Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule 2022: 5 Teams With Hardest Schedules to Avoid

Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule 2022

There's a point in every fantasy football draft when managers are stuck deciding between two players. This uncertainty can sometimes be paralyzing when there's seemingly no clear answer.

That's when fantasy football strength of schedule can help. This isn't an element to start making draft decisions based on, but it's useful when you need to break a tie between similar options.

With that in mind, here are the five teams with the hardest strength of schedule for fantasy football in 2022, according to data from FantasyPros.

Fantasy Strength of Schedule 2022

5. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas Chiefs are set to face some of last season's top defenses this year. Kansas City draws the Buffalo Bills in 2022 after they finished as the No. 1 team in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA metric. They face five other squads (Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams) that were top 10 in DVOA as well, making this a gauntlet for Patrick Mahomes in his first season without Tyreek Hill.

4. Los Angeles Rams

Playing in the NFC West is doing no favors to the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. They'll play the 49ers and Cardinals a total of four times after both finished last season as top-7 DVOA teams. The Bills, Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints (No. 3 in DVOA in 2021) are also on the docket. FantasyPros has rated this schedule as two stars (out of five) in terms of easiness for the Rams' RB and WR groups, which could be bad news for those spending early draft capital on Cooper Kupp (average draft position No. 4 overall) and Cam Akers (ADP 35).

3. Arizona Cardinals

Much of the Rams' knocks are shared by the Cardinals given they share the same division. However, Arizona also draws a date with the New England Patriots that LA will not have in 2022. New England clocked in as the No. 4 team in DVOA and allowed the second-fewest total fantasy points per game in 2021. The Rams and Cardinals share SOS ratings for RB, WR and TE, but Arizona's two-star QB rating (compared to three stars for Los Angeles) means Kyler Murray is expected to have an even tougher time than Matthew Stafford this year.

2. New York Jets

The New York Jets' 2022 schedule is dire. New York owns two of the three one-star ratings in the league for schedules this season, and they come at two key positions (QB/WR). The AFC East projects to be a bloodbath for the Jets' offense, as they'll play a total of six games against the Bills, Patriots and Miami Dolphins, all of whom ranked top-10 in DVOA last year. The one saving grace is a four-star schedule in terms of easiness for RBs, but it could be a long year for Zach Wilson and his group of wideouts.

1. Las Vegas Raiders

There are few bright spots on the Las Vegas Raiders' 2022 schedule. While the Jets had some glimmer of hope at RB, Las Vegas owns a two-star rating across all four major fantasy positions (QB/RB/WR/TE). Drawing the formidable NFC West has already been highlighted as a major obstacle, but the Raiders also must play the Patriots, Saints, Indianapolis Colts (No. 8 in 2021 DVOA) and Tennessee Titans (No. 12). That means they'll go up against a staggering seven of the top-12 defenses in terms of DVOA last season. It'll certainly be an uphill battle for Davante Adams (ADP 11), Josh Jacobs (ADP 43) and Darren Waller (ADP 46) to live up to their currently high average draft positions.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.