Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs face the Oakland Raiders’ squishy soft defense at home in Week 17 – after the fantasy season
Part six! The four teams outlined below feature three of the top five ranked RBs, two Super Bowl MVP QBs, three of the top six ranked TEs this year and probably the best 1-2 punch in terms of WRs in the NFL this year. They will look to build on these accolades this year with some of the harder schedules in the NFL.
Enough guessing games – teams 21 through 24 are ranked below.
SOS RANKINGS
#21 Rank = Easiest Schedule
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21. Kansas City Chiefs
Division: AFC West
Bye Week:9
SOS by position: QB 18th, RB 21st, WR 16th, TE 25th
Fantasy Playoff Schedule (14-16): vs. SD, at BAL, vs. CLE
Week 17: vs. OAK
Favorable Matchups (rank): OAK twice (32), CHI (29), SD twice (27)
Unfavorable Matchups (rank): BUF (2), HOU (4), DEN twice (6), BAL (9), GB (10)
Notable Fantasy Players: QB Alex Smith, RB Jamaal Charles, WR Jeremy Maclin, TE Travis Kelce
Recap: Playing second place divisional schedule gets them games against top-five defenses in Buffalo and Houston. They also play the NFC North and AFC North. Four games against bottom six defenses and six games against top-10 defenses. Two of three playoff weeks are at home but they lose out on a home game against last-ranked Oakland in Week 17. Rough non-divisional road schedule at Green Bay, Cincinnati, Houston, and Baltimore.
22. San Diego Chargers
Division: AFC West
Bye Week:10
SOS by position: QB 22nd, RB 15th, WR 27th, TE 18th
Fantasy Playoff Schedule (14-16): at KC, vs. MIA, at OAK
Week 17: at DEN
Favorable Matchups (rank): OAK twice (32), CHI (29), JAX (23)
Unfavorable Matchups (rank): DEN twice (5), BAL (9), GB (10), MIA (12)
Notable Fantasy Players: QB Philip Rivers, RB Melvin Gordon-R, RB Danny Woodhead, WR Keenan Allen, WR Malcom Floyd, TE Antonio Gates
Recap: Playing third place divisional schedule along with AFC North and NFC North. Only four games against bottom-10 defenses as opposed to five games against top-12 defenses. Rough time zone travel with multiple trips to the Central and Eastern time zones where San Diego has struggled (five early games, all of which equate to 10 am starts). Brutal playoff schedule at Arrowhead and the Black Hole in Oakland. Hopefully, new star in running game can take advantage of the 15th-easiest schedule against RBs.
23. Green Bay Packers
Division: NFC North
Bye Week: 7
SOS by position: QB 23rd, RB 27th, WR 31st, TE 1st
Fantasy Playoff Schedule (14-16): vs. DAL, at OAK, at ARI
Week 17: vs. MIN
Favorable Matchups (rank): OAK (32), CHI twice (29), SD (27), DAL (21)
Unfavorable Matchups (rank): SEA (1), STL (3), ARI (5), DEN (6), CAR (8)
Notable Fantasy Players: QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Eddie Lacy, WR Randall Cobb, WR Jordy Nelson
Recap: Playing divisional champion schedule and the NFC West and AFC West. Seemingly matchup-proof top fantasy players get five games against bottom-12 teams along with five games against top-eight teams. Back to back trips to the West Coast for games against ARI and OAK during playoff weeks can be a small trap for Green Bay players. They also have games at DEN and SF during the season, marking four trips to the Pacific and Mountain time zones. Playing second-hardest schedule for WR but they arguably have the top WR duo in the league with Nelson and Cobb. Again, this is the mostly matchup proof quartet of Aaron Rodgers and company.
24. Seattle Seahawks
Division: NFC West
Bye Week: 9
SOS by position: QB 27th, RB 29th, WR 15th, TE 11th
Fantasy Playoff Schedule (14-16): at BAL, vs. CLE, vs. STL
Week 17: at ARI
Favorable Matchups (rank): CHI (29), DAL (21)
Unfavorable Matchups (rank): STL twice (3), ARI twice (5), CAR (8), BAL (9), GB (10)
Notable Fantasy Players: QB Russell Wilson, RB Marshawn Lynch, TE Jimmy Graham
Recap: Playing divisional champion schedule along with NFC North and AFC North. Only two games against bottom-12 teams and seven against top-10 teams. Only three early games (1 ET) during the season. Fantasy playoff schedule includes two top-10 defenses. Playing 27th best QB and 29th best RB schedules but will still be a force to be reckoned with. The addition of Jimmy Graham will add a legitimate vertical threat to the offense, which was something Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse could not be. They luck out on a top-five defense coming in a Week 17 game at Arizona. Odd scheduling fact – only two games in a dome, both during the first half of the season. 14 of 16 games outdoors this season, including all eight after the bye week.
Teams 25 through 28 are going to be featured in the next article as we start to feature some top players’ genuinely brutal schedules, and we help you think twice about drafting “your guy.”
Michael Vincent is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MVtweetshere.
