WR Strength of Schedule
Thu May 20 2:57pm ET
By JEFF PAUR @jeffpaur
Sr Fantasy Writer
Using our rules for our money leagues, we came up with a schedule strength ranking for the wide receiver position. We are using our fantasy defenses report to calculate the rankings. This report can be found in all of our leagues under the "reports" heading. We took the schedule of each team and entered the average number of fantasy points allowed to receivers last season from all of their opponents to get our fantasy points allowed number. This is a good indication of the receivers with the most favorable schedules for fantasy scoring for the coming season.
|
2021 WR SOS |
|
| 1. |
Raiders |
565.4 |
| 2. |
Browns |
572.9 |
| 3. |
Seahawks |
575.7 |
| 4. |
Ravens |
576.8 |
| 5. |
Vikings |
578.1 |
| 6. |
Bengals |
579.1 |
| 7. |
Lions |
580.7 |
| 8. |
Chiefs |
581.8 |
| 9. |
Cowboys |
582.6 |
| 10. |
Packers |
584.5 |
| 11. |
Broncos |
585.4 |
| 12. |
Titans |
585.7 |
| 13. |
LA Chargers |
585.8 |
| 14. |
NY Giants |
586.1 |
| 15. |
Bucs |
587.6 |
| 16. |
Steelers |
592.5 |
| 17. |
Eagles |
593.8 |
| 18. |
Falcons |
595.6 |
| 19. |
Bears |
596.6 |
| 20. |
Dolphins |
598.8 |
| 21. |
Bills |
599.7 |
| 22. |
Texans |
600.0 |
| 23. |
Washington |
600.5 |
| 24. |
NY Jets |
604.4 |
| 25. |
Cardinals |
604.7 |
| 26. |
49ers |
610.0 |
| 27. |
LA Rams |
611.0 |
| 28. |
Colts |
612.1 |
| 29. |
Panthers |
612.7 |
| 30. |
Jaguars |
613.7 |
|
Patriots |
613.7 |
| 32. |
Saints |
613.8 |
Saints receiver Michael Thomas had a season to forget last year but he might be setup for a turnaround. He has the easiest fantasy schedule for receivers this year. This also bodes well for new starter Tre’Quan Smith. These two Saints could be ready for big seasons. The Panthers duo of Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore had great seasons last year. It could be more of the same for both of them with a new quarterback and a schedule that allowed the fourth most fantasy points to receivers.
The Jaguars, Patriots and Colts are three other teams with very favorable fantasy schedules for running backs this year. Michael Pittman seems setup for a breakout year in Indy. D.J. Chark is the top target in Jacksonville and get Trevor Lawrence to throw him passes. Chark is ready to up his game this year. And the Patriots added some receivers this offseason, including Nelson Agholor. New England receivers could be worth a gamble late in drafts because of their schedule.
The Raiders were a mess at receiver last year and are facing a similar uphill battle. Las Vegas has the most challenging fantasy schedule for receivers. Henry Ruggs might have to wait another season before he has the breakout year. The Browns, Seahwaks, Ravens and Vikings also have some daunting schedules for receivers. This doesn’t mean you need to avoid all receivers on these teams but just remember they could have some bumps along the way this year. Guys like Odell Beckham and Marquise Brown might be a little shaky to take because of the schedules and seasons last year.
We also wanted to look at playoff schedules for fantasy receivers. So we crunched the numbers of all the schedules from Week 15-17, which is the fantasy playoffs for most leagues. We know you have to get to the playoffs first, but knowing the receivers with the easiest playoff schedules doesn’t hurt by any means, especially in the big money contests.
|
WR PLAYOFF SOS |
|
| 1. |
Vikings |
488.7 |
| 2. |
Ravens |
511.6 |
| 3. |
Eagles |
516.1 |
| 4. |
Bengals |
538.9 |
| 5. |
Cowboys |
545.4 |
| 6. |
Chiefs |
550.9 |
| 7. |
Seahawks |
560.2 |
| 8. |
Browns |
560.4 |
| 9. |
Texans |
571.4 |
| 10. |
Panthers |
573.2 |
| 11. |
LA Chargers |
575.2 |
| 12. |
Patriots |
575.9 |
| 13. |
Titans |
583.4 |
| 14. |
Broncos |
584.2 |
| 15. |
Bucs |
586.0 |
| 16. |
Colts |
590.8 |
| 17. |
Raiders |
596.8 |
| 18. |
Falcons |
602.7 |
| 19. |
Jaguars |
603.7 |
| 20. |
Packers |
606.7 |
| 21. |
Saints |
607.4 |
| 22. |
NY Giants |
613.3 |
| 23. |
Bills |
613.7 |
| 24. |
Steelers |
618.6 |
| 25. |
NY Jets |
622.7 |
| 26. |
LA Rams |
629.3 |
| 27. |
Bears |
635.2 |
| 28. |
Dolphins |
637.4 |
| 29. |
Washington |
654.9 |
| 30. |
Cardinals |
659.7 |
| 31. |
Lions |
667.7 |
| 32. |
49ers |
699.7 |
The 49ers have a great playoff schedule, making Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel a little more appealing for fantasy teams. The Lions also have a great schedule for the playoffs but their lack of top options in the passing game make them less appealing. Washington, Arizona and Miami round out the top five most favorable playoff schedules. DeAndre Hopkins looks as good as ever for the Cardinals this year. And Terry McLaurin has his arrow pointing up with a new quarterback this coming season. His fantasy playoff schedule is even more encouraging for him.
The teams with not-so-friendly playoff schedules are the Vikings, Ravens, Eagles, Bengals and Cowboys. There are some big-time receivers on these teams. We aren’t saying avoid these guys altogether but maybe have some other options ready for the playoffs if the matchups don’t look too appealing when those games come around. It is never too early to start planning ahead.