The Huddle created the fantasy football schedule strength by positions back in 1997 and has continuously tweaked and refined it. This provides an early expectation for your fantasy players by applying the averages allowed by defenses last year to current schedules.
The analysis also considers the venue. There is a difference between how defenses respond either home or away, which creates 64 individual “defensive matchups” depending on the game location.
See also:
2022 fantasy football schedule strength – Quarterbacks
2022 fantasy football schedule strength – Running Backs
2022 fantasy football schedule strength – Receivers
The scoring was a point for every 20 passing yards and four -point touchdowns. Rushing is a point for every ten yards and six-point scores. The average passing fantasy points allowed by defenses to quarterbacks are at the bottom of this page for reference.
Total Points
For fantasy contests and some leagues, only total points matter. Below are the total points for each passing offense according to their schedule using the averages allowed in 2021 by those defenses.
The Eagles fare the best – nice timing with an upgraded set of receivers. The poor Jets catch no break with the toughest overall schedule fantasy point-wise for quarterbacks. The addition of Davante Adams in Las Vegas comes at an opportune time for David Carr since he and Kyler Murray face a more daunting overall schedule.
Weekly Play
Three different views are below. Week 1 to 17 is the full-season fantasy strength of schedule. “The Dorey Rule” says to draft by considering the first six weeks for a hot start. Finally, Weeks 15 to 17 represent the most common fantasy playoff weeks. “Good” games were when they faced one of the top 22 venues from last year; “Bad” was when they played in one of the worst 22. Bye weeks were also considered as “bad”.
Notable schedules
Carson Wentz (WAS) – He’s been below-average for the last couple of seasons, but Wentz lands in an opportune spot with Terry McLaurin and the rookie Jahan Dotson as starting wideouts and the lightest schedule of any quarterback. He opens the year with nine favorable matchups against just one bad game over the first 12 weeks before ending the season with a less advantageous stretch. For those who like to stream quarterbacks, Wentz should be a consideration.
Josh Allen (BUF) – He’s the consensus No. 1 fantasy quarterback again this year, so he doesn’t need any help. But Allen only faces an opening schedule at the Rams and at the Dolphins in the first three weeks, then the two matchups versus the Patriots are the only bad matchups the rest of the way.
Jalen Hurts (PHI) – When the Eagles acquired A.J. Brown, Hurts fantasy stock already took a bump up. Add that to second-year DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert and Hurts should see better stats opening up with just one bad matchup over his first 13 games while facing nine of the more advantageous defensive venues. His playoff stretch is much less appealing with a string of road games when fantasy leagues are ending.
Trevor Lawrence (JAC) – Last season’s 1.01 draft pick, Lawrence suffered through a nightmarish rookie campaign complete with losing layers of offensive starters and arguably the worst coaching situation in recent history. The receivers were upgraded with Evan Engram and Christian Kirk, and Travis Etienne gets his mulligan from a lost rookie year. Add that to a more fortunate slate of games that opens lightly without a bad matchup until the Broncos in Week 8 and four of the final six weeks versus the weaker secondaries of last year.
Joe Burrow (CIN) – Like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow is already better than any schedule, but he still lands one of the better opening stretches in the league with soft matchups in each of his first seven games. He’ll be more challenged to finish up fantasy playoffs with road venues in Tampa Bay and New England, and then hosting the Bills in Week 17.
Zach Wilson (NYJ) – The Jets have retooled and should see more success on offense in head coach Robert Saleh’s second season. But Zach Wilson will be fighting the worst schedule of any NFL quarterback. Starting in Week 2, he enjoys only one of the lighter defensive matchups while going against the better secondaries in almost every game until, mercifully, facing the visiting Jaguars in Week 16.
Kyler Murray (ARI) – The schedule is a new complication for Kyler Murray. The Cardinals open against the visiting Chiefs and never again face a defensive venue in the Bottom-20 from last year. Neutral games against the Buccaneers and Falcons end the fantasy season, but there’s no advantage to this schedule along the way.
2022 weekly schedule strength by team
Fantasy points per venue allowed to quarterbacks
These are the values applied to this year’s schedule to determine strength of schedule for quarterbacks.