Our 2015 offensive line rankings continue here with the NFC North. We always prefer our fantasy players be on teams with good offensive lines, even receivers – who must rely on the QB being given enough time to execute their routes. Fortunately for fans of the Black and Blue division – the offensive lines are good across the board. Out of necessity as you might expect; not too dissimilar from the Big 10 in college football.

*We credit Pro Football Focus, STATS and Football Outsiders for many of the numerical rankings for offensive linemen from 2014 outlined below

It was a middle-of-the-pack performance for the Lions offensive line in 2014. However, fantasy owners should expect a big rebound in 2015. One that will pay off in spades for the entirety of Detroit’s offense. The team made significant additions in the NFL Draft and Free Agency to a unit that already possessed undeniable talent.

Riley Reiff, LT 6’6″ 311 lbs – A positive pass and run-blocker who was a top 25 OT in 2014

Manny Ramirez, LG 6’3″ 320 lbs – Solid player in DEN who had a down season and was traded to DET

Travis Swanson, C 6’5″ 312 lbs – Expected C of the future, slightly below-average rookie season, was not impressive during 2014 Senior Bowl practices

Larry Warford, RG 6’3″ 330 lbs – Best pass-blocker on team in ’14, has ability to dominate run game, was a Senior Bowl beast and RW All-Senior Bowl Team member

LaAdrian Waddle, RT 6’6″ 321 lb- A top 32 OT in 2014, solid pass-blocker, average run-blocker, missed the offseason recovering from an ACL, Waddle’s healthy will be something to monitor closely as the Lions are thin behind him

Notes-

The biggest addition of the offseason was Laken Tomlinson, OG 6’3″ 323 in RD 1 of the NFL Draft. He was a RosterWatch Top 20 prospect in our pre-draft rankings and a member of the RW 2015 All-Senior Bowl Roster. He’s a Larry Warford duplicate who is going to find his way into the starting lineup in short order. The Lions will have a dominant pairs of offensive guards and tackles. The team also drafted Corey Robinson, OT 6’7″ 324 pounds in the 7th round. Detroit is clearly aiming to build a big, powerful road -grating offensive line. TE Brandon Pettigrew remains on the team, and while he can’t catch a cold, he’s a terrific run-blocker. If second-year tight end Eric Ebron expects to improve his snap count, it will be because he’s also become a better blocker at 6’4″ 250 lbs. This is a grade-A unit.