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QB Strength of Schedule

Thu May 23 11:12am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Related photo caption below

Prescott setup for big success


Using our rules for our money leagues, we came up with a schedule strength ranking for the quarterback 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 quarterbacks last season from all of their opponents to get our fantasy points allowed number. This is a good indication of the quarterbacks with the most favorable schedules for fantasy scoring for the coming season. Defenses obviously change from year to year, but knowing the quarterbacks that might have the easiest schedule for fantasy is always a good idea when formulating your rankings and draft strategy.

  QB SOS  
1. Miami Dolphins 313.6
2. Cincinnati Bengals 314.77
3. Los Angeles Chargers 317.32
4. Denver Broncos 317.38
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 320.33
6. Houston Texans 320.74
7. Buffalo Bills 321.01
8. Philadelphia Eagles 323.71
9. Kansas City Chiefs 325.08
10. Washington Commanders 325.12
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 326.4
12. Jacksonville Jaguars 328.45
13. New York Jets 329.06
14. New England Patriots 329.64
15. Cleveland Browns 330.31
16. Los Angeles Rams 330.72
17. Arizona Cardinals 331.54
18. Indianapolis Colts 331.69
19. Seattle Seahawks 332
20. Atlanta Falcons 332.73
21. Baltimore Ravens 333.05
22. San Francisco 49ers 333.05
23. Detroit Lions 334.13
24. Las Vegas Raiders 334.38
25. New York Giants 334.72
26. New Orleans Saints 336.27
27. Minnesota Vikings 337.2
28. Dallas Cowboys 339.64
29. Chicago Bears 340.70
30. Tennessee Titans 343.69
31. Carolina Panthers 345.54
32. Green Bay Packers 349.53


The Packers have the easiest fantasy schedule for quarterbacks. Jordan Love already had a breakout season last year and could take his game to an even higher level this season. Love is shaping up to be a really intriguing QB1 this season. He is a player on the rise and seems setup for even more success this year.

A couple second-year quarterbacks have really favorable schedules, Will Levis and Bryce Young. Both seem like good No. 2 fantasy quarterbacks to take a chance. Their teams did well in upgrading the talent around them this offseason and a favorable schedule bodes well for them to take some steps forward this year.

Caleb Williams was the No.1 overall pick and the Bears gave him plenty of firepower to work with in year one. Williams has a lot of good going for him this year and could be the C.J. Stroud of this year’s rookie class. And having a favorable fantasy schedule helps Williams even more.

A couple veterans with favorable schedules are Dak Prescott and Derek Carr. Prescott is the one that stands out the most. The Cowboys are lacking top options at the running back spot, so it would not surprise if the Cowboys are really pass-heavy offensively. Prescott could really rack up the numbers this year.

There are some big-name quarterbacks on the opposite side of things, having very tough fantasy schedules. Tua Tagovalioa has the toughest schedule of all. He struggled a little down the stretch last year and now has the most unfavorable schedule for any fantasy quarterback. This is a little concerning.

Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and whoever is starting in Pittsburgh, likely Russell Wilson, are other veteran quarterbacks that have a top-five unfavorable schedule for fantasy quarterbacks. Burrow is not a huge concern for us because we think they will still have success throwing the ball and he has a ton of talent around him at receiver. Herbert is a concern. The Chargers lost their top two receivers and could be a lot more run-heavy with a new coach in place. Herbert has some red flags for him this coming year, making him a bit of a risky pick for fantasy teams. Wilson is another veteran with a tough schedule. He also has Justin Fields pushing him to play, so Wilson is going to be a boom or bust fantasy pick.

We also wanted to look at playoff schedules for fantasy quarterbacks. So we crunched the numbers of all the schedules from Week 14-17, which is the fantasy playoffs for most leagues. We know you have to get to the playoffs first, but knowing the quarterbacks with the easiest playoff schedules doesn’t hurt by any means, especially in the big money contests.

  QB PLAYOFF SOS  
1. Jacksonville Jaguars 292.02
2. Houston Texans 299.33
3. New York Giants 301.93
4. Miami Dolphins 307.48
5. Los Angeles Rams 308.45
6. Detroit Lions 312.4
7. Arizona Cardinals 313.15
8. Kansas City Chiefs 313.45
9. Buffalo Bills 313.6
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 317.53
11. Cincinnati Bengals 318.03
12. Baltimore Ravens 318.25
13. Green Bay Packers 322.48
14. Indianapolis Colts 322.83
15. Pittsburgh Steelers 328.78
16. Philadelphia Eagles 331.23
17. Cleveland Browns 331.95
18. Minnesota Vikings 334.68
19. Atlanta Falcons 336.18
20. Carolina Panthers 338.62
21. Seattle Seahawks 338.65
22. Las Vegas Raiders 341.18
23. Los Angeles Chargers 341.22
24. New York Jets 344.3
25. New Orleans Saints 346.68
26. Chicago Bears 347.07
27. Tennessee Titans 348.42
28. New England Patriots 355.23
29. Denver Broncos 355.35
30. Dallas Cowboys 359.62
31. Washington Commanders 359.92
32. San Francisco 49ers 363.47


There is just a team that makes both the top-five favorable quarterback schedule for the regular season and playoffs. That team is the Cowboys. So Dak Prescott has the third easiest playoff schedule in addition to having the fifth easiest regular season schedule. Prescott was a player looking pretty good even before seeing these schedules, so you might want to bump him up a few spots in your rankings after seeing this. Prescott could be a league winner in 2024.

The 49ers actually have the easiest fantasy quarterback schedule for the playoffs. So Brock Purdy could have a great run during the fantasy playoffs. He always has a high weekly ceiling, so things are looking great for him this postseason.

Now some rookie quarterbacks round out the team of having top-five fantasy quarterback playoff schedules. Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Drake Maye are all likely starting for their teams later in the season, so they should help fantasy teams during the playoffs. They all have some question marks surrounding them but could be worth the gamble, especially if you have a dependable starter already on your roster. These rookies could make some noise late in the season.

On the opposite side of things, the Dolphins are the only team to have both a top-five unfavorable fantasy quarterback schedule for the regular season and playoffs. We already had a few concerns for Tagovalioa even before these schedules were released. And now seeing he has very challenging schedules for both the regular season and playoffs make him a player you might want to avoid come draft day.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars have the toughest schedule for the playoffs. Lawrence has not lived up to expectations to date. He could have his best season to date this year, but his schedule during the playoffs is concerning. Lawrence could struggle when it matters most.

C.J. Stroud is the biggest name of any quarterback with a top-five unfavorable playoff schedule. We aren’t too concerned about this because some players can rise above the challenge. Stroud is one of those players. Things will be tougher for him in year two, but he will also progress and get better. Plus, he has Stefon Diggs added to the mix, which should improve that passing game even more.

Daniel Jones is another quarterback with a challenging playoff schedule. He is another fringe draft pick to begin with, so seeing him possibly have struggles down the stretch causes more trepidation when it comes to possibly drafting him. He might be another player to just steer clear of come draft day.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

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Player Notes
George Kittle Oct 7 9:10pm CT
George Kittle

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ribs) is still listed on the team's injury report on a short week with a divisional matchup coming on Thursday night on the road at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks. Although the Niners didn't practice on Monday, they listed Kittle as limited on their estimated practice report. Kittle suffered a rib injury in Week 4 but played through the injury in the Week 5 loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals and was no worse for the wear, catching eight pass on 12 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown. The 30-year-old missed Week 3 with a hamstring injury but has caught a touchdown pass in each of his last three games. He should be fine to suit up this Thursday and will be a must-start TE1 for fantasy managers after seeing a season-high 12 targets against the Cardinals.

From RotoBaller

Sydney Brown Oct 7 9:00pm CT
Sydney Brown

Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown (knee) has been designated to return from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Monday. Brown has been working his way back from suffering a torn ACL in Week 18 of last season. Before that, Brown recorded 45 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception in 14 games (six starts) with the Eagles in 2023. The 24-year-old put together a fairly solid rookie season before going down last season. He'd certainly offer the Eagles help at free safety with Reed Blankenship being their primary option right now. The Eagles still have a few weeks to ramp up Brown's activities before having to activate him or shut him down for the season.

From RotoBaller

Pharaoh Brown Oct 7 8:40pm CT
Pharaoh Brown

Seattle Seahawks tight end Pharaoh Brown (groin) was estimated as a limited participant during Monday's walkthrough. Fantasy managers shouldn't read much into this as it's not an official practice. Regardless, Brown hasn't been much of a fantasy asset this season anyway. He finished with one reception for seven yards during Sunday's Week 5 loss to the New York Giants. The 30-year-old mainly serves as depth with Noah Fant being the primary tight end in Seattle. The Seahawks are on a short week with a Thursday matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The absence of Brown would probably mean that AJ Barner has a slightly bigger role.

From RotoBaller

Devin Duvernay Oct 7 8:30pm CT
Devin Duvernay

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Devin Duvernay (lower body) could be in danger of missing the Week 6 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Duvernay suffered a lower body injury during Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts. The former third-round pick played a big role during this Week 5 win. Duvernay had a 53-yard punt return that set up running back Tank Bigsby for a big third quarter touchdown. Head coach Doug Pederson reportedly seemed concerned about Duvernay's status heading into their matchup with the Bears. The assumption is that wide receiver Parker Washington could be asked to fill in at punt return duties if Duvernay is unable to play. The absence of Duvernay won't have much of an impact for fantasy purposes with him serving mostly as depth, but he's still important to this roster.

From RotoBaller

Matt Prater Oct 7 8:20pm CT
Matt Prater

Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) was unable to suit up during Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers. The veteran kicker has been dealing with a left knee issue and was only able to get through one limited practice last week. That being said, the Cardinals held out Prater in Week 5 and elevated Chad Ryland to serve as the kicker. Ryland connected on 3-of-4 field goal attempts with his only miss being blocked. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said on Monday that the team will wait and see how Prater does in practice before making a decision for Week 6. Fantasy managers who have Prater rostered should get another kicker in line just in case he misses another game.

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Marshawn Kneeland Oct 7 6:40pm CT
Marshawn Kneeland

Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (knee) avoided a serious injury in the Week 5 win on Sunday night over the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to sources. Kneeland didn't suffer a season-ending torn ACL, but he did suffer a partial tear to his LCL and will have surgery on Tuesday, according to sources. ESPN Dallas' Todd Archer reports that Kneeland is expected to miss four to six weeks. The 23-year-old could be placed on Injured Reserve, but the good news is he'll have a chance to return down the stretch. The Cowboys defense has been bombarded by injuries to key players in recent weeks. With Kneeland out of action for the foreseeable future, Tyrus Wheat and KJ Henry will have opportunities to step up for Dallas on D. Micah Parsons is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, and DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) landed on Injured Reserve last week.

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Tommy Tremble Oct 7 6:40pm CT
Tommy Tremble

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (concussion) is officially in the league's concussion protocol on Monday after suffering a head injury in the team's Week 5 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Tremble was knocked out cold by Bears safety Jaquan Brisker after a catch on Sunday, and just by the way it looked, we would not be surprised if Tremble was unavailable to play in Week 6 against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons this weekend. He has only seven catches on nine targets for 59 yards and no touchdowns in four games this year and isn't a realistic fantasy tight end in most leagues when he's healthy. If Tremble is forced to miss any time, rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders would see an elevated role in the passing game in Carolina, although he, too, wouldn't really move the fantasy needle as anything more than a deep TE2 sleeper.

From RotoBaller

Mecole Hardman Oct 7 6:30pm CT
Mecole Hardman

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (knee) is officially active for the Week 5 contest on Monday Night Football against the visiting New Orleans Saints. Hardman will be able to go this week despite battling through a knee injury. Even with Rashee Rice (knee) potentially out for the rest of the season, Hardman hasn't been a popular waiver-wire pickup in fantasy. The 26-year-old played a season-high 16% of the offensive snaps in the Week 4 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers after Rice hurt his knee early in that game, but he wasn't targeted at all and has not been targeted a single time in five games in 2024. Hardman should have more chances moving forward, but the Chiefs will mostly be relying on rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster and even Skyy Moore at receiver.

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Gardner Minshew II Oct 7 6:20pm CT
Gardner Minshew II

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce declined to name a starting quarterback on Monday after the team's Week 5 loss to the division-rival Denver Broncos in which Gardner Minshew II was benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell. Minshew went 12-for-17 for 137 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (one pick-six) in the eventual 34-18 blowout loss. O'Connell didn't exactly do anything to impress after replacing Minshew, though, going 10-for-20 for 93 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Minshew has completed a career-high 70.7% of his 140 pass attempts through five games in 2024, but he has only four touchdowns and five interceptions and has been sacked 15 times. It's not helping either Minshew or O'Connell that the Raiders appear to be on the verge of trading Pro Bowl wideout Davante Adams. Whoever is named the starting QB will be a low-upside QB2 in fantasy in Week 6 versus a tough Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

From RotoBaller

Zay Jones Oct 7 6:20pm CT
Zay Jones

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones was reinstated from his five-game suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday and he can officially rejoin the team. However, the Cardinals are expected to request that they be given a roster exemption for one or two weeks for Jones after he was suspended under the league's personal-conduct policy. So the 29-year-old is unlikely to play in the upcoming Week 6 contest against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Jones will eventually be competing for the WR3 role in Arizona with Greg Dortch behind rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. The former second-rounder of the Buffalo Bills in 2017 out of East Carolina belongs on the waiver wire in the vast majority of fantasy leagues. Jones played in nine games (seven starts) for the Jaguars in 2023 and had a 34-321-2 line for Jacksonville.

From RotoBaller

Rashee Rice Oct 7 6:10pm CT
Rashee Rice

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that while Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice's (knee) season is expected to be over, he received positive news on Monday from Dr. Dan Cooper, according to sources. Rice needs his right LCL to be fixed, but there's a chance that's all he needs fixed, and he's expected to make a full recovery. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there's "a lot of optimism" that Rice didn't suffer a knee injury as significant as initially believed, according to a source. He will have an arthroscopic procedure on Tuesday to determine the full extent of his knee injury, but the belief now is that it could be a "much shorter" recovery timeline than initially believed. It's unclear if Rice actually has a chance to return this season, but the bottom line is that fantasy managers need to hang onto him for now. The likelihood is still pretty remote that Rice will be able to help fantasy managers when it matters most in the playoffs, but nothing is ruled out just yet.

From RotoBaller

Clyde Edwards-Helaire Oct 7 6:00pm CT
Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) remains on the Non-Football Injury list and will not play on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints to close out Week 5 action. Edwards-Helaire had his practice window opened last week, but he was listed as doubtful to play this week on Saturday's final injury report. KC will continue forward with Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele on Monday night with CEH still out and Isiah Pacheco (leg) on Injured Reserve. The 25-year-old hasn't played this year as he deals with post-traumatic stress issues. When Edwards-Helaire does return to the Chiefs, he'll just be battling with Steele to be on the active game-day roster. The Chiefs have their bye in Week 6, so we won't see Edwards-Helaire until Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers at the earliest.

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Tua Tagovailoa Oct 7 5:50pm CT
Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) is scheduled to meet with an expert on head injuries during the team's bye in Week 6. It was reported last week that Tagovailoa has been symptom-free since suffering another scary concussion in the Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, the 26-year-old was placed on Injured Reserve, and there's currently no timetable for his return. Tagovailoa will be eligible to come off IR for Week 8, but expecting him to return that soon would be foolish. The good news is that it sounds as though Tagovailoa has a shot to play again this year, which seemed unlikely at the time of his injury. At least for Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts, Tyler Huntley is expected to make a second straight start under center for the Dolphins. Tagovailoa deserves to be stashed as a QB2 in single-year fantasy leagues.

From RotoBaller

Tyler Huntley Oct 7 5:50pm CT
Tyler Huntley

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that he would "guess to forecast" that quarterback Tyler Huntley will remain the team's starting quarterback, regardless of Skylar Thompson's (ribs) status. The Dolphins are on bye in Week 6, but if Thompson is fully recovered from his rib injury coming out of the bye, it still sounds like Huntley will given a second straight start in Week 7 against the Indianapolis Colts. Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) won't be eligible to come off Injured Reserve until Week 8, but there's a good chance he won't be cleared by then. Huntley went 18-for-31 for 194 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the Week 5 win over the division-rival New England Patriots. Miami's offense will be a shell of its former self until Tagovailoa can return. Huntley will remain a desperation QB2 play in superflex leagues.

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Jalen Tolbert Oct 7 5:48pm CT
Jalen Tolbert

Dynasty | Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert had seven catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in a win against Pittsburgh. Dynasty Analysis: Tolbert led the team in catches and targets while the Steelers focused much of the defensive game plan on CeeDee Lamb. Tolbert now has double digit fantasy points in three of four games and is quickly emerging as a legitimate option in fantasy leagues. With Brandin Cooks on injured reserve, Tolbert has a chance to take the WR2 job in Dallas and run with it. He'll be a flex consideration moving forward and maybe more if he can keep it up.

Rico Dowdle Oct 7 5:48pm CT
Rico Dowdle

Dynasty | Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had 87 rushing yards, two catches, 27 receiving yards, and a touchdown in a win against the Steelers. Dynasty Analysis: After beginning the season in a rotation with Ezekiel Elliott, Dowdle has now taken over the backfield in Dallas. He had 22 touches this week compared to just six for Elliott. While his production has been far from dominant, his workload merits him to be in consideration each week. The Cowboys could still bring up Dalvin Cook but it seems Dowdle is going to finally get a chance to earn the job. He's a solid hold in dynasty leagues.

Trent Taylor Oct 7 5:43pm CT
Trent Taylor

San Francisco 49ers WR Trent Taylor reverted back to the practice squad Monday, Oct. 7, after being on the active roster for the Week 5 game.

From TheHuddle

Travis Etienne Oct 7 5:40pm CT
Travis Etienne

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that running back Travis Etienne Jr. (shoulder) "got popped pretty good" on his shoulder in the Week 5 win over the division-rival Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Etienne had only six carries for 17 yards in the game but did help salvage some of his fantasy day with six receptions for 43 yards. Peterson said Etienne's carries from scrimmage were limited to keep him out of harm's way. The 25-year-old played 22 offensive snaps to Tank Bigsby's 23, while Bigsby had 13 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Bigsby also had a 28-yard catch. Etienne should be good to go for the Week 6 game in London against the Chicago Bears, but even if/when he puts his shoulder injury in the rearview mirror, it's looking like Bigsby will continue to demand a larger share of the backfield touches next to Etienne

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Matthew Stafford Oct 7 5:30pm CT
Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) came out of the Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers with a sore back, but it shouldn't impact Stafford's availability coming out of the Week 6 bye. It's something to note, but Stafford should be fine to play next against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7 at SoFi Stadium. The 36-year-old definitely has had much more of a challenge putting up points the last several weeks without both of his top receivers, Cooper Kupp (ankle) and Puka Nacua (knee). Through the first five weeks of the 2024 season, Stafford has been the QB25 in fantasy with 1,238 passing yards, only three touchdowns and three interceptions. You aren't getting any rushing production from the aging veteran, either. Stafford isn't guaranteed to have Kupp or Nacua back in Week 7, although the matchup is a nice one at home against Vegas' D.

From RotoBaller

Romeo Doubs Oct 7 5:20pm CT
Romeo Doubs

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs plans to attend practice on Wednesday coming out of his meeting with the team on Monday, according to a source. The source said that Doubs' meeting with the team "went well" after he was suspended for the Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams for conduct detrimental to the team. Doubs decided not to show up to a few practices last week because he has been upset with his role in the offense, which led to him being suspended for Sunday's contest. It sounds like the 24-year-old will return to the mix in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals in a solid matchup, and if Christian Watson (ankle) misses a second straight game, Doubs could get the squeaky wheel treatment and be fed plenty of targets by quarterback Jordan Love. Doubs was a big part of Green Bay's offense last year and finished with 674 yards and eight touchdowns.

From RotoBaller