Fantasy Index

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Strength of schedule

Seahawks will play hardest remaining schedule

Checking in with a look at Strength of Schedule. You look at the opponents each team is going to play (and has played), measure their strength, and it can change your impression of teams.

Starting with what we’ve seen so far:

The Browns, Falcons, Bucs, Steelers and Cowboys have played the easiest schedules so far. Cleveland being easiest of all. They’ve gone 6-3, but they’ve benefitted from playing Oakland, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Tennessee. The Browns opponents have gone a combined 28-47-1 in their games against other teams.

The Giants, 49ers, Broncos and Rams have played the hardest schedules so far.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Weeks 1-10)
TeamWLTPct
NY Giants45280.616
San Francisco44290.603
Denver43300.589
St. Louis43300.589
Oakland41320.562
Carolina45370.549
NY Jets44370.543
Arizona39340.534
Buffalo39340.534
Jacksonville43381.530
Kansas City38350.521
Indianapolis38361.513
New Orleans37361.507
Tennessee37371.500
Chicago36371.493
Miami36370.493
Baltimore39413.488
Cincinnati37390.487
San Diego36380.486
Washington36380.486
New England35371.486
Minnesota34380.472
Green Bay34391.466
Philadelphia34391.466
Seattle34391.466
Houston34400.459
Detroit33401.453
Dallas36450.444
Pittsburgh37471.441
Tampa Bay30441.407
Atlanta28441.390
Cleveland28471.375

Looking instead at what’s coming up, the Panthers, Texans, Saints and Giants project to play the easiest schedules the rest of the way. Carolina’s remaining five games are against teams that have gone only 21-33-0 so far.

The hardest remaining schedule (by far) belongs to the Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Their final seven games are against teams that are currently 42-21-0. (Though note that 8-1 Arizona shows up twice in there, and the Cardinals aren’t necessarily that strong now that they’ve lost Carson Palmer). Other teams with difficult remaining schedules: Raiders, Cardinals and Patriots.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Weeks 11-17)
TeamWLTPct
Carolina21330.389
Houston27381.417
New Orleans27372.424
NY Giants28370.431
Tennessee29370.439
Minnesota29351.454
Baltimore25300.455
Jacksonville25300.455
Indianapolis30350.462
Denver29331.468
Pittsburgh25272.481
San Francisco31320.492
Kansas City32320.500
Miami33330.500
Tampa Bay31312.500
Washington32320.500
Cleveland32312.508
Detroit32310.508
St. Louis32310.508
Buffalo33310.516
NY Jets28260.519
Cincinnati34310.523
Philadelphia34310.523
Chicago34300.531
San Diego34300.531
Dallas29250.537
Green Bay34290.540
Atlanta36282.561
New England36280.563
Arizona36270.571
Oakland37260.587
Seattle42210.667

Most fantasy leagues, of course, finish before Week 17. So it also makes sense to toss those numbers. Following that process, the results are similar (but slightly different) than the Weeks 11-17 version.

In the Weeks 11-16 version, the Giants, Panthers and Titans project to have the easiest remaining schedules. The Seahawks, Falcons, Cowboys and Cardinals project to play the hardest schedules.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Weeks 11-16)
TeamWLTPct
NY Giants21350.375
Carolina18270.400
Tennessee23340.404
Baltimore19270.413
San Francisco23310.426
Pittsburgh20241.456
Jacksonville21250.457
Washington25290.463
Buffalo26290.473
Houston26291.473
Minnesota26291.473
New Orleans26292.474
Detroit26280.481
St. Louis26280.481
Cleveland26272.491
Kansas City27280.491
Green Bay27270.500
Indianapolis28280.500
Cincinnati28270.509
San Diego28270.509
Tampa Bay27262.509
NY Jets23220.511
Chicago30250.545
Denver29241.546
Miami31250.554
Philadelphia31250.554
Oakland30240.556
New England31240.564
Arizona31230.574
Dallas26190.578
Atlanta33221.598
Seattle39150.722

—Ian Allan

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