It’s always nice to get off to a fast start in a fantasy league. Begin the season 3-1, and you’re in driver’s seat for a playoff spot. So when looking at schedules, it can pay off to look at who’s on the slate in September.
If you want to use wins and losses, the Steelers and Colts project to have the easiest schedules in their first five games. With contests against Cleveland, Jacksonville and Chicago, Pittsburgh’s first five are against teams that went a combined 23-57-0 last year. No playoff teams in those first five.
The Colts see the Rams, Browns and 49ers in their first three weeks of the season.
The Bears and Chargers, meanwhile, have the hardest schedules in their first five games.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, WINS (games 1-5) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
Pittsburgh | 23 | 57 | 0 | .288 |
Indianapolis | 24 | 54 | 2 | .313 |
Seattle | 33 | 47 | 0 | .413 |
NY Jets | 33 | 47 | 0 | .413 |
Baltimore | 33 | 46 | 1 | .419 |
Miami | 35 | 45 | 0 | .438 |
Cincinnati | 35 | 45 | 0 | .438 |
San Francisco | 35 | 43 | 2 | .450 |
Washington | 37 | 43 | 0 | .463 |
Buffalo | 37 | 42 | 1 | .469 |
Cleveland | 38 | 41 | 1 | .481 |
Carolina | 39 | 41 | 0 | .488 |
Minnesota | 39 | 41 | 0 | .488 |
Atlanta | 39 | 41 | 0 | .488 |
Arizona | 39 | 41 | 0 | .488 |
Oakland | 39 | 40 | 1 | .494 |
Dallas | 41 | 38 | 1 | .519 |
LA Rams | 41 | 37 | 2 | .525 |
Jacksonville | 42 | 38 | 0 | .525 |
New England | 43 | 37 | 0 | .538 |
NY Giants | 43 | 37 | 0 | .538 |
Detroit | 43 | 36 | 1 | .544 |
Kansas City | 43 | 36 | 1 | .544 |
Philadelphia | 43 | 35 | 2 | .550 |
Green Bay | 43 | 35 | 2 | .550 |
Tennessee | 44 | 35 | 1 | .556 |
Houston | 44 | 35 | 1 | .556 |
Tampa Bay | 46 | 34 | 0 | .575 |
New Orleans | 47 | 33 | 0 | .588 |
Denver | 48 | 32 | 0 | .600 |
Chicago | 49 | 31 | 0 | .613 |
LA Chargers | 49 | 31 | 0 | .613 |
For those more interested in power of defenses, we can look instead at how many points those opponents have tended to allow. By that measure, the Dolphins project to play the easiest early-season schedule, with their first five games against teams allowing an average of 25.4 points last year.
The Seahawks, Jets and Colts are also up there – high on both charts, in fact.
The Chargers also have the hardest schedule when it’s looked at this way. Their first five games are against defenses that allowed an average of 20 points last year – Broncos, Dolphins, Kansas City, Philadelphia and the Giants. It doesn’t get much easier after that, with the next three against Oakland, New England and Denver again.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, POINTS (games 1-5) | |
---|---|
Team | Points |
Miami | 25.4 |
Seattle | 25.4 |
NY Jets | 24.9 |
Indianapolis | 24.8 |
Carolina | 24.0 |
Minnesota | 23.8 |
Atlanta | 23.8 |
Washington | 23.8 |
Pittsburgh | 23.5 |
Baltimore | 23.5 |
Cincinnati | 23.3 |
Arizona | 23.3 |
New England | 23.3 |
LA Rams | 23.2 |
San Francisco | 23.0 |
Buffalo | 22.9 |
Chicago | 22.5 |
Oakland | 22.4 |
NY Giants | 22.3 |
Tennessee | 22.3 |
Denver | 22.2 |
Cleveland | 22.1 |
Philadelphia | 22.0 |
Jacksonville | 22.0 |
Detroit | 22.0 |
Dallas | 21.6 |
Green Bay | 21.5 |
Kansas City | 21.4 |
New Orleans | 21.2 |
Houston | 20.7 |
Tampa Bay | 20.3 |
LA Chargers | 20.0 |
—Ian Allan