combination of both, could give your team a consistent running game, thanks to the blockers up front.

Chicago Bears

For a team that ranked 19th in run blocking last season, there were big changes in the Windy City ahead of 2025.

The most notable change for the Bears was the acquisition of Head Coach Ben Johnson, who created one of the best one-two punches from the backfield in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

While they could have flourished in any team’s backfield, their top-tandem status was predicated on the blocking up front, which Johnson has emphasized in his first offseason with the Bears.

Chicago traded for left guard Joe Thuney and signed center Drew Dalman in free agency, who both rank among the top of their position groups.

Bringing them in with Braxton Jones at left tackle and Darnell Wright at right tackle, Caleb Williams should have a much cleaner pocket to develop from in year number two.

However, the run-blocking capabilities were clearly taken into consideration when attempting to rebrand their offensive line.

And with the new members of the blockers, the members of the backfield stay the same, despite rumors that the Bears were looking to add a new face to their running back room.

For Johnson to come in with an emphasis on the ground game and keep the running back room essentially the same as 2024 signals his trust in D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.

Last year, Swift totaled 959 yards on the ground and 386 receiving yards, to give him an average of 4.6 yards per touch.

This level of play did come at his career-low in yards per attempt, which was 3.8 as compared to his career average of 4.6 entering last year.

However, the first sign that Swift could be a valuable member of a fantasy football roster is due to his upcoming reconnection with Ben Johnson, who was his offensive coordinator in 2022.

While only playing 14 games and being the secondary option behind Jamaal Williams, amid a league-leading 17 touchdown campaign, Swift averaged 5.5 yards per carry on 99 attempts. He also received 70 targets out of the flat, going for 8.1 yards per catch and scoring three times after the reception.

Even with that lack of volume over the season, Swift still finished with the 23rd-most fantasy points for all running backs, all while having the fewest games played of that top-25 list.

Johnson could also be a smart depth pick in this year’s draft, going as late as round 12 in ten-team leagues.

A north-to-south option, the Bears are attempting to tap into his 227 lb frame, who already has 8 career touchdowns despite just 502 yards.

In larger fantasy leagues, Johnson could see a majority of his touches coming in the red zone, making him and Swift worth consideration on draft night.

New York Jets

The New York Jets were tasked with a difficult responsibility in 2024, trying to keep 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers protected.

Due to this, and issues with personnel, the Jets’ offensive line had just the 26th-ranked run blocking ranking in the NFL last year.

This year, however, PFF gives them the ninth-best offensive line ranking heading into the new year.

This ranking could be proven inaccurate based on the performance of first-round picks Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, who will be the tackle duo for new quarterback Justin Fields.

In between the tackles will be guards John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker, who both finished within the top 12 for guards.

Joe Tippmann will be snapping the ball for New York, who was the reliable starter in his rookie year.

While the Jets are expected to be a dual-threat offense, with Fields’ running abilities, they also have a dual-threat in the running back room.

Breece Hall enters the final year of his rookie contract after being the lead back for each of the past two seasons. Last year, his numbers decreased in productivity, totaling just 876 yards and 5 touchdowns.

With the issues at the offensive line, and an offense that had the 24th-ranked point production across the league, the question marks should fall less on the former second-round pick.

Instead, the main question asked of fantasy owners is whether Hall will remain RB1.

20-year-old rookie Braelon Allen turned heads in his rookie season, despite the statistics being halted by the team’s success overall.

Allen rushed for 334 yards on the ground and had 19 catches for 148 yards in limited time on the field.

With an improved offensive line, a stronger emphasis as a team to run the ball more, and a quarterback who, in his career, has relied on the checkdown more than Rogers did, both Hall and Allen could be valuable members of a fantasy backfield.

Hall has been drafted significantly higher than Allen in mock drafts. However, a sixth-round pick on Hall, who still finished top-20 in fantasy production last year, could still be a value selection.

And, if you view Allen as the potential successor or second member of a running back committee, a thirteenth-round pick should not hurt you.