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Strength of schedule

AFC West teams project to play hardest schedules in 2017

With the regular season completed, opponents are set for next year. No doubt lots will change, with new players, coaches and systems being added. But we can get an early look at which teams might be affected by easy and hard schedules in 2017.

The Colts project to play the league’s easiest schedule, followed by two other teams in the AFC South – Tennessee and Jacksonville. That’s driven by the dynamic of that division not being very good, and it also lining up against the NFC West in 2017. With the 49ers and Rams, that division probably will be below-average again next year.

The hardest schedules belong to the teams in the AFC West – Denver, Kansas City, Oakland and San Diego (or Los Angeles, depending on how negotiations unfold in the coming weeks). That was a good division this year, and those teams will also all have to play everyone in the NFC East and New England.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, 2017 (Wins)
TeamWLTPct
Indianapolis1071463.424
Tennessee1111423.439
Jacksonville1111423.439
Cincinnati1151410.449
Pittsburgh1151392.453
Minnesota1151392.453
Houston1151383.455
Seattle1151383.455
Baltimore1171372.461
Arizona1181353.467
Cleveland1191352.469
Detroit1191352.469
San Francisco1191325.475
Chicago1221331.479
Green Bay1221322.480
Los Angeles1211305.482
Carolina1291270.504
New Orleans1301251.510
Tampa Bay1321231.518
Atlanta1331221.521
New England1351210.527
Dallas1341184.531
Philadelphia1341184.531
NY Jets1371190.535
NY Giants1351174.535
Washington1381162.543
Miami1401160.547
Buffalo1431121.561
Oakland1441111.564
San Diego1451101.568
Kansas City1471081.576
Denver1471072.578

Some prefer to look not at wins and losses but in the quality of defenses.

Using points allowed, Carolina, Minnesota, Seattle and Tampa Bay project to play the easiest schedules. The hardest schedules would then belong to those same four AFC West teams, along with Washington.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, 2017 (Points
TeamAvg
Carolina23.98
Minnesota23.88
Seattle23.70
Tampa Bay23.59
New England23.58
New Orleans23.44
Jacksonville23.32
Chicago23.29
Tennessee23.23
Atlanta23.11
NY Jets23.11
Baltimore23.06
Detroit22.97
Arizona22.89
Houston22.83
Buffalo22.78
Los Angeles22.78
Indianapolis22.77
Cincinnati22.75
Miami22.73
Green Bay22.55
Dallas22.40
NY Giants22.31
Cleveland22.30
San Francisco22.26
Philadelphia22.23
Pittsburgh22.21
Denver22.13
Kansas City21.82
San Diego21.71
Washington21.67
Oakland21.41

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index