Fantasy football championships often come down to the matchups. Which teams are poised to have their stars go off in the weeks that matter most?
You can put in all the planning and number-crunching throughout the summer and into your draft. You can ace the waiver wire and make significant trades that improve your team during the season. But your quest for fantasy football glory could be derailed if you wind up with players whose playoff-week matchups are less than ideal.
That’s where we come in. With the 2024 playoff season nearly upon us, we’ve compiled the NFL teams and star players who have the most fantasy-friendly and fantasy-averse schedules during the weeks when leagues typically hold their playoffs.
It’s not always easy to take the long view as a fantasy manager, and if you’re not leading your league by a substantial margin, then you might not have the luxury to be able to. But by getting a jump on preparing for the playoffs, you’ll be able to craft your pre-deadline trades with an eye on the prize, and you’ll be able to scour the free agent pool for diamonds in the rough who could emerge as playoff heroes.
Of course, this is an inexact science. Injuries will happen over the course of the weeks leading into the playoffs, and matchup-proof studs are still going to be your cornerstone players, no matter who they line up against. But you can still find that difference-making edge by playing the matchups to your favor. So let’s take a look at what the schedule has in store.
When Are the Fantasy Football Playoffs?
Generally speaking, most leagues will conduct their playoffs between Weeks 15-17 on the NFL calendar, leaving Week 18 out of it. The reason Week 18 is often omitted is because by that point, most NFL teams are either out of the running for the playoffs or have already clinched playoff places and will take the opportunity to rest players and keep them fresh.
Week 18 isn’t completely without stakes, but it can also possess the unpredictability of preseason in terms of player usage and intensity, and who wants that determining their fantasy championship? As a result, the second-to-last week of the regular season is typically when fantasy league championships take place.
Three weeks are needed for playoffs if your league has more than four teams making it. In a 12-team league, for example, it’s not unusual for six teams to make it, with the top two getting a bye to the semifinals while the other four duke it out for a place in the penultimate round. If only four teams make it, then it’ll typically just be Weeks 16-17.
Teams, Players With the Best Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules
Looking ahead to Weeks 15-17 of the 2024 season, it’s clear that a few teams are primed to have big weeks, which should in turn trickle down to plenty of fantasy-point opportunities for their studs and more under-the-radar pieces.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have had a bizarre first half of the season, in which they won a few close games while having the doors blown off of them in a handful of others. But they are positioned well to help your fantasy team when you need it most.
In Week 15, they get the New England Patriots, and in Week 16, they get the Carolina Panthers. Those opponents could very well be the top two teams picking in next April’s NFL Draft. In Week 17, a division date vs. the L.A. Rams looms large, but keep in mind that Arizona blew out the Rams in Week 2, winning 41-10 at home. There’s feast potential across the board.
Arizona Players to Target
- RB James Conner: He isn’t the sexiest name out there, but he’s one of the most consistent performers in the fantasy landscape. And if he’s hurt, then rookie and RB handcuff Trey Benson would be your best bet.
- WR Marvin Harrison Jr: Rookie receivers tend to blossom later into their debut seasons, and there aren’t many with greater potential than Harrison – especially with those matchups.
- QB Kyler Murray: He’s a frustrating fantasy asset, but the matchups play to his favor, and he could be had in trade talks with managers who have had enough of the subpar performances.
- TE Trey McBride: Murray’s safety net is also his top target, and he’s due for some positive TD regression to go with his catch volume.
- Arizona D/ST: It’s not a high-ranked unit by any stretch, but against the Patriots and Panthers, they’re going to be among the most streamed D/STs out there.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is more of a Week 16-17 recommendation (playing at the Chargers in Week 15 won’t be a cakewalk), but Tampa’s offense should feast when it matters most. Getting to play at Dallas and then at home vs. Carolina should yield a massive fantasy windfall for Tampa’s studs – especially if they’re playing for their actual playoff lives at the time.
Top Players to Target
- WR Mike Evans: With Chris Godwin out injured, Evans should soak up the big plays and the red zone targets at an even higher clip than normal upon returning from his own injury layoff.
- QB Baker Mayfield: The overall QB2 halfway through the season, Mayfield should be able to finish strong given what he’ll be up against and shouldn’t be this underrated as a fantasy asset anymore.
- RB Bucky Irving: The rookie has staked his claim as the most impactful running back on the team, but that hasn’t resulted in a workhorse role. Regardless, he’s poised for a strong finish.
- RB Rachaad White: He may no longer be the team’s unequivocal RB1, but he has offered legitimate value in the passing game and will still be a factor on the ground, too.
- TE Cade Otton: Tight end has been a black hole of a position, but Otton’s ascent has resulted in him becoming one of the most consistent ones in the game. Godwin’s absence has increased his target share and his fantasy viability.
Dallas Cowboys
The season has been disappointing across the board for Dallas, and WR star CeeDee Lamb has yet to fully validate his ADP, but there’s still time for him and some teammates to come good.
Dates with the Panthers in Week 15 and Buccaneers in Week 16 could spell redemption, while a rivalry showdown vs. the Eagles in Week 17 also has high-scoring potential. At worst, they’ll be looking to play spoiler for a hated foe, but either way, it should be to fantasy managers’ benefit.
Top Players to Target
- WR CeeDee Lamb: Any trade will still require a significant haul, and you’ll need impressive depth to pull it off and make it worthwhile for your outlook, but Lamb should feast well after Thanksgiving – even if it’s Cooper Rush force-feeding him the targets. His lingering shoulder injury is understandably a red flag, however.
- RB Rico Dowdle: Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook can’t turn back time, which should keep Dowdle in pole position in this backfield. And while he’s no Peak Austin Ekeler, he has proven to carry value in the passing game.
- TE Jake Ferguson: When Dallas’s offense is humming at its best, Ferguson is a safety valve and target machine. His top weeks – and positive TD regression – should still be in front of him.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders may not be a playoff-caliber team, but they have a fantasy-playoff-friendly schedule. Home games against the Falcons and Jaguars bring some boom potential, while Week 17 in New Orleans doesn’t appear as daunting as it may have seemed earlier in the season.
Top Players to Target
- TE Brock Bowers: The rookie is the overall TE1 in PPR through his first nine weeks as a pro, and he could make quite the closing statement considering his opponents.
- WR Jakobi Meyers: With Davante Adams gone, he’s become the team’s WR1, and that brings with it the kind of volume that presents plenty of PPR opportunity.
Carolina Panthers
We know, we know: you’re not likely to stake your fantasy championship hopes to a team that’s awful. But if you’re strapped for options, you could do worse than some of the Panthers’ skill-position guys, considering they’ll be going up against defensive lightweights in Dallas and Arizona at home before Week 17 at Tampa Bay.
Top Players to Target
- RB Chuba Hubbard: Despite Carolina’s struggles, Hubbard has been a consistent bright spot. He’s getting about 15 carries a game and averaging five yards per rush, and he has the scoring potential to boot. Through nine weeks, he’s the overall RB9 in PPR and standard scoring.
- WR Xavier Legette: The rookie might not have the yardage total you’d like to see, but he has emerged as a scoring threat and should maintain the target volume to be a serviceable WR3 or flex down the stretch.
- TE Ja’Tavion Sanders: One of the breakout talents at his position, he’ll be streamable in the fantasy playoffs as long as he maintains getting half a dozen targets a game.
- RB Jonathon Brooks: This is a complete wild card, but the explosive rookie is finally set to make his debut after recovering from a long-term knee injury and could cut into Hubbard’s timeshare in the backfield. In the off-chance he takes over that role in a more significant way, then he could become an unlikely league-winning player.
Teams, Players With the Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules
Luck of the scheduling draw could pit some fantasy stalwarts against staunch competition during the most important weeks of the season. That doesn’t make those stars unplayable, but expectations should be tempered and alternatives should perhaps be considered instead of rolling the dice with guys locked in tough matchups.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are a conundrum. On a weekly basis, Patrick Mahomes goes on about how the team hasn’t played well but finds a way to win, and he’s pretty accurate in his assessment. The last undefeated team standing in the NFL and two-time reigning Super Bowl champion has not appeared dominant in the least, but wins are wins.
As it relates to fantasy football, those stockpiled wins could result in a team that’s capable of taking it easier down the stretch to stay fresh for the actual NFL playoffs.
A schedule that has K.C. playing at Cleveland, home vs. Houston and then at Pittsburgh spells trouble in terms of hopes for an explosive offense.
It’s hard to pick against the Chiefs in any arena, but as it relates to fantasy football playoffs, they might just be a team to fade.
Top Players Impacted
- QB Patrick Mahomes
- RB Kareem Hunt
- RB Isiah Pacheco
- WR DeAndre Hopkins
- WR Xavier Worthy
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- TE Travis Kelce
- K Harrison Butker
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have appeared resurgent since Russell Wilson took the reins at QB, but dates at the Eagles, at the Ravens and home vs. Kansas City in Weeks 15-17 will pose a significant challenge to that offense.
The Ravens and Chiefs have the two best run defenses in the league, and the Eagles aren’t that far behind. If Pittsburgh can’t establish the run, then that’ll make Wilson and the pass game more one-dimensional and easier to defend, and it all adds up to a slew of frustrated fantasy owners.
Top Players Impacted
- QB Russell Wilson
- RB Najee Harris
- RB Jaylen Warren
- WR George Pickens
- TE Pat Freiermuth
- K Chris Boswell
Houston Texans
Like Pittsburgh, Houston gets K.C. (road) and Baltimore in Weeks 16-17, which complicates matters for a team that’s as run-centric as the Texans. So much of the team’s success revolves around Joe Mixon and his productivity. Add in that WR Stefon Diggs has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, which lowers the ceiling of the passing game, and Houston’s offense could sputter.
In terms of Week 15, however, Miami shouldn’t provide as much resistance. It’s more so the semifinal and final weeks that should be cause for concern for any fantasy managers relying on the Texans.
Top Players Impacted
- QB C.J. Stroud
- RB Joe Mixon
- WR Nico Collins
- WR Tank Dell
- TE Dalton Schultz
- K Ka’imi Fairbairn
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincy’s schedule doesn’t appear the most difficult on the surface, but Tennessee (on the road), Cleveland and Denver all boast defensive units that can be stingier than you might expect, especially as it relates to the passing game.
Top Players Impacted
- QB Joe Burrow
- RB Chase Brown
- WR Ja’Marr Chase
- WR Tee Higgins
- TE Mike Gesicki
Detroit Lions
You’re not going to sit the studs on arguably the league’s best team, but you should be wary of matchups at home vs. the Bills and then road games at the Bears and 49ers – with the outdoor Week 16 date in a likely-frigid Chicago particularly concerning for Jared Goff & Co.
Top Players Impacted
- QB Jared Goff
- RB David Montgomery
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
- TE Sam LaPorta
