Photo: USA Today Sports

UPGRADES

Oakland up 4 SLOTS

Former All-Pro left guard Richie Incognito will make his season debut this week at Minnesota. Incognito served a two-game suspension dating from violations in 2017, before his retirement and year away from football. Jordan Devey had been starting in his place. Usually, the return of a 36-year-old to a team's starting lineup would not be the most optimistic news of the week, but such is the state of the offensive line labor market. In other team news, right tackle Trent Brown couldn't finish the loss against Kansas City due to a sore knee and Brown did not practice on Wednesday. Brandon Parker finished the game for Brown and could get the call again. Parker is an interesting prospect in his second season out of North Carolina A&T. Parker had a trial by fire as a rookie, starting twelve games last season for Donald Penn. The ranks are assuming Brown can go, and if not, Parker will do a decent job. Right guard Gabe Jackson (MCL knee sprain) is still not ready (Denzelle Good has been decent in replacement) but overall this line has clawed out of the low-tier. The Raiders' offensive line grades as a mid-tier option, assuming Incognito can still play at a high level.

DOWNGRADES

Kansas City down 4 slots.

Left tackle Eric Fisher was forced from the win at Oakland with a groin injury. The team announced Fisher's condition required "core muscle surgery" and he would miss several weeks. In the game, Cam Erving replaced Fisher and had a mixed day. Erving was solid in pass protection but dire in run blocking. This week at undefeated Baltimore, the stakes for Erving will be higher. Erving was a former first-round pick out of Florida State but has played most of his professional football a guard. A small drop off might be a best-case scenario for the Chiefs' line, who grade on the cusp of the top-10 without Fisher.

Los Angeles (N) DOWN 1 SLOT.

Starting right guard Austin Blythe turned his ankle last week against New Orleans and did not participate during Wednesday's practice. Jamil Demby took Blythe's place and the line continued to leak pressure up the middle. The Rams' offense has been winning games and Joe Noteboom is a good pulling run blocker but he and new center Brian Allen have been missing blocks and assignments in the passing game. The beat writers are saying everything is fine but the film tells another story. The Rams' line is trending downward without Blythe will need to have their act together against Myles Garrett on Sunday Night Football this weekend.

Cleveland DOWN 10 SLOTS.

Right tackle Chris Hubbard has a foot injury and is expected to be inactive this weekend against Los Angeles. With Kendall Lamm also injured and Drew Forbes on the injured reserve, the team turns to Justin McCray to start at right tackle. McCray gave up four pressures against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football and will likely be targeted in this week's game plans. The only other reserve option is Austin Corbett, who has been working at center. Some teams have the depth to handle missing their starter for a few weeks, but it's not clear if the Cleveland Browns' offensive line will be able to replace Hubbard in the near-term.

Minnesota DOWN 13 SLOTS.

Left guard Pat Elflein missed last week's loss against Green Bay with a knee injury. Elflein, along with rookie center Garrett Bradbury and veteran right guard Josh Kline are all good run blockers but the interior has been leaky in pass protection to start the season. Dakota Dozier got the start for Elflein and is a similar player to these three, better going forward (run blocking) than backward (pass blocking). The Vikings' grade falls to the low-tier until the pressure can be stifled.

San Francisco DOWN 9 SLOTS.

Left tackle Joe Staley suffered a broken leg during the win at Cincinnati. Staley was placed on the injured reserve list and could, in theory, come back later in the year. Justin Skule (sixth-round rookie from Vanderbilt) took over for Staley during the game and will get the start this week as they host a desperate Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. Earlier this preseason, this column questioned how much Staley had left in the gas tank. But this could be a rough transition in the near-term. Look for the team to rely upon George Kittle more as a pass blocker until Skule can find his sea-legs.

New England DOWN 2 SLOTS.

This is a classic good news/bad news situation for the Patriots' offensive line. Right tackle Marcus Cannon recovered from his shoulder injury and is expected to start this weekend against the New York Jets. However, left tackle Isaiah Wynn was added to the injured reserve list with a foot injury. Wynn is eligible to return to action later in the season, but if he does not, he will have finished his first two seasons on the IR. Marshall Newhouse (who was starting last week in Miami in place of Cannon) flipped to left tackle mid-game and is likely to get the call again. The Patriots' offense is rolling but without Wynn (and Josh Andrews) the line has fallen to the low-tier of the rankings.

OTHER NEWS

• ATL - Right tackle Kaleb McGary injured his knee - Ty Sambrailo could replace.
• CIN - Left tackle Cordy Glenn likely inactive again (concussion). Left guard Michael Jordan injured his knee, Billy Price to replace.
• DET - Left tackle Taylor Decker missed week 2 with a back injury (Tyrell Crosby started at LAC). Decker is limited in practice, still in ranks.
• HOU - Left guard Senio Kelemete forced from last week's game against JAC with a wrist injury and limited in practice (Tytus Howard could replace).
• NO - Left guard Andrus Peat was limited in practice due to a knee injury but is likely to play at Seattle.
• PHI - Center Jason Kelce is fine (He ran to the wrong sideline and had to pass a concussion test).
• TEN - Backup tackle David Quessenberry scored a rare "big man" touchdown.

FULL RANKINGS

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