QB Strength of Schedule
Thu May 23 11:12am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
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 jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
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The Paur Report
Monday Night DFS Pickem Plays
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that quarterback Brock Purdy (back) is day-to-day with back soreness. It doesn't sound like a very serious injury, but we'll keep a close eye on Purdy's practice status anyway this week as the team prepares for their Week 4 meeting against the New England Patriots this weekend. The 24-year-old signal-caller was without running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, calf), receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) -- arguably his top three offensive weapons -- in the Week 3 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Rams but still managed to throw for 292 yards and a season-high three touchdowns on 30 attempts, with most of his work being done with wideout Jauan Jennings, who hauled in all three of Purdy's TDs. If Purdy plays in Week 4, he'll be more attractive as a QB1 in fantasy if one/both of Samuel or Kittle can return.
From RotoBaller
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that quarterback Jordan Love (knee) will be a limited participant to start the week in Wednesday's first practice. Love did take some team repetitions at practice last week but was ultimately held out for the second straight week with an MCL sprain in the Week 3 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The 25-year-old was questionable to play in Week 3 after spraining his MCL in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. If Love can do more at practice this week, he'll have a real chance to be active for a big divisional clash at Lambeau Field against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Backup Malik Willis has been solid in leading the Packers to two wins without Love, but Love's return will be a big boost to Green Bay's entire offense, especially for the fantasy ceilings of receivers Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed.
From RotoBaller
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (shoulder) is officially active for Monday night's contest on the road against the Buffalo Bills after being listed as questionable for Week 3. The Jaguars said early last week that they expected Bigsby to suit up, and he was limited in practice all week. The 23-year-old should resume his role as the RB2 for the Jaguars behind starter Travis Etienne Jr. against the Bills, but if he's limited at all, D'Ernest Johnson could see some more offensive snaps. Bigsby played on 32% of the offensive snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins but didn't play a single offensive snap in last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns. He had 12 carries for 73 yards in the season-opener and should be involved again in the backfield on Monday after getting injured last week. The Jags hinted all offseason that Bigsby would have a bigger complementary role in 2024.
From RotoBaller
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that tight end Trey McBride (concussion) has entered the league's concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in the Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions. McBride should be considered questionable to play in the Week 4 matchup against the Washington Commanders. The 24-year-old will have to pass through the NFL's protocols for head injuries throughout the week and must be cleared by an independent neurologist before being allowed to play on Sunday. McBride has yet to score through the first three weeks of the season, but he does have 14 receptions on 21 targets for 122 yards as a surefire TE1 in fantasy lineups. Fantasy managers are obviously going to need to have a backup plan in place in case he's not cleared for Week 4. If McBride sits, Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman figure to split TE duties in Arizona.
From RotoBaller
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (hamstring) is expected to miss some time with a hamstring injury that he suffered in the Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, according to sources. An exact timetable for Thielen's return is unclear at the moment, but he will miss time. The veteran wideout had three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown from veteran quarterback Andy Dalton before leaving Sunday's contest with his injury. The news comes after the 34-year-old had an MRI exam on Monday. It's tough news for Thielen, who was becoming interesting again in fantasy with quarterback Bryce Young on the bench. As long as Dalton remains under center, Thielen should have a higher fantasy ceiling, although it's hard to recommend stashing him in shallow leagues since he has no timeline for a return. Rookie Xavier Legette could be worth waiver consideration in deeper leagues with Thielen out.
From RotoBaller
ennessee Titans cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (groin) suffered a groin injury in the Week 3 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that could land him on Injured Reserve. If Awuzie is forced to IR, it would cost him at least the next four games. The Titans have their bye in Week 5, so the earliest Awuzie could return if they place him on IR this week would be for a Week 9 contest against the New England Patriots. The 29-year-old is in his first season with Tennessee and has recorded four tackles (three solo) in his first three games in 2024. The 0-3 Titans are going to be a bit more vulnerable in their secondary with Awuzie injured as they prepare for a Week 4 matchup on the road at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Dolphins, who might be forced to start third-string quarterback Tim Boyle. Expect Jarvis Brownlee and Darrell Baker to get more opportunities with Awuzie set to miss time.
Dynasty | Chefs wide receiver Rashee Rice had 12 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs win against Atlanta. Dynasty Analysis: And the beat goes on. At this point, Rice's three-game total of 288 receiving yards is good for second in the NFL and his targets rank third. In other words, Rice has taken over Travis Kelce's spot as the top weapon for Patrick Mahomes and has made every other receiver a secondary option. While there are concerns about a possible suspension, it's not going to stop Rice's ascension in dynasty rankings.
Dynasty | Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy had two catches for 17 yards in the Chiefs win against the Falcons. Dynasty Analysis: He added 13 rushing yards on three carries. After his two-touchdown debut, Worthy now has two straight weeks with exactly two catches for 17 yards, each of them more disappointing than the last. At this point, the Chiefs offense is running through Rashee Rice and Worthy is being used as a situational deep threat or a running option. There will be better days ahead, but it really is looking like more of a development year for Worthy than anything else.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said the team is "optimistic" about wide receiver Jordan Addison (ankle) heading into a Week 4 divisional showdown at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Addison hasn't played since injuring his ankle in the third quarter in the season-opening win over the New York Giants on Sept. 8. The 22-year-old second-year pass-catcher hasn't actually practiced since spraining his ankle in Week 1, so he'll need to get back on the field first this week to have a shot at returning in Week 4. Both Jailen Nailor and Brandon Powell have seen more work behind WR1 Justin Jefferson the last two weeks with Addison sidelined, but it has been Nailor that has been more productive. Nailor has been a popular waiver-wire pickup the last two weeks and has found the end zone in each of the first three weeks of the 2024 season.
From RotoBaller
The Jacksonville Jaguars have declared OG Cole Van Lanen, S Darnell Savage, OT Javon Foster, LB Myles Cole, DT Jordan Jefferson, DE Esezi Otomewo and TE Evan Engram inactive for Week 3.
From TheHuddle
The Buffalo Bills have declared CB Taron Johnson, S Mike Edwards, LB Terrel Bernard, LB Edefuan Ulofoshio and OT Ryan Van Demark inactive for Week 3.
From TheHuddle
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) will not make it back in time for the Week 4 contest this Sunday at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears. Kupp injured his ankle in the Week 2 loss against the Arizona Cardinals and didn't play in the Week 3 victory over the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. The 31-year-old avoided a stint on Injured Reserve, unlike teammate Puka Nacua (knee), but Kupp will miss his second straight game this weekend. Fantasy managers and the Rams can only hope that he has a shot to suit up in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, but with LA's bye coming in Week 6, it's possible we don't see him again until Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Kupp was looking more like his All-Pro self in 2021 before hurting his ankle, so hopefully he can return sooner than later. Tutu Atwell led LA with four catches and 93 yards in the Week 3 win.
From RotoBaller
The Minnesota Vikings announced on Monday that quarterback Sam Darnold (knee) suffered a left-knee bruise in the Week 3 win over the Houston Texans, but he's not expected to miss any time. Don't be surprised to see Darnold on the team's Week 4 injury report, but it sounds as though he's fully expected to play this Sunday when the team travels to Lambeau Field to face the division-rival Green Bay Packers. The 27-year-old came out for a play in the third quarter of the 34-7 blowout win over Houston. The former first-round pick heads into Week 4 with a league-leading eight touchdown passes while completing 67.9% of his pass attempts for 657 yards in three games despite not having receiver Jordan Addison (ankle) for two games. Going into this weekend's game on the road, Darnold should be considered a high-end QB2 in fantasy.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys S Markquese Bell (ankle) and CB Caelen Carson (shoulder) did not participate in practice Monday, Sept. 23. CB Trevon Diggs (foot) and DE DeMarcus Lawrence (shoulder) were limited during practice. DT Mazi Smith (back) and TE John Stephens (hamstring) fully participated in practice. The Cowboys did not hold a practice Monday, Sept. 23, so the practice report is an estimation.
From TheHuddle
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) will not be able to play in the Week 4 game, according to head coach Sean McVay.
Fantasy Spin: Kupp was expected to miss several weeks when he initially suffered the injury but could return soon since the team did not place him on the Reserve/Injured list. Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Whittington likely will be the main receivers in Week 4, and Atwell can be a flex option in some deeper leagues.
From TheHuddle
Updating a previous report, free-agent DE Yannick Ngakoue is being signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, according to a source.
From TheHuddle
Free-agent DE Yannick Ngakoue (Bears) is expected to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, according to a source.
From TheHuddle
New York Giants CB Adoree' Jackson (calf) and CB Dru Phillips (calf) did not participate in practice Monday, Sept. 23. DT Dexter Lawrence (foot), CB Nick McCloud (knee), LB Micah McFadden (back) and WR Darius Slayton (thumb) were limited during practice. OT Jermaine Eluemunor (thumb) and C John Michael Schmitz (neck) fully participated in practice. The Giants did not hold a practice Monday, so the practice report is an estimation.
From TheHuddle
Updating a previous report, Detroit Lions DE Marcus Davenport (elbow) suffered a season-ending elbow injury during the Week 3 game, according to head coach Dan Campbell.
From TheHuddle
Carolina Panthers QB Andy Dalton will remain the starting quarterback, head coach Dave Canales told reporters Monday, Sept. 23.
Fantasy Spin: This isn't a surprise at all after Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 3 win. He should still be viewed as a QB2 for fantasy but if he shows some consistency, there's upside here as a potential streamer in certain matchups.
From TheHuddle
