The NFL just released the 2023 schedule, sparking a flurry of speculation and analysis among fans and fantasy football enthusiasts alike. With this release, it’s the perfect time to take a deep dive and analyze the implications of this new schedule from a fantasy football perspective. Our featured experts are here to examine which players have been handed the easiest schedules and are poised for increased production, which ones face an uphill climb due to challenging stretches, and the players worth targeting and avoiding based on their fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17) schedule.
2023 NFL Schedule Release: Every Team’s Schedule & Bye Week
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2023 NFL Schedule Winners & Losers
1. Which notable player has favorable matchups in 2023 and should see a boost in value?
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
“Bijan Robinson will have six games against the NFC South which includes a retooling Saints defense that ranked 27th against the run in ’22, the Panthers who were middling at best last year, and the Bucs who were respectable. However, with Tom Brady gone, that Tampa defense will most assuredly be more taxed in 2023. They will also play the AFC South in 2023, so the Texans, Jags, Titans and Colts. Outside of the 49ers, Robinson has a clear path to fantasy dominance.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)”
Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
Assuming Cam Akers gets the same sort of robust workloads that he was getting down the stretch last season, he should benefit from a Rams schedule littered with bad run defenses. Akers will four regular-season games against the Cardinals and Seahawks, who gave up the third-most and fourth-most fantasy points to RBs last season. He’ll also have non-divisional games against the Browns, Packers, Colts and Giants, whose defenses were all among the 14 most generous to opposing running backs. Akers, the RB4 in half-point PPR scoring last season from Week 13 on, could be poised to pick up where he left off.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
George Kittle (TE – SF)
“My worries about George Kittle this season have been slightly eased after looking at his upcoming schedule. Kittle has seven matchups between Weeks 1-15 against teams that ranked 25th or lower in DVOA against tight ends in 2022 (per Football Outsiders). Kittle finished last year on a tear with Brock Purdy under center. With this soft schedule in their back pockets, Purdy and Kittle could continue singing sweet music together in 2023.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
“CeeDee Lamb came out a huge winner with the order of the schedule. The Cowboys only had a few possible bad/cold weather games to start, but one is in Week 1 and another possibility is Week 18. In fact, 11 of CeeDee’s meaningful Fantasy weeks are either in a dome or South Florida. To top it all off, Lamb gets a likely shootout with the Bills, then the awful defenses of Miami and Detroit in the Fantasy playoffs.”
– Michael Tomlin (Fantasy Six Pack)
2. Who is a player facing a difficult schedule that fantasy owners should be aware of?
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – ARI)
“The Cardinals are already facing an uphill battle without Kyler Murray for most of the year and playing in the NFC West, where all the teams are better than they are. DeAndre Hopkins is still a big name, but with questionable quarterback play and having to play the Steelers, Browns and very competitive NFC East, it should be a tall order for him to return his ADP, barring a trade to a contender.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)”
Darren Waller (TE – NYG)
Darren Waller faces a daunting schedule in his first season with the Giants. The other three NFC East teams — the Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders — all allowed 8.5 or fewer 0.5 PPR points per game to opposing TEs. The Giants also have games against the Saints and Bills, the two teams that allowed the fewest fantasy points TEs last year, as well as matchups with the 49ers and Packers, who allowed the seventh-fewest and eighth-fewest fantasy points to TEs in 2022. People who rank Waller as a top-five tight end for 2023 might want to reconsider that ranking.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
“Aaron Rodgers could be forced to air it out a ton this season. On top of post-injury concerns, Breece Hall also has to deal with a brutal schedule on the ground. Hall draws eight games against defenses that ranked inside the top ten in rush defense DVOA last year (per Football Outsiders). While defenses can change from year to year, this is still frightening. Hall was arguably the most efficient runner in the NFL last year, ranking top-three in yards after contact per attempt, breakaway percentage, and PFF elusive rating (minimum 80 carries, per PFF). This can be the difference in drafting Hall in 2023 or waiting for another round to draft back ranked in the same tier.”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF)
“Christian McCaffrey received no favors from the scheduling overlords. First, the 49ers get the dreaded Week Five Bye, meaning that the Niners might end up playing SEVENTEEN consecutive weeks should they make a Super Bowl run. To top it off, San Francisco gets the Commanders and Ravens in the semifinals and championship weeks of most leagues, two of the five toughest defenses in allowing running back Fantasy Points last season.”
– Michael Tomlin (Fantasy Six Pack)
3. For the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17), which notable player jumps out as having a particularly easy schedule?
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) and Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
“The Bengals duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow could be in some serious shootouts to finish out the season against the Vikings and Chiefs. It’s not always about “easy.” Sometimes it’s about meaningful games for playoff seeding and offenses that are capable of pushing high totals. ”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)”
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI) and Eagles RBs
Only two teams allowed more than 13 fantasy points per game (0.5 PPR) to tight ends — the Seahawks (14.8) and Cardinals (13.7). Eagles TE Dallas Goedert will face the Seahawks in Week 15 and the Cardinals in Week 17, with the Giants (10.8) in between. Eagles running backs will have an easy road in the fantasy playoffs, too. Seattle allowed the third-most fantasy points to RBs in 2022, Arizona the fourth-most, and NYG the 14th-most.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Anthony Richardson (QB – IND)
“If you can stream a quarterback in Week 15 against the Steelers and move on in the fantasy playoffs, Anthony Richardson could bring home the bacon for you in Weeks 16-17 this year. To conclude the fantasy season, Richardson gets the Raiders and Falcons. To say these pass defenses struggled last year is being kind. In 2022, the Raiders and Falcons ranked 29th and 31st in pass defense DVOA while also finishing 24th and 32nd in pressure rate. It shouldn’t be surprising to learn they were tied for the tenth-most passing touchdowns allowed last year. Richardson was already a smash pick for 2023, but add this into the equation, and it just got even sexier to chase his ADP up the board all offseason. ”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Any Detroit Lions
“Any of the Detroit Lions is the correct answer here. They get all three weeks inside the friendly confines of a domed stadium. They will play Minnesota twice and the Cowboys once, and all three games will likely have the highest game totals of the week. For players that are not seen as “elite” at this point, the Lions’ offensive players could end up paying massive dividends.”
– Michael Tomlin (Fantasy Six Pack)
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