There are a lot of determining factors when rostering for your team — skill, their role on the team, and even their schedule. Making a mid-season trade for a player who has a favorable playoff schedule is a smart move and says you’re thinking about the future.
But what if you can plan for that during the draft?
We’ll look at some players to draft now who could have an easier fantasy playoff schedule to help you claim a championship.
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Eight Players with Easy Fantasy Playoff Schedules to Target (2023 Fantasy Football)
Quarterbacks
- Week 14: vs. Buccaneers
- Week 15: @ Panthers
- Week 16: vs. Colts
- Week 17: @ Bears
There are a lot of exceptions for Ridder in his first full season as the Falcons starting quarterback. Atlanta did a great job at strengthening this offense, and now he has an excellent group of playmakers with the addition of Bijan Robinson.
Overall, the Falcons are considered to have one of the easier schedules this season, which would make Ridder a great value to grab late in your drafts. During the fantasy playoffs, he gets three opponents that finished in the bottom ten last season in fantasy points allowed by the quarterback last season (Bears, Panthers, and Colts), and the Buccaneers allowed the fourth-most passing touchdowns.
- Week 14: @ Las Vegas
- Week 15: @ Cincinnati
- Week 16: vs. Detroit
- Week 17: vs. Green Bay
You may not believe it, but Cousins has a history of being Mr. Reliable, especially in fantasy. He finished last season at QB7 and has three straight seasons with top-11 finishes. The Vikings had the third-highest passing play percentage in 2022, and with the addition of WR Jordan Addison on the other side of Justin Jefferson and the release of Dalvin Cook, that number could stay on par.
His toughest matchup in the fantasy playoffs will be on the road at Cincinnati, but if you can get through that, then there’s Detroit and Green Bay at home. In the four games against them last year, he finished that week in the top 10 in three of them.
Running Backs
- Week 14: @ Pittsburgh
- Week 15: vs. Kansas City
- Week 16: @ Denver
- Week 17: @ Buffalo
Stevenson will be the RB1 for the Patriots, and with Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator, they finally have someone who knows how to run an offense. It was a breakout 2022 season as he eclipsed Damien Harris for the feature job and finished with 1,621 yards from scrimmage. His value in PPR is what will entice you, as his 69 receptions were fourth amongst running backs.
To end the season, you will love three of his matchups. Playing three road games in four weeks isn’t ideal, but some of those matchups include Pittsburgh, who allowed the sixth-most points to running backs last year, then two of the three worse run defenses in back-to-back weeks with Kanas City and Denver. In the championship, he has a tough matchup against Buffalo, but at least he’ll help get you there. Then anything can happen.
- Week 14: vs. Minnesota
- Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 16: @ Kansas City
- Week 17: @ Indianapolis
There are a lot of things in flux for the Raiders coming into the season. Tons of changes to the offensive side of the ball with the notable departures of Derek Carr and Darren Waller. Jimmy Garoppolo is supposed to take over as the new quarterback, but there are some questions about his health after the foot surgery in the off-season. One thing we know, with his involvement in the passing game, his PPR value makes him a great choice.
His playoff strength of schedule also makes him someone to look for. We already talked about the Kanas City defense against running backs, but he also gets the Vikings, who allowed the nine most receiving yards to running backs, and the Chargers, where he had 144 rushing yards and a touchdown in his last matchup.
Wide Receivers
- Week 14: vs. Carolina
- Week 15: vs. New York Giants
- Week 16: @ Los Angeles Ram
- Week 17: @ Tampa Bay
After a stellar rookie reason by catching 1,000+ yards, Olave is ready to become a top receiver in the game. He gets a notable new quarterback in Derek Carr, who made Davante Adams the WR2 last season, and Olave has that ability to stretch the field.
These two can become a great pair that will pay off come fantasy playoff time. He gets two notable struggling secondaries from last season in the Buccaneers and now Jalen Ramsey-less Rams, along with the Panthers that allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
- Week 14: vs. Carolina
- Week 15: vs. New York Giants
- Week 16: @ Los Angeles Ram
- Week 17: @ Tampa Bay
Last season, Watson had one of the best stretches, finishing with four-straight top-six finishes. With Allen Lazard joining Aaron Rodgers in East Rutherford, he will take over as the WR1 for not-so-new quarterback Jordan Love.
In your playoffs, the Packers will face teams that were all abysmal against the pass the last season, including the Vikings and Panthers, who were in the bottom 10 in passing yards allowed, and the Bucs, who allowed the seventh most points to wide receivers.
Tight End
- Week 14: @ New York Jets
- Week 15: @ Tennessee
- Week 16: vs. Cleveland
- Week 17: vs. Tennessee
The Texans are ushering in a new era by hiring a brand new coach and drafting their potential franchise quarterback.
They’ve also brought in some new additions, including Dalton Schultz, as he stays in the lone star state after spending the last five seasons in Dallas. He was the Cowboys leading tight end the last three seasons and finished in the top 11 in each of them.
He could become a valuable target for CJ Stroud. He has a favorable playoff schedule, including the Titans twice, who allowed the most receiving yards and third-most receptions to tight ends last season.
- Week 14: @ Miami
- Week 15: vs. Houston
- Week 16: vs. Seattle
- Week 17: @ Houston
Okonkwo had a slow start to his rookie season, but he is poised for a second-year breakout. As the season progressed, so did his production — In his first nine games, he had zero with more than three targets. In his final seven, he had six with three top-10 finishes.
With either Will Levis or Ryan Tannehill behind center, he’s someone to target late in drafts, especially with his playoff schedule. He’ll matchup with the Dolphins, who allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends in 2022, and in your championship, he gets the Seahawks, who allowed the most.
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