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UPGRADES

Indianapolis up 2 slots

While much has been made of the play of All-Pro right guard Quenton Nelson (the 'keg stand' TD he scored last week was called back on further review), this upgrade is based on the dominant blocking of center Ryan Kelly. Kelly was part of a monster rushing output of over 260 yards last week against Jacksonville. Kelly had struggled with durability in recent years but the 26-year-old out of Alabama has been a consistent performer all season. The team has a short-week challenge on the road for Thursday Night Football, but the Colts' offensive line should match up well against a Houston defensive front missing J.J. Watt. This line carries a top-3 grade in the latest rankings.

Kansas City up 8 slots

Left tackle Eric Fisher got the start on Monday Night Football last week, a win over the Los Angles Chargers in Mexico City. Fisher looked rusty through the contest and had trouble at times with the edge performers of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. But some rust is to be expected given this was Fisher's first game action since Week 2 when he suffered a core muscle injury (sports hernia) requiring surgery. Cam Erving, more comfortable at guard, had been starting at left tackle in Fisher's place. Fisher (and the rest of the team) will have the bye week to further recover. With all five starters from the preseason finally healthy at the same time (and with many other of the league's lines falling due to injury), the Chiefs' offensive line grades out in the top-tier of the latest rankings.

New England up 12 slots

Isaiah Wynn has been activated from the injured reserve list after missing most of the season with a toe injury. Wynn is likely to start this week at left tackle, home against Dallas. The expectations are sky-high for this former Georgia Bulldog with only 82 total snaps of NFL game time logged in two injury-plagued seasons. Still, Wynn looked excellent in limited action, and the bar isn't high to at least be an upgrade over Marshall Newhouse (a journeyman backup right tackle, playing out of position). With their starting left tackle back in the lineup, the grade on the New England Patriots' offensive line has risen swiftly to the mid-tier.

NY Jets up 1 slot

With a new lineup, the Jets' offense has noticeably improved over the last two weeks. Tom Compton, a seven-year-vet from South Dakota, has been given the right guard job after Brian Winters was placed on the injured reserve with what was reported as "persistently separated shoulder." Compton is a much taller player and a better fit for the scheme. At center, Ryan Kalil was also placed on the injured list with knee injuries, leaving Jonotthan Harrison to start at center. Harrison is a decent starter with 36 games of experience, including the last month of 2018, when Sam Darnold got hot. Usually, when a lineup loses multiple starters, the grade falls, but this is not the case in New Jersey. In more minor news, right tackle Chuma Edoga suffered an ankle injury and is questionable for this week at home against Oakland. Brandon Shell lacks Edoga's athleticism but has far more experience. The Jets remain a low-tier line, but they are trending toward the mid-tier.

Detroit up 2 slots

This is a "one-in/one-out" situation as right tackle Rick Wagner has been practicing and assumed to return from the league's concussion protocol in time for the game at Washington. Meanwhile, right guard Frank Ragnow was forced from last week's contest against Dallas with a concussion and was replaced by Kenny Wiggins. Ragnow did not practice on Wednesday and while he could return to health quickly, the model assumes he will miss the contest. Predicting who exactly will play can be more of an art than a science, but either way the Lions' offensive line grade as a low-tier unit until they can get all of their starters healthy.

DOWNGRADES

Dallas down 1 slot

The injuries are starting to mount in Dallas. Right tackle La'El Collins was forced from last week's game against Detroit with a knee (MCL sprain) injury and back spasms. Collins did not practice on Wednesday and his status for this weekend for the game in New England is doubtful. Cameron Fleming (who was originally drafted by New England) will likely get the start in Collins' place. Left guard Connor Williams is also still doubtful as he is only two weeks off of minor knee surgery, leaving Xavier S'ua-Filo to get at least one more start. Right guard Zack Martin is playing through multiple (back/elbow/ankle) injuries but he is expected to play. With Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin in the lineup, this is still a top-tier line, but they have not had the greatest injury luck this season.

Philadelphia down 5 slots

Right tackle Lane Johnson was forced from the game against New England with a concussion. Johnson did not practice on Wednesday and his status for this weekend's home game against Seattle can be considered highly questionable. Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced Johnson in the game (and was not good, with Carson Wentz being sacked four times after Johnson's exit). The coaches have decided rookie Andre Dillard will get the first-team right tackle reps this week in practice. Dillard was mostly solid in replacement of Jason Peters earlier in the season, but the switch between sides can often be tricky, especially for young players. The Eagles' offensive line remains a top-tier unit in the rankings, but they have a tough matchup this week at home against Seattle.

Pittsburgh down 9 slots

Center Maurkice Pouncey has been suspended 2 games for his role in the fight with Myles Garrett on Thursday Night Football. B.J. Finney is a capable backup with 10 career starts but cannot replace All-Pro production of Pouncey. The Steelers' offensive line are an elite top-tier unit with Pouncey but will fall to the upper-mid-tier until he can return to action.

Carolina down 6 slots

The Panthers' offensive line was leaky against Atlanta last week, giving up five sacks and ten total quarterback hits. At right tackle, the coaches benched a struggling Taylor Moton for Darryl Williams, but neither player could stop the bleeding. At left tackle, rookie Greg Little looked raw and rusty in his second career start (the first being Week 4 at Houston). Dennis Daley has been recovering from his injuries and could get some action this weekend at New Orleans. The interior of the line has been mostly fine but this line has fallen to the mid-tier and will continue to fall in the rankings until they can get some consistent production from the tackle position.

Houston down 5 slots

Something is rotten in the state of Texas. At right tackle, rookie Tytus Howard is nursing a knee injury and he was exploited last week at Baltimore. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil can usually handle the other team's best edge rusher but the problem is he leads the league in penalties. Another rookie, Max Scharping, can be dominated at left guard. Overall this line has given up far too much pressure on quarterback Desean Watson. While they aren't quite bottom rung yet, they are clearly sliding toward the low-tier of the rankings.

Buffalo down 4 slots

Right tackle Ty Nsekhe is considered week-to-week with a leg injury suffered in the win over Miami. Nsekhe's injury first appeared to be a season-ending bone break but is more likely a high-ankle sprain. Rookie Cody Ford, who has seen significant snaps since Week 1, will finally get a starting job. Ford has been one of the league's more impressive young blockers but the depth behind Ford is not great, as Ryan Bates has been promoted to swing tackle. The Bills' offense has been churning of late but as the season winds down, the depth is going to be tested.

Tampa Bay down 4 slots

This is simply an individual downgrade on the performance of starting right tackle, Demar Dotson. The line was bad against New Orleans but Dotson's play was just awful. The Buccaneers' offense can't find a replacement for Dotson when he's injured, but they are also clearly held back when he's healthy. The penalties and technical mistakes have been overlooked for years but at this point in his career, the physical skills might no longer justify keeping this player in the lineup. The disturbing part is left tackle Donovan Smith isn't much better. This is a low-tier line until they prove it otherwise on film. 0

Minnesota down 4 slots

Another individual downgrade as left tackle Riley Reiff's tough day against Denver made everything harder than it needed to be last week. Reiff was shredded a couple of times in pass protection and a holding penalty brought back a huge bomb to Stefon Diggs. This has been a trend with Reiff all season and over multiple years. Reiff can do his job and has carried a grade slightly higher than his play deserved based on pedigree. However, he can no longer be considered a good or above-average starter at left tackle, compared to what other teams get from the spot. Perhaps Brian O'Neill can be swapped in the offseason but in the near-term the Vikings' line grade in the low-tier.

OTHER NEWS

• ARI - RT Justin Murray returned to lineup, allowing Justin Pugh to return to LG.
• CHI - RT Bobbie Massie has a back injury but is likely to play this weekend against NYG.
• CLE - LG Joel Bitonio nursing a groin but is expected to play this weekend against MIA.
• DEN - Could JaWuan James return in time for the game at Buffalo? He was limited in Weds practice but is not included in the model. In other other news, LG Dalton Risner (ankle) and RG Ron Leary (shoulder/neck) both missed practice as did C Connor McGovern with a back injury. All three are expected to play.
• JAC - LT Cam Robinson (knee) and C Brandon Linder (shoulder) were on the injury report, but expected to play.
• MIA - Julien Davenport started at LT did not finish the game (knee) JMarcus Webb replaced in the game. Both could see snaps this weekend at CLE.
• NYG - Mike Remmers full go from back injury, Nate Solder limited with concussion - both in model. C Jon Halapio recovered in full from his hamstring injury during the bye week. All three are expected to play against CHI.
• NO - Nick Easton Held up good at LG for Peat. Ryan Ramczyk limited knee, Larry Warford limited thigh but likely to play.
• OAK - RT Trent Brown is nursing a knee injury, C Rodney Hudson an ankle, both expected to play at NYJ
• SEA - LT Duane Brown showed up on the injury report with knee and biceps but he is likely to play this weekend at PHI.
• SF - LT Joe Staley still out with finger did not practice. Justin Skule will likely get another start, Sunday night against GB.

FULL RANKINGS

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