The fantasy blocking breakdown series reviews the impact that run and pass blocking have on fantasy football performance, using methodologies detailed here.

This week's fantasy blocking breakdown will detail the dominant run blocking of the Tennessee Titans, highlight an upside path for fantasy managers with Todd Gurley on their roster, review whether Jay Ajayi will start to produce anytime soon for his fantasy squads and take a look at what led the Giants' passing game to post big point totals.

The best run blocking in the NFL

The Tennessee Titans led the league in my good blocking rate (GBR) metric after Week 2 with an insanely high 58.5 percent mark (GBR measures how often an offense gives its ball carriers quality run blocking). To put this into perspective, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the GBR champions in 2016 and they ended the season with a 44.1 percent GBR.

The Titans certainly didn't live up to that pace in the first half of the contest against Seattle, as Tennessee posted a 20 percent GBR in the first two quarters of that game. This mediocre performance led DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry to post a combined total of 5.4 fantasy points at the half and likely had their fantasy managers concerned about seeing a single-digit point mark for each running back in Week 3.

Thankfully for those owners, the Titans' powerhouse offensive line is adept at wearing out opponents, a trait that allowed Tennessee to rack up a 68.8 percent GBR in the second half and led Murray and Henry to end up with a combined 26.4 points. The Titans now have a 53.6 percent GBR for the season, a mark that is likely to lead the league at the end of Week 3.

Even more upside potential for Todd Gurley

In his rookie campaign of 2015, Todd Gurley was one of only two running backs to post a double-digit total in my good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA) metric, which measures how productive a ball carrier is when given good run blocking.

That number fell back to earth last year, as Gurley's 6.8 GBYPA ranked 40th out of 42 qualifying running backs (100 or more carries to qualify) and led to his being a major disappointment to fantasy managers.

Gurley certainly has been anything but a fantasy letdown this season, as he has posted 20 or more points in three straight weeks and led all players in the Thursday or Sunday games with 37.9 points.

The most amazing part of this performance is that Gurley has done it despite posting a 6.4 GBYPA that is nearly half a yard lower than last season's abysmal total.

So why has he been able to rack up dominant fantasy numbers? Most of the thanks here can go to the Rams' offensive blocking wall that has posted a 50.0 percent GBR this season. At this point, the Rams and the Titans are the only clubs with a GBR of 50 percent or higher in the 2017 campaign.

What this could mean for Gurley's fantasy managers is that the sky is the limit if Gurley finds a way to combine his rookie season breakaway skills with this year's superb GBR. If that happens, he could end up contending for fantasy MVP honors by season's end.

Big Blue's pass blocking turnaround

Eli Manning received great pass protection against the Eagles, which resulted in his most passing yards in a game since October 2016. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants' passing game had been nothing but a headache to fantasy owners in the first two weeks of the season, as Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard had one double-digit scoring game between them.

That drought ended emphatically against the Eagles in Week 3, as the members of that trio posted 14 or more points apiece and scored a total of 69.8 points.

A major factor in this production spike was elite pass blocking. Eli Manning faced pass rush pressure on only 8.5 percent of his dropbacks, a total that rated second best through the Sunday games of Week 3. This superb pass protection allowed Manning to be off target on only 6.4 percent of his passes after having been off target on 18.6 percent of his throws in Weeks 1 and 2. If New York's blocking continues to hold up, the Giants' pass-catchers should see a lot of double-digit fantasy games in their futures.

Miami's run blocking is a huge concern

The Miami Dolphins were one of only two teams with a GBR of lower than 30 percent headed into Week 3 (25.8). This didn't seem to be too much of a concern for Jay Ajayi owners since he posted 14.6 points in the Dolphins' season opener and Miami had a Week 3 matchup against a New York Jets defense that placed next to last in GBYPA allowed (11.1).

Those fantasy owners have to be more worried after the Jets held the Dolphins to a 14.3 percent GBR and a 6.5 GBYPA. This gives Miami a 22.2 percent GBR for the season, which is the worst in the NFL. It is highly unlikely the Dolphins will block this poorly for the rest of the season, but these numbers should give Ajayi's fantasy managers pause to put him in the lineup until the blocking issues are resolved.

Quick hits

• The Chicago Bears were the other team with a sub-30-percent GBR through two weeks (27.8). Their 31.4 percent GBR against Pittsburgh doesn't offer much hope that their run-blocking consistency is improving, however. This means that Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen should still be considered to have more boom/bust traits than other comparably valued running backs.

• The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders came into Week 3 as the only teams to post a double-digit GBYPA through the first two weeks (12.3 for Kansas City, 11.1 for Oakland). The Chiefs added to their elite GBYPA total by moving it up to 13.2 through the contest against the Chargers. Since Oakland's offense fell apart against the overpowering Washington defense, it means Kansas City is now the only team to boast a double-digit GBYPA. It also serves as an indicator that any Chiefs running back is worth rostering, as the Chiefs' blocking wall is opening up holes big enough to drive a truck through.

• The Giants pass catchers weren't the only ones to benefit from top-notch pass blocking, as Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen returned to their dominant Week 1 forms against Tampa Bay in part thanks to great pass protection. Case Keenum faced pass pressure on only 13.9 percent of his dropbacks, a total that ranked fourth best in Week 3 through the Sunday contests. This allowed Keenum to tally 17.8 points on vertical passes, a total that rated second highest in Week 3, and led directly to Diggs' and Thielen's superb production.