Last night, the NFL released the schedule for the 2024 season. While we’ve known each team’s opponents for months, we now know which weeks they will face each opponent. Now, fantasy players know the fantasy football playoff matchups and which NFL players have easy or tough matchups those weeks.
These are critical not only in redraft but also in best ball tournaments that often reward more to the highest finishers in Weeks 16 and 17. That’s why in addition to individual teams, I’ve highlighted specific matchups to target toward the end of the season.
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Fantasy Football Winners, Losers & Takeaways
While plenty will change between now and the last month of the fantasy football season, let’s look at which teams have an easy or difficult schedule for the fantasy playoffs.
- 2024 NFL Schedule Grid
- 2024 NFL Schedule Bye Week Cheat Sheet
- 2024 NFL Schedule: Fantasy Football Winners, Losers & Takeaways
Best & Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Matchups
Let’s review the 2024 NFL schedule release to find the potential fantasy football impact for the upcoming season.
Easiest Schedules
Atlanta Falcons
Per Sharp Football, the Atlanta Falcons have the easiest schedule based on Vegas’ forecasted win totals. And it’s by far the easiest. Last year, they had the second-easiest schedule behind only the Saints (fifth easiest in 2023). Perks of playing in the NFC South.
But the schedule isn’t super easy to start. The Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, Saints, and Buccaneers open the first five games for the Dirty Birds. It could be trouble in paradise for Kirk Cousins, less than a year removed from his Achilles injury. But that’s really the only tough part of their schedule. After Week 3, it’s all but smooth sailing. The best approach to the Falcons might be to fade them during draft season and buy low on them after a week or two. The playoff schedule is also divine, featuring the Raiders, Giants and Commanders (you like that). 3rd-easiest based on forecasted win totals.
San Franciso 49ers
The 49ers have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (@ MIA, DET). Build your Amon-Ra St. Brown plus 49ers WR stacks in best ball.
Houston Texans
Houston goes to KC in Week 16 and hosts the Ravens in Week 17. So even though the Texans’ schedule is the “worst” from an opponent strength perspective, doesn’t suggest that we won’t still see fantasy fireworks.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (@ LV, TEN). Love buying the dip after they collapsed in the second half of last season. The only part of their schedule is from Week 14 onward.
Per the FantasyPros Strength of Schedule tool, the Jags have the No. 1 schedule for fantasy QBs along with the Panthers (also the No.1 schedule for WRs), Titans, Packers, Vikings and Colts. My galaxy-brain take: The AFC South is the division to stack in 2024. A lot of shootout potential between these four teams.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (@ IND, @ JAC), albeit both are on the road. Will Levis in a pass-happy offense is going to create chaos. Embrace the chaos.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (@ CAR, @ LAR), albeit both are on the road. They might struggle to win games out of the gates, but we could see this team hit their stride from post their Week 11 bye week. Hello Trey Benson, fantasy football league winner.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens will play the Houston Texans on Christmas Day in Week 17, exclusively on Netflix, where the fantasy football best ball champions will be crowned. If Ravens best ball teams can just get through an AFC South Week 16 slugfest versus Pittsburgh, they will win drafters a lot of money in 2024.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas has two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (TB, @ PHI).
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have the fifth-hardest schedule, but it’s an easy start against the Giants on the road in Week 1. But that’s about as positive as it gets. Weeks 2-5 before their Week 6 bye week: Niners, Texans, Packers and Jets in London. This defense is going to be tested throughout 2024, and that bodes well for there to be passing volume for the fantasy weapons in the Vikings’ offense. Buy into all parts of this offense that will no doubt smash the overs on in the betting streets. Tight end T.J. Hockenson could be a force down the stretch once he returns from his knee injury in the second half of 2024. The Vikings play four of their last five games at home against the Cardinals, Falcons, Bears and Packers.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (JAC, @ NO).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have two favorable matchups from Weeks 16-17 (@ DAL, CAR). Week 15 they are on the road versus the Chargers. Most division winners face tough schedules the following year, but the Buccaneers got a solid hand dealt. Tampa Bay is tied with the New Orleans Saints for the No. 1 schedule for fantasy RBs in 2024.
Denver Broncos
Good luck, Bo Nix. Denver opens on the road versus the Seahawks, followed by hosting the Steelers in Week 2. Then it’s back-to-back road games on the East Coast against the Jets and Buccaneers. It could be a rough start for Nix’s NFL career. One of just five teams with 3 of their first four games on the road this season. The schedule is also tough for the entire season, ranking as a below-average SOS for QBs per the FantasyPros schedule tool.
But playoffs? We have some hope. Colts in Week 15, followed by at LAC/CIN.
Difficult Schedules
Indianapolis Colts
From Weeks 15-17 it’s at the Broncos, home versus Titans and at the Giants. By the strength of the opponent, this looks like a cakewalk. But that’s not necessarily what we want for fantasy purposes. We want shootouts, and taking a dome team on the road for two of their three postseason games isn’t ideal. Hoping for good weather in both Denver/New York in Weeks 15 and 17 respectively.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo plays the Patriots and Jets at home in Weeks 16-17. Gross.
New York Jets
The Jets host the indoor Rams in Week 16 and then head to Buffalo in Week 17. That setup is not ideal for an explosive shootout.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have the third-easiest schedule, and they draw the Titans at home to start the season. They follow it up versus the Houston Texans on the road (SNF), then draw the Colts, Rams, Panthers and Jaguars in London before a Week 7 bye. Caleb Williams is one of my favorite late-round QBs, and the favorable schedule bolsters the case for drafting him to use him as your starter.
Per Sharp Football, the Bears have the easiest schedule over the first 10 weeks of the season.
But during the second half of the postseason, it’s not ideal. Home games in Chicago versus the Lions and Seahawks. Those optics are not great game environments for fantasy goodness. I can guarantee Jared Goff’s Lions lay an egg playing outdoors in Week 16.
The Lions might be able to lead fantasy football teams all the way up until Week 16 before they collapse. Pity.
Miami Dolphins
We know the Dolphins’ offense plays better in warmer weather at the start of the year. Expect this offense to cook with matchups against the Jaguars, Bills, Seahawks and Titans to kick off the season. Three of those matchups are home games before they go on bye in Week 6.
All in all, Miami’s schedule through 12 weeks per Sharp Football is the second easiest in the NFL. But as the weather gets colder, the schedule gets tougher.
The 49ers game in Week 16 might be overrated (given the 49ers have a strong defense) and Week 17 at Cleveland could be a complete disaster for the warm-weather Dolphins.
Seattle Seahawks
I cannot think of less exciting matchups for Seattle in the postseason. Home versus GB and MIN, then on the road in Chicago. Look elsewhere for hot playoff matchups than Seattle.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have the most difficult schedule per forecasted Vegas win totals. The perks of “sneaking” into the playoffs and playing in the ultra-competitive AFC North. They will head to Atlanta to take on the NFL’s most-hyped team this offseason in Week 1. I could see them sneaking out a win, given Mike Tomlin’s track record as an underdog. The Steelers will then take on Denver in Week 2 (Russell Wilson revenge game) in a hostile road environment.
Weeks 3-8 go LAC, IND, DAL, LV, NYJ and NYG.
The Steelers don’t play a single division game until after their bye week. Six of their last nine games are AFC North matchups. The two other games are against the Chiefs/Eagles. They faced those teams, with the Ravens in between, over a 10-day span from Weeks 15-17. Woof.
Look for the Steelers to try and drag these games through the mud unless Justin Fields is inserted into the starting lineup to spark the offense.
The early season schedule bodes well for whoever wins the QB job during training camp to keep it for at least the start of the season. But after their bye week, things could get ugly. Whichever Steelers QB can get this team to the postseason over that brutal stretch will be heavily considered a favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year.
They will also host the Chiefs on Christmas Day in Week 17, exclusively on Netflix.
The tough schedule to end the season might make the majority of Steelers players major “sell highs” before the second half. Note that they have the worst schedule overall for WRs per the FP Strength of Schedule tool.
New England Patriots
The Patriots have the second-hardest schedule this season after having the toughest one in 2023. They open the season on the road against the Bengals, followed by Seattle at home. In Week 3, they go to the New York Jets, followed by the 49ers in Week 4. Yikes.
They also face the Jaguars on October 20th, which will be the second consecutive game Jacksonville will play in London. It is a disadvantage for the Patriots, especially given that they will follow an overseas trip with another Jets matchup at home in Week 8. They will not go on bye until Week 14. We could see Drake Maye take over Weeks 15-18 to wrap up the final four weeks of the season.
From a fantasy perspective, it suggests that the Patriots will be facing more negative game scripts. That favors more volume in the passing game. They close out the season from Weeks 16-18 with two matchups versus the Bills, who will likely be fighting for playoff seedings.
Even with Maye at QB during the fantasy postseason, you are only really excited about his potential first start at Arizona. Playing at Buffalo might be tough given the cold/windy environment, and home versus the West Coast Chargers in Week 17 screams like a repeat of last year’s 6-0 barnburner between LAC/NE. Of course, I will 100% resurface this when that game shoots out.
Cleveland Browns
Third-hardest schedule last season. And the third-hardest schedule this season. During the postseason, it is two home games versus KC/MIA with a road test versus the Bengals. All potential cold-and-windy weather games that are not conducive to high-scoring.
Playoff Matchups to Target
Week 16
- Los Angeles Rams @ New York Jets
- San Francisco 49ers @ Miami Dolphins
- Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys
- New York Giants @ Atlanta Falcons
- Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders
- Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders
- Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Week 17
- Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
- Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams
- Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers
- Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans
- Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saints
- Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
- Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
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