2009 Draft Prep: Eyeballing the offensive lines

You might not think you're drafting Bryant McKinnie or Steve Hutchinson when you take Vikings rusher Adrian Peterson No. 1 overall in your draft this summer, but you are.

The unsung heroes on offenses across the league are the linemen. They protect the quarterback and open holes up for the running back, and they do it with little praise and fanfare. Sure, Fantasy Football enthusiasts recognize that they're there, but we don't draft them, trade them or pick them up off the waiver wire, so sometimes they're invisible to us -- even though many of them weigh over 300 pounds.

But in your quest to draft the best players, considering the five guys in front of them is a must. Without good interior linemen, running backs could struggle to gain yardage against defenses with quality defensive linemen. Without good tackles, quarterbacks might see pass rushers in their face more often than normal. And without cohesiveness, O-lines could stumble, draw penalties and even get their skill-position players hurt.

There's a reason why Peterson has been a Fantasy stud for two years. There's a reason why the zone-blocking scheme has become popular across the NFL. The skill and ability of a team's offensive line usually correlates directly to the success and failure an offense experiences. As such, you must pay attention to these O-lines.

How we grade

Like we did last year, we graded linemen individually on a scale similar to your basic school report card. We did give weighted value to players who have been in the same scheme for a long time, especially if the men around them have been there for a while, too. We also would give a player a better grade than they deserve if their backup is just as capable of doing their job. And like last year, we mandated that no rookie gets a grade higher than a 'B.'

We then took each individual grade and computed the cumulative average without any bell curve or weighing grades for blind-side tackles. Like any offensive line coach will tell you, a line is only as strong as its weakest link, so all linemen were graded and scored equally.

Be sure to consider these rankings when reviewing for your draft this summer. After all, these players are huge keys to the Fantasy studs you'll be targeting early on in your drafts.

Have a question or a comment for Dave about Fantasy Football? Send your thoughts or questions to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and he'll get to as many as he can. Be sure to put Attn: Offensive lines in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.