Wide Receiver Strength of Schedule

Tue May 26 9:53am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Using our rules for our money leagues, we came up with a strength-of-schedule ranking for the wide receiver position. We used our fantasy defenses report to calculate the rankings. This report can be found in all of our leagues under the “Reports” heading. We took each team’s schedule and entered the average number of fantasy points allowed to wide receivers last season by all of their opponents to get our fantasy points allowed number. This is a good indication of the wide receivers with the most favorable schedules for fantasy scoring for the coming season.

Defenses obviously change from year to year, but knowing which wide receivers might have the easiest schedules for fantasy is always a good idea when formulating your rankings and draft strategy.

RANK	TEAM	AVG. OPP FANTASY PPG ALLOWED
1.	Raiders	28.87
2.	Bears	29.45
3.	Jets	29.55
4.	Dolphins	29.8
5.	Chargers	29.85
6.	Chiefs	29.86
7.	Steelers	29.97
8.	Broncos	30.01
9.	Patriots	30.01
10.	Lions	30.1
11.	49ers	30.2
12.	Bills	30.23
13.	Panthers	30.24
14.	Rams	30.33
15.	Packers	30.51
16.	Falcons	30.67
17.	Ravens	30.7
18.	Cardinals	30.92
19.	Seahawks	31.03
20.	Buccaneers	31.07
21.	Colts	31.1
22.	Commanders	31.13
23.	Cowboys	31.2
24.	Saints	31.22
25.	Bengals	31.89
26.	Vikings	31.9
27.	Giants	31.96
28.	Browns	31.97
29.	Jaguars	32.04
30.	Titans	32.26
31.	Texans	32.32
32.	Eagles	33.15

The Eagles have the most favorable fantasy schedule for receivers this coming season. There are some question marks surrounding that unit, but DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon are the likely top two options for the team. Both have intriguing fantasy value for the coming season even without the favorable schedule, so both could be worth taking a chance on for fantasy teams. The potential for a big season is there because of opportunity, a favorable schedule, and a new offensive coordinator.

Nico Collins is already a solid fantasy option, but the second-easiest schedule for fantasy receivers makes him even more attractive on draft day. Collins dealt with some injury issues last year but produced big numbers when on the field. The Texans also have Jayden Higgins and Tank Dell to consider on draft day. Both have the potential for some huge games in this offense.

The Titans, Jaguars, and Browns round out the top five most favorable schedules for receivers. Tennessee is especially intriguing after adding Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson to the passing game in addition to having Brian Daboll calling plays. This passing game could be much improved this year as long as Cam Ward takes a step forward. Both of their top receivers have the potential for really good seasons.

Jacksonville took a big step forward offensively last year, and it could be more of the same this season because of this schedule. Jakobi Meyers is likely the top target and could have a career year in his first full season in Jacksonville. Don’t discount Brian Thomas Jr. for a turnaround after a disappointing season last year, either. Parker Washington also has value after performing well out of the slot. He posted strong numbers last year and could be a more consistent factor from Day 1 this season.

The Browns have some interesting rookie receivers to consider on draft day, but questions at quarterback make them risky despite the favorable receiver schedule. You might want to take a late-round shot on either KC Concepcion or Denzel Boston, but neither is a sure thing.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Raiders have the most challenging schedule for receivers. This is not ideal for a unit that already has plenty of question marks. You might want to steer clear of all Raiders receivers at this point. It could be a difficult season for that group.

The Bears also have a very tough schedule for receivers, ranking second overall. Luther Burden is an expected breakout candidate for Chicago. We wouldn’t completely discount him because of this schedule, though. The Bears are still going to throw the ball plenty in this offense, and Burden can still produce big numbers in Year 2. Maybe just temper expectations a bit.

The Jets, Dolphins, and Chargers round out the top five most difficult schedules for receivers. Both the Jets and Dolphins are teams with concerns in the passing game. Garrett Wilson might be the only player from either team worth targeting on draft day. A lot depends on draft cost, but if you can’t get Jets or Dolphins receivers at a good value, it might be wise to look elsewhere.

The Chargers are looking better offensively this year with Mike McDaniels calling plays, but a difficult receiver schedule could slow them down somewhat. The Chargers also play in a division with some elite cornerbacks. Even with that said, we wouldn’t downgrade Ladd McConkey or Quentin Johnston too much because of this. Both should still get plenty of opportunities in what should be an improved passing attack.

We also wanted to look at playoff schedules for fantasy wide receivers. So we crunched the numbers for all schedules from Weeks 15-17, which is the fantasy playoff period for most leagues. We know you have to get to the playoffs first, but knowing which wide receivers have the easiest playoff schedules certainly doesn’t hurt, especially in the big-money contests.

RANK	TEAM	AVG. OPP FANTASY PPG ALLOWED
1.	Jets	27.11
2.	49ers	27.25
3.	Dolphins	28.15
4.	Seahawks	28.43
5.	Eagles	28.55
6.	Patriots	28.77
7.	Chiefs	29.11
8.	Broncos	29.3
9.	Texans	29.46
10.	Commanders	29.58
11.	Panthers	29.61
12.	Colts	29.65
13.	Ravens	29.78
14.	Lions	30.22
15.	Chargers	30.5
16.	Packers	30.52
17.	Raiders	30.56
18.	Bills	30.56
19.	Bears	30.93
20.	Buccaneers	30.95
21.	Cardinals	31.05
22.	Saints	31.2
23.	Falcons	31.58
24.	Cowboys	31.63
25.	Rams	32.35
26.	Steelers	33.07
27.	Bengals	33.46
28.	Vikings	34.06
29.	Jaguars	34.14
30.	Giants	34.14
31.	Browns	34.82
32.	Titans	35.45

The Titans, Browns, and Jaguars are three teams that make both lists for favorable receiver schedules. Players like Tate, Robinson, Meyers, and Concepcion look even better because of this. We are already high on Tate this year, and seeing the favorable schedules makes us even more excited. He really could be a difference-maker for fantasy teams.

The Giants and Vikings also make the top five most favorable playoff schedules for receivers. Malik Nabers is returning from a major injury, but by the time the playoffs arrive, he could really be hitting his stride. Nabers could end up being one of the biggest fantasy playoff performers.

Justin Jefferson had a season to forget last year, but he gets a new quarterback throwing him passes in Kyler Murray along with a really favorable playoff schedule. Jefferson is looking like a strong bounce-back candidate for 2026.

The Jets and Dolphins make both lists for the most difficult fantasy receiver schedules. As mentioned earlier, both teams already have concerns, so taking a chance on any of these receivers not named Garrett Wilson might be a poor decision.

The 49ers, Seahawks, and Eagles also have top-five difficult playoff schedules. It is interesting to see the Eagles make this list because they have the easiest overall receiver schedule during the regular season. That is at least a little concerning because scoring a ton during the regular season doesn’t help much if you come up short during the fantasy playoffs.

San Francisco and Seattle both have elite passing games and talented receiver options, so don’t get too worked up over their difficult playoff schedules. Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be just fine, and we still like Ricky Pearsall as a possible breakout candidate, barring injury.

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.

Wide Receiver Strength of Schedule

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